Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 116 What they have, we will have too.
After Perek finished speaking, he held up the novel in his hand, and the media captured the moment. For the media, what is news? Dog bites man isn't news; man bites dog is.

As a representative of the Eastern literary world, Ba Jin's visit to France was a well-known event, with his every move attracting attention. To make one's reporting stand out, it's necessary to find a unique angle.

To the reporters, Liu Yimin was the one in the delegation who bit the dog.

The writers in the French delegation all gave interviews, and every media outlet asked for their opinion on the young man, Liu Yimin, hoping to create a big news story.

After the interview, I rushed back to the newspaper office and began studying Liu Yimin's information.

"Yimin, what exactly is magical realism?" Xu Chi asked curiously.

"I don't know much about it either. I've seen a little bit in the piles of old books in Yenching University Library, but my understanding is not deep. What I'm talking about today is what the French have explained about their literary ideas more thoroughly and figured out the key points. My statement may seem a bit opportunistic, because it can also be applied to the debate between Romanticism and Realism."

Liu Yimin explained to Xu Chi.

Ba Jin couldn't help but laugh and said, "Let me tell you, if you have time, you can also go to the bookstore and buy some books like these to take home and read."

Liu Yimin speaks English, and Xu Chi speaks both French and English, so buying and reading books shouldn't be too difficult for them.

“French avant-garde literature is quite interesting,” Xu Chi remarked. “But I think the avant-garde also needs to innovate in terms of content.”

"Yimin, you've made Chinese youth proud today. Are you going out this afternoon?" Li Xiaolin asked with a smile.

"Senior Sister Xiaolin, I want to go and see the Paris Commune!"

After some discussion, only Ba Jin declined to go; he was a bit tired and wanted to rest. Seeing this, Li Xiaolin also didn't want to go. Ba Jin said, "Don't worry, even without you, there are comrades from the embassy. There won't be any problems."

In the afternoon, accompanied by Gu Zhijun from the embassy, ​​we arrived at the Commune Members' Wall. The Commune Members' Wall is located inside Père Lachaise Cemetery, where vehicles are not normally allowed to enter. However, upon seeing that it was a vehicle belonging to the Chinese Embassy, ​​the cemetery caretaker voluntarily allowed us to enter.

Gu Zhijun got out of the car and chatted with the cemetery keeper for a few words before getting back into the car: "Because the delegations coming to Paris always come to visit, we've built good relationships with these people and give them small gifts from time to time, which has made them much friendlier to us."

The Commune Wall is located in section 76 of the cemetery in the northeast corner. Following the undulating path, after about ten minutes, you'll see a gray brick wall with bullet holes. On the wall is a marble slab inscribed with "In memory of the victims of the Paris Commune."

On May 27, 1871, the last hundred or so surviving members of the Paris Commune fought a hopeless street battle against the reactionary army here, and ultimately died heroically.

The Paris Commune, which lasted only 72 days, was a tragic chapter in human history, but also the first courageous attempt. The successes of later generations were built upon the lessons learned from their failures.

Next to the wall of commune members is the tomb of the author of "The Internationale".

The delegation members were scattered in various corners of the wall of members, and each person had a different feeling when looking at the wall.

"I didn't expect the wall for commune members to be so low, only a little over two meters high," Xu Chi exclaimed.

“This precisely demonstrates their greatness,” Luo Sun said.

Flowers and flags were placed in front of the commune members' wall, indicating that many people usually come here. "Yimin, what are your thoughts?" Li Xiaolin asked.

Liu Yimin looked at Li Xiaolin and said, "It feels like we're a group of familiar people from a foreign country."

"This is what 'comrade' is all about!"

After the visit, the group, led by Gu Zhijun, strolled around the cemetery, where many famous French figures are buried, including Chopin.

After driving around for a while, the embassy vehicle took them along the Seine River for a short distance before returning to the embassy. Li Xiaolin said with a smile, "Everyone should keep a close eye on their money when they go out alone."

Tipping is very common here. The Writers' Association has prepared thirty dollars for everyone, so be careful with your spending.

Then he recounted an amusing anecdote about Ba Jin's overseas trip in the 1950s. Because he was expected to tip the doorman when he opened the door, but had no money, he made a deal with another member of the delegation: when Ba Jin left, the other person would open the door before the doorman, thus saving on the tip, and vice versa.

Everyone was amused by the funny stories Li Xiaolin told, but when they looked at the money in their wallets, none of them could laugh.

"Thank you all for your hard work. The thirty dollars I was given as pocket money is really not enough, but that's all I can do. In the past, when generals from China came to visit, the comrades at the embassy were short of money and didn't have the opportunity to take them up to the Eiffel Tower. Every time they thought about it, those comrades felt regret."

Embassies abroad do not pay salaries; their salaries are paid by their original work units. The embassy provides a portion of the allowance to buy daily necessities. For people like Gu Zhijun, the monthly allowance is only sixty francs.

Back at the guesthouse, Gu Zhijun told them about the surrounding area and that if they wanted to go out, they could ask embassy staff to accompany them.

"Yimin, how are you feeling?" Li Xiaolin asked.

"The air quality in Paris isn't great!"

"I think so too! I felt terrible when I woke up this morning. I saw the Seine today, and I think it's not as impressive as the Huangpu River. It's just that our architecture and development level are quite far behind France. You don't realize how fast these capitalist countries have developed until you come out here."

Li Xiaolin pointed to the spire of a building in the distance, which looked like a church.

“Senior Sister Xiaolin, what they have, we will have in the future too. These countries have been developing since the Industrial Revolution. We started late, and the West has imposed a blockade on us. Our development is not slow either, it’s just that our foundation is too weak.”

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, the other members of the group remained silent. Seeing this scene and thinking about the situation back home, it was understandable that they were shocked.

The following day, the Parisian newspapers reported on the Chinese writers' delegation as usual, but they featured Liu Yimin's photo separately, next to Perec holding a book.

The titles varied—such as "The Mysterious Young Man from the East"—and included detailed information about Liu Yimin, as well as a translated French poem, "My Motherland, My Beloved Motherland."

Some tabloids, in their pursuit of sensationalism, have gone to extreme lengths, producing headlines that are downright alarming and reminiscent of the sensationalist UC news outlets. Headlines such as "First Exchange Between Chinese and French Writers: Young Writer Makes Insolent Remarks" are commonplace.

(End of this chapter)