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

Chapter 564 Acheng Becomes an Apprentice
The next morning, Liu Yimin woke up to South American sunlight streaming through the white curtains onto the bed. He groggily checked the time; it was 10 a.m. Venezuelan time.

The group had been on the plane for over thirty-five hours, and the four hours of sleep they got from noon to afternoon were simply not enough for them to adjust to the time difference. The banquet that evening, with its constant toasts and welcoming and seeing off guests, was exhausting, and Liu Yimin was still completely worn out when he woke up.

At this time, the delegation members slowly woke up, and around 11 o'clock, everyone left their rooms to prepare for dinner according to the rules.

Liu Yimin looked at Acheng, who was yawning repeatedly, and asked, "What's wrong? Wasn't one night enough for you to recover?"

Ah Cheng, with dark circles under his eyes, said awkwardly, "I was a little excited about my first trip abroad, and I couldn't sleep last night."

"Hurry up and eat, then go back to your room and get some more sleep." Cao Yu glanced at Acheng, his voice filled with concern.

Acheng nodded gratefully: "Commander Wan, don't worry, I will definitely not delay the rest of the trip."

"Still calling him Commander Wan?" Cao Yu asked meaningfully.

Ah Cheng looked at the others with a puzzled expression, not understanding what was going on. Ma Shitu couldn't help but kick him: "You little brat, you won't budge when I hit you, and you'll only back down when I lead you. Think about it, what should you yell?"

"Dean Wan?"

"You brat, I won't mind if you call me Dean Wan or Commander Wan outside, but think about what you should call me here?"

Ah Cheng looked around in confusion, then cautiously called out, "Master?"

Cao Yu responded softly. Seeing that Cao Yu agreed, Acheng shouted loudly again, "Master!"

"Hey, this kid's not stupid!" Cao Yu said with a smile to the others beside him, and the others chuckled as well.

Acheng turned to Liu Yimin and shouted loudly, "Teacher Liu!"

Liu Yimin protested, "Teacher, I haven't agreed yet. Besides, Comrade Acheng is older than me. Isn't this inappropriate?"

"Haha, that's your problem. You have plenty of students in your research institute who are older than you," Cao Yu said with a smile. "Anyway, I've accepted him as my mentor. If you don't want to be Comrade Acheng's teacher, then let him be your junior!"

"."

Cao Yu walked upstairs with his hands behind his back, and Qian Zhongshu patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder and followed closely behind with a smile.

Acheng walked up to Liu Yimin and called out happily, "Teacher Liu!"

"I haven't agreed yet!" Liu Yimin snorted coldly.

"And what about Senior Brother?" Ah Cheng asked with a grin.

"."

Hearing Acheng's words, Liu Yimin could only grit his teeth and admit it: "My requirements are very strict. If you don't meet my requirements, you will be expelled from the sect!"

"No, teacher!" Acheng quickly caught up with Liu Yimin.

As they entered the restaurant, everyone laughed and talked about A Cheng, especially his writing. They all agreed that A Cheng's writing style was very rare in the current Chinese literary scene, and that he was a rare breath of fresh air in the literary world.

Qian Zhongshu commented: "Yimin, I think it's just right that Comrade Acheng has become your student. Since the reform and opening up, the literary world's pursuit of foreign culture has reached an unprecedented level. Comrade Acheng's novel 'The Chess King' is quite the opposite, containing traditional Chinese culture and giving readers a spiritual baptism through traditional Chinese culture, philosophy, and aesthetics."

"Your work has helped Chinese youth, who are often confused about their culture, understand the beauty of Chinese culture. Yimin, your work has shown young people in China that their culture can be appreciated internationally. The 'Youth Night Talk' column has also played a role in promoting traditional culture."

"I've never seen so many young people enjoy 'Dream of the Red Chamber' and 'Water Margin' so much," Ma Shitu remarked. The acclaim for these two novels during their lectures in Sichuan Province was no less than that in Beijing.

Various universities in Sichuan Province also invited Ma Shitu to their schools to lecture on traditional literature, discussing "Dream of the Red Chamber" and ancient poetry.

Wang Zengqi said, "I strongly agree with Comrade Acheng's works. When we write, we must grasp the roots of literature."

The so-called "grasping the roots of literature" is root-seeking literature, a literary movement that has emerged again in China after the reform literature movement. While literary writing is learning from abroad and being influenced by foreign literary ideas, some writers have begun to explore the deep-seated consciousness and cultural values ​​of the nation, society, and country.

While exploring the deep-seated culture of the nation, they create literature with their own national style and spirit.

Some of Liu Yimin's works, by incorporating Chinese national culture, historical background, and traditional values, can also be categorized as works of "root-seeking literature." Examples include "The Kite Runner" and "A Pilgrimage of One."

"In the face of the clash between East and West, the preservation of national culture does not rely solely on a single writer, but requires the efforts of a large number of writers. Yimin, as one of the most innovative and dynamic young writers in the country, you must guide young writers like Acheng to work together, just as you have turned the Institute of Literature into a training program." Cao Yu said, looking at Liu Yimin and Acheng, his voice filled with expectation.

"Professor Wan, don't worry, the Institute of Literature is a blazing fire when we're together, and a sky full of stars when we're apart. Of course, I will also work hard in literature," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Acheng: "Master, I will always remember your teachings."

Cao Yu nodded to Acheng with satisfaction, then looked at Qian Zhongshu and the others: "Of course, we old guys can't be idle either; we must maintain our vigorous creative energy."

"Old Wan, our top priority right now is to cultivate more young people for our country." Qian Zhongshu knew that Cao Yu was currently struggling to create outstanding works, so he said this to ease Cao Yu's pressure.

Qian Zhongshu advised Cao Yu to write more about his life experiences and essays, and not to deliberately pursue excellent scripts—writing is a natural process, and masterpieces are often found by chance.

Cao Yu looked at Qian Zhongshu: "I've been wanting to read what you're talking about for a long time. Yimin told me that we're all getting old, and it's more important to cultivate outstanding young talents than to rack our brains and get stuck in a dead end. In the past two years, the Beijing People's Art Theatre has indeed produced many good playwrights, such as He Jiping and Liu Jinyun, but none of them are as good as Yimin in terms of quality and quantity."

As Cao Yu finished speaking, everyone looked at Liu Yimin and smiled at each other. Ma Shitu shook his head and said, "Talented people emerge in every generation, each leading the way for hundreds of years. Among the young people in the country today, Yimin is the only one leading the way, and after him, it will be a hundred flowers blooming."

During a break in their conversation, Cao Yu didn't forget to check on Acheng, telling him to finish his meal and go back to rest for a while.

Today's exchange activity started at 2 p.m. in the academic hall of the Central University of Venezuela. A small number of literature students participated, while the rest were writers or artists from South America.

Ah Cheng wasn't used to Venezuelan food. He only ate a few bites of the corn tortillas called "arepas," barely touching the rest. Upon hearing this, Ah Cheng stuffed all the tortillas on his plate into his mouth, apologized to everyone, and ran back to his room to rest.

He could rest for more than an hour before setting off in the afternoon. The others leisurely savored the Venezuelan cuisine, with Liu Yimin showing particular fondness for the corn tortillas and black pepper meat.

Black pepper meat is a dish that combines spiciness and sweetness, unlike the dry, bland white food of the West. Chili peppers originated in South America, and the descendants of Spaniards and indigenous peoples are relatively able to handle spiciness.

After dinner, the group held a meeting in Cao Yu's room for about half an hour, mainly to discuss the topics discussed in the afternoon.

Qian Zhongshu said, "We know a lot about South American literature, but we don't know how much our South American counterparts know about Chinese literature."

“Zhongshu, we’ll deal with whatever comes our way!” Cao Yu said optimistically.

After the meeting, Qian Zhongshu told everyone to go back and rest for a while to get their jet lag back completely.

At 2:00 PM Venezuelan time, the convoy departed from the hotel for the Central University of Venezuela. Founded in 1721, the University of Venezuela is one of the oldest universities in the Western Hemisphere.

The campus architecture seamlessly integrates with the rainforest style and later became a World Heritage Site. This university is among the top in South America, but ranks outside the top 600 or 700 globally.

When the car drove into the Venezuelan campus, countless students dressed in light clothing held up welcome signs, and some students held up models of Liu Yimin's works, which read "The Kite Runner".

"The Kite Runner" and "Beloved" are the two most popular books at the Central University of Venezuela. The university library purchased them in bulk last year, and they are currently consistently among the top ten most borrowed books in the library's borrowing records.

Feeling much better, Acheng smiled at Liu Yimin and said, "Teacher, look, the whole school is flattering you. What do those tall buildings and the low three-story buildings look like together?"

"Like what?" Liu Yimin rolled his eyes.

“Liu, the ‘L’ in Liu Liu!” Ah Cheng proudly gestured an ‘L’ with his hand.
Liu Yimin gently patted his head: "I want students who flatter, not those with real talent. You're wrong, I want students with real talent, not those who flatter!"

Liu Yimin quickly tried to decipher the truth, but before he knew it, he had blurted it out.

"Yes, teacher," Acheng said, straightening his chest.

Liu Yimin said casually, "But it sounds quite pleasant!"

Qian Zhongshu turned around and said, "Old Wan, look at you two clowns!"

"Haha, young people are just joking around, it's lively." Cao Yu said with a smile, but still warned Acheng to study hard and not to always make jokes.

"Yes, Master."

At the entrance of the Venezuelan Central Auditorium, upon seeing them arrive, Márquez happily stepped forward and stood by the curb to greet them.

"Mr. Wan, Mr. Qian, Mr. Liu, and fellow Chinese colleagues, welcome to the Central University of Venezuela for academic exchange activities. I wonder how you all slept yesterday?"

"Mr. Márquez, my colleagues in South America, thank you for your concern. Our delegation members have had a very good rest."

As they walked up the stairs toward the lecture hall, they greeted the students on both sides.

This academic lecture hall is also a fan-shaped lecture hall, with writers from China and Latin America sitting on either side, and celebrities, students, and journalists below.

After delivering his speech from the podium to the audience, Márquez smiled and returned to his seat, setting the stage for further discussion.

The first day's discussion focused on introducing the literary development of both sides and their current directions of development.

Both sides sent representatives to introduce themselves. China sent Ma Shitu, and South America sent Chilean writer José.

Ma Shitu introduced Chinese literature to the other party in simple language, from the Book of Songs and the Songs of Chu to Han Fu, Tang poetry, Song Ci and Chinese modernist literature.

Ma Shitu spoke in detail and briefly, and through the context of South American writers, he could feel the long history of Chinese literature and was amazed by the existence of written records in China.

Ma Shitu focused on the history of China's struggle in a semi-colonial society, the May Fourth Movement, and the influence of socialist thought on literature.

This part is where South American writers can feel most deeply, because socialist ideology has also shaped South American literature.

After Ma Shitu finished his explanation, Márquez stood up and exclaimed about the history of Chinese literature: "China, what a magical country it is!"

“Mr. Márquez, we also welcome you to visit China. We hope we can show you the real China,” Qian Zhongshu said, extending an invitation.

Marquez nodded, but did not immediately agree.

Chilean writer José introduces South American literature, and the history of South American literature is much briefer, starting from prehistoric oral literature and quickly entering the colonial literature period.

"The Baroque literary style brought by the Spanish colonists in the 16th century was less a clash between two civilizations and more a form of one civilization oppressing the other. Later, as South America began its struggle for independence, we ushered in a golden age of literature, with revolution and romanticism becoming the core themes of literature."
At the beginning of the 20th century, South American literature finally ushered in modernism. At this time, anti-oppression and political catharsis became the core of literature, and socialism also shaped Latin American literature. Our writers promoted literature in politics and pursued their ideal political system in literature.

Next, we move into the stage of magical realism literature. Of course, like Mr. Garcia, we believe that magical realism is our realism.

After José finished speaking, Liu Yimin continued by explaining his understanding of magical realism literature and why magical realism emerged in South America.

"The combination of ancient religious thought and literature, with suffering expressed through a magical style, allows people to better understand the suffering Latin America once endured. In fact, I believe that magical realism should be considered part of literary writing in the colonial and post-colonial eras."

We use literary writing to criticize the cruelty of colonialism, to make people remember the disasters caused by colonialism, and thus to allow the people to accept the baptism of freedom and truly achieve decolonization.

After listening to the translation, Márquez looked at Liu Yimin with great interest, signaling him to continue.

"Of course, decolonization is a long process, and it cannot and should not be achieved by literature alone."

P.S.: The next chapter will be added tomorrow!

(End of this chapter)