Literary Master 1983

Chapter 165 Ramayana
As soon as he saw the article, he was immediately furious.

You don't even know what I'm supposed to do, and yet you criticize me?

Why did Yu Qie go to visit Kowloon Walled City? Initially, it was to collect material for a cyberpunk novel. This novel also criticized the British government at the time because Hong Kong was still under the control of the British and they were reluctant to let go.

The British Hong Kong government was directly responsible for the suffering in Kowloon Walled City.

However, after the actual visit, Yu Qie saw something he had not noticed before - the inheritance and inertia of Chinese culture under such extreme conditions. Yu Qie had already felt this kind of inheritance during the Los Angeles Olympics, when Chinese athletes won gold medals, and Chinese people all over the world were also proud of it.

Wang Qiang, the diehard licker of the American white girl, can also draw a clear line between himself and the white girl out of national pride.

So Yu Qie said that sentence: "When the ice covered the North Sea, I saw the plum blossoms in full bloom." Because in an era of lack of confidence, he saw cultural confidence.

However, what Cha Liangyong saw was Yu Qie's propaganda, and he was very wary of it. Because of some personal experiences, in Cha Liangyong's novels, there are often criticisms and jokes about "great" things.

There is nothing wrong with putting these things in martial arts novels, because the personal strength of a martial arts master can defeat thousands of troops. In reality, it was precisely the spontaneous unity of old men and women that created the spectacle and conservatism of Kowloon Walled City.

The greatness that Cha Liangyong was wary of is precisely the magic weapon that enables the Chinese to gain a foothold in Hong Kong and even in more places in Southeast Asia.

We have to be an old-age security guard and a clan-based society, otherwise we will be eliminated by the mixed-race Southeast Asian indigenous people and white people.

Yu Qie brought the article from Ming Pao back to the visiting delegation. Ji Xianlin and Zhao Puchu read it one after another and immediately expressed their dissatisfaction.

Ji Xianlin said: "How could it be a mistake for Yu Qie to care about fellow Hong Kong people in Kowloon Walled City and send them books and classes? He is well-known all over the world, and he met with Chiang Ching-kuo. He also came to the mainland a few years ago and has a much higher social influence, but he has never cared about the people in Kowloon Walled City for a day... This place is only a dozen kilometers away from his newspaper office."

Zhao Puchu held similar views to Ji Xianlin, but was more moderate. He comforted Yu Qie: "Zha Liangyong has a high social reputation, but his political acumen does not match it. Perhaps he has not yet realized that he is no longer a minor writer as he was when he was young, but a banner of Chinese society. What he said is unfair to the people of Kowloon Walled City."

"And you were just injured by mistake."

accidental injury?

Yu Qie certainly doesn't think so. He said, "I hate it most when people misunderstand me. If any demon or monster stands in my way, I want to smash their brains."

Ji Xianlin was shocked. "You are one of the best young writers in our mainland, but it is not easy to talk to Mr. Cha directly, otherwise you will lose a lot of support... We don't know whether Mr. Cha just mentioned it casually. We can handle this matter coldly. When we return to Hong Kong for a layover, we will pay him a visit and ask him what he means."

"If it really doesn't work, let Ba Lao do some roundabout things for me. I think this matter is simply incomprehensible, and I'm afraid there are many misunderstandings."

Because of his fame as a novelist, Cha Liangyong was keen on politics for a while. Historically, he worked in politics for four or five years and served as a member of the Hong Kong District Council. He soon realized that he was not cut out for this and retired at the peak of his career. Many people did not know that he had this side, so he was able to preserve his reputation. At this time, Cha Liangyong was like Tiexiong in "Akira" who could release a nuclear explosion. He had a great influence brought by his works, but his personality was still like a scholar who laughed, scolded, and scolded.

This sometimes makes many people who have real contact with Cha Liangyong feel disappointed: he is neither like Qiao Feng, nor like Guo Jing, and even not as good as Xu Zhu who has gained great power due to initiation, but more like Zhou Botong who cannot distinguish between good and evil.

Yu Qie thought: Even if it was a misunderstanding, you have already written it in the newspaper, how can I not react?

Yu Qie stayed in Thailand for a few days, and in the following week, he joined a group to visit the Grand Palace, the Chao Phraya River, and watch large-scale performances held in Bangkok.

The current royal family of Thailand is of Chinese descent and has been passed down for nine generations. Throughout Southeast Asia, the Chinese minority has an absolute advantage in the economic field, but this is not the case in political status. Due to the small population, they are often persecuted and excluded by local indigenous people.

In 1984, eight of the top ten richest people in Thailand were Chinese, and among members of parliament, those with Chinese backgrounds outnumbered the indigenous people. The Thai people were extremely dissatisfied with this phenomenon, and now, the Rama royal family rarely mentions their Chinese identity.

In this peacock dance drama adapted from the Ramayana, members of the royal family played the monkey Hanuman. Yu Qie and his delegation were sitting in the guest seats with the royal family members and local celebrities.

Sirindhorn was right next to Yu Che. She knew about the comments that Cha Liangyong had recently written in the newspaper. In order to help Yu Che relax, she took the initiative to introduce the play "Ramayana".

Sirindhorn said: "Our current Royal Thai Theatre was opened 50 years ago. At that time, it was the largest and most modern theatre in Asia. The Monkey King in Ramayana is just like Sun Wukong in China. Everyone knows this character."

Yu Qie was puzzled: "Thailand was not an economically prosperous country 50 years ago. Why did it spend so much money to build a national theater?"

"For the sake of unity, or as you Chinese would say, for the sake of a united ideology." After a little thought, Sirindhorn gave this answer.

"What does this drama unite? What cultural connotations does it have?" Yu Qie asked Sirindhorn.

Sirindhorn then explained: "In Thailand, the Chinese are a minority, and the royal family is also a minority. In 1933, Thailand was also in turmoil, and national consciousness rose. 'Thailand is Thailand for Thais'! There is such a saying, but we have so many different races, and our conditions and status are so different, we have to reshape a new cultural identity."

Sirindhorn said: "In this cultural identity, whether Chinese or indigenous people, we are all united. We are all Thais, there is no difference between us."

Yu Qie nodded: "You succeeded."

"That's right!" Sirindhorn said, "Although Chinese people in Thailand still encounter unfair treatment sometimes, compared with countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, we have done very well."

(End of this chapter)