Literary Master 1983

Chapter 284 Banana Republic, Golden Republic (Majorly revised, refreshing is recommended)

Gabriel García Márquez was always an excellent investigative journalist, and he always considered himself one.

After winning the Nobel Prize, because everyone he met would mention his book "One Hundred Years of Solitude," Márquez had to hang up a plaque that read, "One Hundred Years of Solitude - No discussion."

If anyone insists on talking to him, he will say that he is not a writer, but an investigative journalist, and then he will go on and on about the history of suffering in Colombia.

Márquez is now in a position where the warlords can't kill him, but they also find him repulsive. His novels are wanted nationwide by the warlord government in Chile, and the authorities forbid anyone from reading them. He has a good relationship with the Colombian government, but unfortunately, local order is not entirely under government control, and Márquez's investigation into the massacres has been obstructed.

So he is somewhat similar to the "colonel" he wrote about, in a situation where he did great things but seemed to be manipulated and gradually forgotten. Considering that Márquez himself later developed Alzheimer's disease and could not remember anything.

This makes it even more ironic; it's as if he wrote his own ending.

The reporters had already heard what Yu Qie said to Márquez and couldn't help but encourage them to speak and pose for photos in front of the cameras.

Márquez refused, saying, "China, China is such a big place! So far away!"

Yu Qie smiled and said, "I know that in your context, China is the 'most distant place.' The word itself represents distance, but it's not that distant, because sometimes as long as you persevere, that distant place will come to you on its own."

Marquez immediately reached out his hand to Yu Qie, and the two clasped hands tightly.

The two men have a significant height difference, and the reporters took two different photos: one from a normal angle, in which Yuqie is naturally much taller; the other is a shot taken through camera composition, which makes Márquez appear to be at the same height as Yuqie, with Márquez being slightly shorter.

The reporters used the second photo.

Then, Ambassador Tang, the local diplomatic officer, and the Colombian Minister of Justice shook hands, and the military band began to play the national anthems of the two countries!

Ah, glory that will never fade! Ah, endless cheers!

In the depths of despair, happiness has already welled up. Happiness has already welled up.

Ah, glory that will never fade! Ah, endless cheers!
In the depths of suffering, happiness has already welled up.

The terrifying night has ended, and sublime freedom is expanding!

......"

Yu Qie understood Spanish, and at that moment he understood the predicament faced by Colombia, the country where Márquez was located. They had been in a "terrifying night," and in fact, they were still in a "terrifying night."

After all, the infamous title of "Banana Republic" ultimately fell to Colombia.

Because of the brutal rule of American banana companies, several countries in history have been called "banana republics".

American novelist O. Henry visited Honduras in the last century to solicit prostitutes. While doing so, he drew his sword, felt sorry for the women, and lamented how miserable the place was. He then named Honduras the "Banana Republic."

Later, Chilean poet Pablo Neruda popularized the name "Banana Republic" in his poem "United Fruit Company," though it did not refer to any particular country at the time.

Then came the shockwave from Márquez, who wrote "One Hundred Years of Solitude," which recounted the massacre perpetrated by the United Fruit Company, a brutal killing of three thousand people... Ultimately, this led to Colombia winning the "Miserable Country" contest and claiming the title of "Banana Republic."

Of course, Colombians may not like this name.

Three years ago, Yu Che revealed all the information he knew about the Holocaust to Márquez, which aroused Márquez's professional instincts as an investigative journalist. In the past few years, he has been working on the Holocaust case.

Unfortunately, there is still no definitive news. The newly revised textbooks are discussing whether to use figures from the novel instead of those from the original news reports.

But this is not real evidence. Márquez needed real evidence, and he needed time to stop here, for people to go back to 1928 and find the truth.

He felt that the root of the problem was that he could not write a new "shocking novel," because the creation of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" had already reached his peak in this regard, and to restart the investigation, it would require the use of national-level resources.

To mobilize national-level power, one needs the consensus of the majority of the people, as well as an unparalleled literary masterpiece.

Márquez couldn't help but focus his gaze on Yu Qie, and his handshake tightened as a result. Yu Qie before him was at the height of a writer's creativity, a state that countless writers dreamed of returning to.

Twenty years ago, in this state, having smoked 30,000 cigarettes, and with his wife working tirelessly to support the family… the unemployed Gabriel García Márquez wrote *One Hundred Years of Solitude*, achieving instant fame. He used the "stripes" that could make prophecies come true to connect the entire story.

—Yu Qie, do you have such an ability?

Márquez told Yuche: "The Colombian national anthem is played throughout the country every morning at six o'clock and every evening at six o'clock. Tens of millions of Colombians have sung this song their whole lives, but our lives have not actually changed."

"We don't know how to change it."

What could Yu Qie say?

Yu Qie nodded to Marquez, signaling him to pay attention to the sounds that followed.

On such occasions, the orchestra usually plays the national anthems of the two countries alternately.

Márquez soon heard the loud bugle call, and as the military band played its climax, he heard Yu Qie muttering something under his breath.

He couldn't help but ask, "Yu, what are you talking about?"

Yu Qie said, “Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!”

He said this in Spanish.

Marquez was so shocked that he coughed.
-
The delegation received a warm welcome in Colombia.

Surprisingly, there's a Colombia-China Friendship Association here. Its founder was Gomez, who was serving as the Colombian ambassador to China. The association, founded by him, established branches in major provincial capitals of Colombia. In 79, its membership had grown to over 1500, and now it has reached tens of thousands.

Upon Yu Qie's arrival, Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, immediately launched a variety of activities featuring "Chinese elements." Colombians learned Chinese painting, watched the Chinese film "Children of Heaven," and were introduced to Chinese acrobatic troupes...

A Colombian who had studied in China organized his companions and performed the boatmen's chant from Wanxian in front of Yu Qie!
All that was seen was that this group of mixed-race people actually uttered the Badong work song:

"Hey-ho!" "Ho-ho!"

They were shirtless, with white cloths wrapped around their heads and straw sandals on their feet. They pulled the boats on the inland river with hemp ropes and actually managed to move them!

Yu Qie clapped enthusiastically and couldn't help but shout "Bravo!"

Among this group of visitors, he was the only one from Badong area in Sichuan Province. In the Sichuan-Chongqing region, "Shu" represents Sichuan, and "Ba" represents the Three Gorges area today. Wanxian is the gateway to the Three Gorges; this program was practically rehearsed just for him!

Márquez asked him, "How was the show?"

Yu Qie said, "I couldn't be more satisfied!"

Marquez said, "Our ambassador to China, Gomez, is a complete China expert. He knows you are very famous in China and live by the river. He has someone arrange this event!"

The rest of the delegation were incredibly envious! Yu Qie was receiving such a warm welcome in this place.

The group visited several cities in Colombia, and in each city they visited, they were greeted by members of the China-Colombia Association. They received extremely grand treatment from the Colombian football team, parliamentary delegation, press delegation, and Colombian volleyball team.

Shen Guozheng, Huang Jinyan, and others who translated *One Hundred Years of Solitude* also visited Márquez's former residence—which has been converted into a memorial hall—and then toured the National Library of Colombia from there. Because of Márquez's Nobel Prize win, Colombia has placed great emphasis on literary development in recent years, and many avant-garde and extravagant libraries have been built there.

This was quite unusual for people on the mainland at that time, and they didn't even realize the country's predicament.

On the third day, Qian Zhongshu, the deputy head of the delegation, couldn't help but say, "I also read *One Hundred Years of Solitude*. I thought it was a rotten place, full of murder and rape, with warlords squandering their wealth... but why do I actually find it acceptable?" "Was Márquez lying?"

The rest of the delegation couldn't help but come to hear what Yu Qie had to say.

Yu Qiedao: "Ji Xianlin from Yenching University went to Germany to study in the 1930s and spent the entire Second World War there. Perhaps he saw a shampoo boy on the street and even saw his neighbors voting for him. He described pre-war Germany as a country that loved beauty, where everyone cared about their neighbors and loved flowers and plants..."

“But!” Yuqie said, “we certainly know today how absurd it is.”

Qian Zhongshu had studied in England, so he naturally knew about the situation in Germany before World War II. A loaf of bread cost millions of marks, the people were starving, and Ji Xianlin could still feel that everything was wonderful…

why?
Because Ji Xianlin was a writer from China, he had hardly ever met any ordinary Germans from the lower classes; he had only ever been in contact with wealthy intellectuals.

Qian Zhongshu immediately realized: "We can't see the real Colombia. It's like a hidden truth, like the unknown 'town' in 'One Hundred Years of Solitude'."

Qian Zhongshu, with his extensive knowledge and remarkable memory, couldn't help but recite the original text: "When José Arcadio awoke, he found himself lying on a train, surrounded by corpses. His whole body ached, and his blood was congealed. He saw the corpses of men, women, and children, about to be dumped into the sea like rotten bananas."

"He jumped off the train and went in the opposite direction to a woman's house, muttering to himself that 3000 people must have been killed."

"The woman, not understanding what was going on, said to him..."

Qian Zhongshu uttered a classic line in literary history:

"No one has died here, nothing has happened in Macondo!"

Yu Qie was silent for a moment, then said, "Our visit isn't just limited to these big occasions; there will also be times when we have free time. We'll have the chance to go and see things then, so let's not think too much about it now."

Qian Zhongshu then explained the situation to the other members of the delegation.

Everyone understood—because we don't associate with the uncultured. Who would show their guests displaced residents or slums everywhere?
Yu Qie added, "However, Columbia is not as small as we think; in fact, it is a place with great potential."

Qian Zhongshu couldn't help but sigh, "If you don't come to other parts of the world, you won't know how short-sighted I am."

Although Colombia is a remote place that sounds like a desolate, insignificant place, it actually has a population of over 40 million and an area of ​​over one million square kilometers.

In the entire Latin American world, Colombia is the third largest country in terms of population, after Mexico and Brazil.

Unfortunately, this place is unlucky; it's too close to America, and it's now in a weakened state.

Historically, Colombia also had a "Gran Colombia" republic, which included present-day Panama, as well as parts of Guyana, Peru, and Brazil. It covered approximately 241 million square kilometers, and its population in later generations could have reached hundreds of millions, comparable to Brazil or Mexico. Located in the very center of North and South America, it also possessed the world-class Panama Canal and abundant mineral resources, oil, and more.

If it could truly exist, it could very well unify South America and become a dominant power.

However, for the same reason, it was too close to the United States. This "Gran Colombia" disintegrated after only 12 years. In the fourth year of this super-version of Colombia's establishment, when everything was thriving, the United States to the north put forward the "Monroe Doctrine": America would belong to the Americans.

Subsequently, the federal system in the North and the capitalist relations that swept the world easily dismantled this "Gran Colombia".

The leader of Gran Colombia, the "Qin Shi Huang" of Gran Colombia, can only be found in the game Civilization VI. When people play the game, they rarely know about this magnificent period of history.

Although this place is large, there is no room for Colombians to develop.

Colombians also dream of becoming a great power!

The delegation spent the first five days in Colombia in a whirlwind tour, visiting six major cities in the Colombian interior and along the coast. In each city, they were greeted by important local figures, and their food, clothing, and accommodations were all of high quality.

Yu Qiedu felt that these Colombians were incredibly hospitable!

No wonder everyone wants to go abroad.

With subsidies available domestically, and foreigners even going out of their way to give you nice gifts, who wouldn't want to go abroad?

During this period, the delegation's movements were constantly reported by Colombian national television, and various media outlets tried to write news articles and take photos. Márquez is a national hero in Colombia, and the public enjoys reading about him.

When they visited the last city, Bastow, the mayor of Bastow also came, and Yuche was awarded the title of "honorary citizen." He also received a key, which Márquez personally gave to Yuche: "This key is used to open the gates of Bastow."

"Kacha!"

Yu Qie left behind another photo.

He held the key that Márquez had given him, feeling as if he held the key to open the gates of Macondo—that town that did not exist.
-
We've had our fill of good food and drinks, time to get down to business!

The group returned to Bogotá, the capital of Colombia.

The delegation representative will give a speech about the trip. The speech will be broadcast live throughout Colombia.

The lecture took place at the San Bartholomew Grand Theatre, the largest theatre in Colombia, and was attended by thousands of people organized by the local government. Television stations, radio stations, and major newspapers were also invited to provide live coverage.

It was here that Yu Che finally met the President of Colombia, a man named Bertancur, who, before entering politics, was a writer and economist—exactly like Yu Che. Bertancur had started as a magazine editor, consistently advocating for labor, building his reputation while writing articles, and eventually successfully transitioning into politics.

He was very interested in Yu Qie: "You and I are the same; we've always used the pen as our weapon!"

Yuche shook hands with Betankur and nodded in agreement with his words.

But deep down I still had some reservations: a pen is necessary, and a gun is necessary too.

The rest of the delegation gave speeches, starting with Ambassador Tang, who spoke about the enduring nature of friendship.

Then came the deputy commander, Qian Zhongshu, who expressed his praise for Márquez. Unfortunately, Márquez had already received so much praise that Qian Zhongshu's words failed to move him.

It was Yu Qie's turn.

Suddenly, Márquez stood up and encouraged the audience to applaud, which resulted in a great ovation in the theater.

Yu Qie took out a manuscript filled with writing, showed it to the camera, and then said, "What I'm about to say has nothing to do with this."

Those present burst into laughter. Millions of people in Colombia probably couldn't help but laugh too.

Because they have very few television stations, most people will see this scene.

The delegation members were all very proud. The two professors who translated "One Hundred Years of Solitude" couldn't help but say, "This situation is similar to the day we wrote the preface. Everyone has opinions to express, but when Yu Qieyi stands there, he always manages to come up with some brilliant ideas for his speech!"

"Liu Xinwu lost because he couldn't give a good speech."

Another person said, "Liu Xinwu's skills aren't good either. By the way, where did Liu Xinwu go?"

"I don't know. It's probably gone too."

"—Everyone!" a steady voice rang out.

Yu Qie gestured for everyone to be quiet. He said, "Our two countries are very far apart. Colombia and China are among the ten most distant countries in the world."

(End of this chapter)