Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 795 Pacific Railway

Song Tangtang went there specifically to implement Fang Minghua's idea.

In Director Sun's office at the service center, Song Tangtang told Fang Minghua about his idea, and Director Sun, who was over 50 years old, suddenly became excited.

"Great! That's great! To be honest, we are currently worried about the return of international students!"

As he spoke, Director Sun took out a notebook from the drawer and started reading.

"Mr. Song, do you know? Last year, that is, in 1997, there were 7017 overseas students in the country. How many of them returned to China? 1001, which is only 14%! Especially in world-class universities like Harvard, Massachusetts, and Cambridge, almost no one is willing to come back!"

"These are talents that the country urgently needs. Although our country tries its best to provide welfare benefits to international students, it is still poor after all and cannot compare with developed countries in Europe and America. Comrade Minghua's donation is just a timely relief!"

"You're welcome. My husband earns some royalties from writing books abroad. He should donate some of it to help the country solve its problems. After all, he is also a party member." Song Tangtang smiled reservedly.

"Comrade Minghua is indeed a good cadre of the country." Director Sun exclaimed.

Finally, after consultation, the two decided to select the top 1997 universities according to the 29 Times Higher Education World University Rankings. After excluding Yanda University in China, there were still 31 places, and the University of London, ranked st, was added.

"Mr. Song, wait a moment. I will help you check the total number of returned overseas students from these universities in 97, so that you and Comrade Minghua can have an idea of ​​the approximate number of students to be rewarded." Director Sun turned on the 386 computer on his desk and began to check.

After a while, he looked up at Song Tangtang who was sitting on the sofa and said, "Last year, these 19 universities, including liberal arts, science, economics, etc., had a total of returned overseas students."

"Not many. I thought there would be at least fifty or sixty." Song Tangtang was a little surprised.

"Mr. Song, you don't quite understand. These top universities are extremely difficult to get into, and international students who are admitted to these universities are reluctant to come back. Among these 19 students, 18 are government-sponsored students, and only one is studying abroad at his own expense," Director Sun explained.

That's it
Soon, Song Tangtang called Fang Minghua to tell him the information he had learned.

"Less than 20? A bit too few. I have the same idea as you. I thought there would be at least or . In this case, why not expand the scope of the award to the top in the world? At least to students should be awarded every year."

Fang Minghua smiled.

"Wow, what a big tone, fifty or sixty students, that's 20 million RMB a year!" Song Tangtang snorted on the phone.

"Twenty million? Not much. Wait until next year when I withdraw all the funds from the stock market and then you can see what happens. Hehe."

Of course, there is still a lot to be done to set up a fund to support overseas students returning to China to start their own businesses, but Fang Minghua doesn't want to worry about it.

He knew Song Tangtang would handle it.

On July 7, Fang Minghua embarked on a journey to Baltimore, Maryland to attend the Hugo Awards ceremony.

Demi, president of Ashley Press, and Nick and other staff from the marketing operations and promotion department have already gone to Baltimore.

According to the planned schedule, once "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" wins the award, a series of activities will be held, including a meeting between the author and readers, book signing, etc. The three main actors of the Harry Potter movies will also be specially invited to come and support.

The second Harry Potter movie has been completed and entered post-production. There is no casting information for the time being, so this is an opportunity.

Baltimore is on the Atlantic coast of the United States. It takes a long way across the entire North American continent to get to Baltimore from San Francisco. There are no direct flights from San Francisco to Baltimore. You can either go east to Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah, and then take a plane to Baltimore, or take a plane to New York and then transfer to Baltimore.

Fang Minghua decided to go to Salt Lake City first, but he did not take a plane. Instead, he chose to take the train.

Anyway, there is no rush. He likes traveling by train very much, both in China and in the United States.

Railroads once played an important role in American life, taming the Wild West, fueling the Gold Rush, and serving as the backbone of the Industrial Revolution. Today, the United States still has the longest railroad network in the world, with the most famous one being the Pacific Railroad.

This is the first transcontinental railway in North America, and was named one of the seven industrial wonders of the world since the Industrial Revolution by the British BBC. It is more than 3000 kilometers long and crosses the entire North American continent. It is the world's first transcontinental railway, and the section from San Francisco to Salt Lake City is one of them.

Around ten o'clock in the morning, Fang Minghua took the subway to Union Station with her travel bag, boarded the California Zephyr, and began her journey.

In the United States, the golden age of train travel has long passed. Nowadays, people drive short distances and fly long distances, so there are fewer people on the trains.

He bought a soft sleeper ticket.

I was sleeping on the lower bunk, and opposite me was a blonde young woman with a boy about 10 years old. It seemed that they were taking the child out for a trip during the summer vacation.

The train slowly left the station and soon arrived at the San Francisco Bay. The quiet water was refreshing. Fang Minghua was surprised to find that at its closest point, the rails were only about 1 foot away from the sea water!
The whole train seemed to be flying on the sea!

The little boy opposite also noticed it, pointed out the window and shouted in surprise.

"Mom, look, the train is running on the sea!"

"Kim, be quiet! Don't talk loudly!" The young woman hurriedly tried to stop her son from yelling, but it was of no avail. She could only smile apologetically to Fang Minghua who was sitting opposite her.

Fang Minghua also smiled back.

He can understand.

My two children are a little older than the little boy. They are at an age full of energy, and it is very difficult to get them to sit quietly for a while when we go out traveling.

Gradually, the train entered the wetland. It was foggy outside the window and nothing could be seen clearly. The little boy's excitement slowly came to an end and he started to take out a comic book to read.

Fang Minghua looked at the scene outside, and gradually fell asleep, so he lay on the bed and dozed off. After an unknown amount of time, Fang Minghua was woken up by the little boy's voice again.

He opened his eyes and saw that the train had already left the wetland and outside was a mountainous area. The train passed through tunnels from time to time, which reminded Fang Minghua of the feeling of crossing the Qinling Mountains from Xijing to the Tianhan area.

"Mom, how did you dig the cave? Did you use an excavator?" the little boy asked innocently.

"No, no, this railway is called the Pacific Railway. It was built more than 100 years ago. At that time, the technology was not well developed and the excavators were not as advanced as they are now. Many places needed manpower. The terrain here is steep and it is not easy to dig holes. I heard that many people died while building this railway." The young woman patiently explained to her son.

"Ah? More people are dying? Those people are so pitiful." The little boy showed sympathy on his face, and asked innocently: "What about their children? Will the government give them money?"

"Yes, because they are Americans too," the young woman replied.

"No, because they are not Americans, they are just Chinese workers."

Suddenly the man opposite spoke. The young woman was startled and looked up at the man with an oriental face.

The person who spoke was Fang Minghua.

He really couldn't help it.

Damn it, even this most basic history is being thrown around?!

(End of this chapter)