Literary Master 1983

Chapter 121 Yu Xuanfeng is coming (V)
During the visit to Japan, any interesting things from interviews or activities were published in the media. Chinese writers became "tool men". Sometimes there were four or five different things published in one day:
Chinese writers appeared at the former residence of Yasunari Kawabata, and then Yu Qie had a conversation with Haruki Murakami, winner of the New Literary Writer Award.

Haruki Murakami asked him: "Romain Rolland shed tears when he read the French translation of The True Story of Ah Q. Does Lu Xun's literature have universal applicability?"

Yu Qie said: "We often think that Lu Xun criticized the bad nature of the Chinese at that time, but in fact he criticized all the petty citizens... Ah Q's national character of bullying the good and fearing the evil, and self-deception, was not only common to the Chinese at that time. Apparently Romain Rolland believed that the French also had it."

Haruki Murakami asked: "Do the Japanese have the Ah Q spirit?"

"My literary level is not yet enough to answer this question. Please answer it yourself."

Haruki Murakami laughed and said, "I don't dare to answer this question either. I can only speak for myself. I have the spirit of Ah Q."

Yu Qie said: "It's better to say that this is an ostrich mentality, that is, we bury our heads in the desert, look at nothing, and pretend that there is no danger around us."

Haruki Murakami stood up and said, "You're right! I'm just an ostrich!"

"Bang!" The newly published Asahi Shimbun wrote this scene in the newspaper: "Chinese writer Yu Qie criticized our people for being good at 'self-deception'!"

Letter from a reader: Yu Qie is a Chinese who knows the Japanese, he is an expert on Japan!
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Chinese writers showed up at Wu Qingyuan's residence, and Yu Qie played chess with the Chinese-American "Japanese chess master."

The result was that he was badly beaten and couldn't win at all, so he made a few blind moves.

The winner is decided within fifty points.

Wu Qingyuan praised him: "The core of Go is to fight for the initiative. Although he (Yuqie) played very aggressively (played a few blind moves), he understood how Go should be played."

"You could say he won't play, but in fact, he will play."

The reporter asked Yu Qie: "So, why did you take such an aggressive move?"

Yu Qie certainly couldn't tell the truth: "My chess skills are not as good as the chess saint, but if I follow the rules, I will lose. If I find some other opportunities, I can still perform well."

Reporter: "Even if it's a one in ten thousand chance, are you going to try?"

Yu Qie said, "Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, I will go."

"Bang!" Kyodo News Agency sent a short message: Chinese writers criticized the bad qualities of our people and said they were too rigid.

Letter from a reader: This is a great writer and he hits the nail on the head.

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Nezu Elementary School in Bunkyo Ward is holding a "Summer Camp for Elementary School Students" activity. Most of the children in this elementary school come from middle-class or above families, and many of them spend their time studying homework and art, so their physical fitness is relatively poor.

Some writers were invited to give Chinese classes to elementary school students. They saw Japanese elementary school students staggering, carrying small schoolbags, gathering and training on the playground.

Because the weather was hot that day, two girls fainted.

The reporter asked Yu Qie: "Are there summer camps in China?"

"There are summer camps in China, but we don't have this kind of camps... I come from a small place by the river. There are no asphalt roads in our area. Children have to carry their schoolbags, slide on ropes in the turbulent river, and then walk nearly ten miles on a mountain road."

“Are summer camps for Chinese children so intense?”

"I think so."

"Bang!" The local "Tokyo Shimbun" newspaper published this news: "Competition in Summer Camp", Japanese children are far inferior to Chinese children ten years ago.

This time, the reader's letter was filled with sorrow: We can enjoy ourselves, but for the future of the country, we must first let the children suffer!
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It is not the case that the more interviews the better. We must pay attention to the impact of every activity. If we go too far, we may be easily criticized at home.

This was the eighties.

Yu Qie went to Ba Lao for advice, and Ba Lao immediately gave him an idea: go sweep the graves.

Therefore, Yu Qie postponed most of the interviews and finally appeared at Gotoku-ji Temple in Setagaya District as a young Chinese writer to visit the grave of Kenzo Nakajima, the founder of the Friendship Exchange Association between the two countries. The current leaders of the association, Gou Shiratsuchi and Junko Sato, and Ba Lao, who was in a wheelchair, were all there.

A large number of reporters gathered outside the gate of Haode Temple, hoping to get a chance to interview. Some climbed up the wall by stacking themselves on top of each other, and used their cameras to take pictures of this potentially historic moment.

The inheritance of China’s literary giants!

There are several wooden buildings at the entrance of Haode Temple, and behind them is a large cemetery. Ba Lao walked along the gravel path, with Yu Qielai pushing his wheelchair, silently forward until he stood up in front of a tombstone.

Yu Qie supported him.

The names of Kenzo Nakajima and his wife are engraved on the tombstone, but his wife's name is in red, which means Kenzo Nakajima is dead, but his wife is not.

Bai Tuwufu pointed at the tombstone and said, "This is our custom." Ba Lao nodded and said, "We used to do this too. This is another area where the cultures of our two countries have something in common."

Then he introduced Kenzo Nakajima to Yu Qie:

There has always been a group of Japanese activists working hard for the relationship between the two countries. It was the 1950s, and the friendly atmosphere between the two countries had not yet been created. Nakajima Kenzo had received many threatening letters and phone calls, and sometimes even received bullets.

Kenzo Nakajima's friend was assassinated by radicals for promoting friendship between the two countries. He himself visited China in the 1960s, but because the port under British control did not allow him to transit, he had to go around Phnom Penh to come to China.

So, this is indeed a true friend.

After this interview, a number of publishers have contacted Yu Qie, hoping to take advantage of the favorable conditions and try to publish his works.

Especially the literature of the nuclear age, which is of great interest to the big nuclear nations.

Yu Qie's visit to sweep his grave will not only facilitate further book sales in Japan and express his goodwill, but will not affect his position in the country.

These actions were effective. The Japanese media gradually portrayed Yu Qie as a young writer from a neighboring country who was sharp, dared to speak the truth, but had good intentions.

Under the guidance of this kind of public opinion, Yu Qie's side of asking the Japanese to apologize was weakened, while his side of speaking "fair words" for the Japanese and being anti-nuclear was widely publicized.

In NHK's evening news that night, the female host enthusiastically praised this "Chinese whirlwind" and the TV station interviewed passers-by in front of the bookstore where Ba Lao's books were laid out.

Of course, passers-by were selected.

First, a student wearing glasses asked: "Do you know any Chinese writers?"

"Lu Xun, Ba Lao..."

"Do you know Yu Qie?"

"do not know."

The program then introduced the Tokyo Writers' Conference and Yu Qie's views in the previous interview program.

The Japanese student said: "His idea is interesting."

“Then do you read books by Chinese writers?”

"Maybe... well, I'd like to see."

It was another middle-aged man who bought a collection of Lu Xun's essays. After a brief inquiry, I learned that this man was an engineer from the automobile company Toyota and was stationed in the United States all year round.

Toyota cars are very popular in the United States, but they also arouse disgust among Americans. A few years ago, in Detroit, the American automobile city, angry American workers smashed Japanese cars.

The reporter asked the passerby: "Do you know the co-tangent?"

"I know, but I haven't read his books. There's just been news about him these days."

The reporter introduced Yu Qie's criticism of nuclear weapons. The middle-aged man became excited: "Yu Qie dares to criticize the United States? I want to read what he writes."

(End of this chapter)