The literary era since 1979

At the Capital International Airport, a plane bound for Haojiang has just taken off.

Nowadays, there are no direct flights from the mainland to France, and the only way to get there is through a transit point in Macau or Hong Kong.

Ye Yonglie held the cup of Maotai in his hand and laughed, "Yanzi, this time it's really thanks to you. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would never have the chance to go to France in my life." Then he toasted Fangyan, "Come on, let's have a drink together."

Fang Yan couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, but he couldn't resist his enthusiasm, so he clinked glasses with him and took a sip of juice.

"Teacher Fang, thank you so much."

Yang Xiao was also very grateful to Fang Yan. If it weren't for his financial support, the expenses of traveling to France would have been a huge sum.

After all, "Science Fiction World" only costs 1 yuan, but the air ticket to France is quite expensive, and one ticket requires the sale of more than magazines.

Fangyan joked, "If I'm not included, do you have any other plans to go to France?"

Yao Haijun said that in order to save money, they had already decided to take a train and a ship to Paris, France.

Yang Xiao spread his hands, "It's a pity that there is no direct train from China to France."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter, and immediately attracted the attention of other passengers.

Liu Cixin lowered his voice and asked Fangyan, "Will the three giants, Clarke, Heinlein and Asimov, also go to Paris?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, Heinlein and Asimov will definitely come. They promised me that they would help China to win the site selection for the next two World Science Fiction Conventions." Fang Yan touched his chin. "As for Clarke, it's hard to say."

Clark can be said to be Liu Cixin's spiritual idol and the guide who led him to the path of science fiction writing.

Seeing his anxious look, Fangyan explained that Clarke had missed the Hugo Awards and Nebula Awards held in the United States due to health reasons. In particular, he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at this awards ceremony, so the situation was not optimistic and he might continue to be absent.

Liu Cixin could not hide his regret, but he quickly adjusted his mindset. It was also something to look forward to meeting Heinlein and Asimov!
"If you really want to meet them, I can introduce you to them then."

Fang Yan turned his gaze to Yang Xiao, Ye Yonglie and the others, "You too."

"Thank you, Mr. Fang (Yanzi)!"

Including Ye Yonglie, everyone's tone was filled with excitement.

………………

After arriving in Haojiang, we did not immediately transfer to fly to France, but spent a night in a hotel in Haojiang.

This trip is to Paris, so we need a guide who is familiar with France.

Fangyan handed the matter over to Pan Yaoming, who specially sought out a translator who had studied in Paris and was proficient in both English and French.

The guide who also served as an interpreter was named Li. After meeting, they briefly got to know each other and then boarded a flight to France.

After a long flight of fourteen or fifteen hours, we finally landed at the airport in Paris.

Translator Li was efficient and had already booked a small hotel for them that was relatively close to the venue of the World Science Fiction Association conference.

When Fang Yan and Yang Xiao put their luggage away, it was already lunchtime, and the small hotel only provided breakfast. Translator Li suggested that they eat nearby, and then take advantage of the free time in the afternoon to visit Notre Dame de Paris, take a boat tour on the Seine River, etc.

"Ok, deal!"

Seeing that Ye Yonglie and others were in high spirits, Fang Yan did not spoil their fun, but just asked them to pay attention to the things they carried with them.

Yang Xiao, Yao Haijun and others were incredulous: "No way? Is the social security in Paris so bad?"

Fangyan curled his lips, and this had to mention the European and American jokes that were popular at the time.

If it doesn't steal, it's not Italy; if it doesn't rob, it's not France. It steals and robs England, and then fires two shots at America.

With prior reminders, everyone carefully kept an eye on their belongings and visited the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame de Paris and other places in turn.

Especially Notre Dame de Paris, a church famous for Victor Hugo's novel. This novel has been adapted into movies and dramas in many countries, and even a drama version has been performed in China, which is deeply loved by the audience. Yang Xiao, Ye Yonglie and others are no exception.

After visiting for an afternoon and having dinner outside, we returned to the hotel feeling uninterested.

The hotel, which was a little deserted at noon, was gradually filled with guests from all over the world. Most of them were here to attend the conference organized by the World Science Fiction Association. There were science fiction writers, journalists, magazine editors who had received invitations, as well as supporting members of the association.

The so-called supporting members, as the name suggests, are paying members who pay membership dues every year.

Not only can they participate in the affairs meetings of such conferences, but they also have the right to nominate for the Hugo Awards and the right to vote in the selection of the site for the World Science Fiction Convention.

Fang Yan, Yang Xiao and others naturally would not miss this rare opportunity to canvass for votes, and took the initiative to deal with these people from all over the world.

My progress was relatively smooth, and my appearance caused quite a stir, not only from those who had seen me in person at the Nebula Awards and Hugo Awards, but also from science fiction fans who had never met me before but had read my novels. They all flocked to me and surrounded me in three layers.

Ye Yonglie and Liu Cixin were also busy. They teamed up with Yang Xiao and Yao Haijun in pairs and cooperated with each other to canvass votes for Chengdu.

Unfortunately, there was only one translator, Li, and he was overwhelmed. Sometimes he was too late to help Yang Xiao, Yao Haijun and the other three with translation. But they did not sit there and wait for death. Instead, they used their halting English and two small dictionaries, "English-Chinese" and "Chinese-English", to introduce Chinese science fiction literature with great effort.

In addition, he also distributed many translated manuscripts of Chinese science fiction short stories and novellas to others like handing out flyers.

Such enthusiasm and perseverance also greatly changed the views of the Science Fiction Association members staying in the hotel on Chinese science fiction literature.

I originally thought that a world-class science fiction writer like Fang Yan was just an "outlier" or "the only one" in China, but after communicating with Ye Yonglie and Liu Cixin and reading their works, I truly appreciated the charm of Chinese science fiction literature.

Many people have expressed, either openly or secretly, that they are looking forward to the day when the World Science Fiction Convention can be held in Chengdu, China.

Before going to bed, Fang Yan called Yang Xiao and others to the bedroom for a small meeting, with a serious look on his face:

"I may have just received some very important news."

"Teacher Fang, please go ahead."

Everyone cast inquiring glances.

Fang Yan said: "The countries competing with us for the site selection of the World Science Fiction Convention this time are mainly Italy, Poland, France and Japan." (End of this chapter)