The literary era since 1979

The opening chapter of "The Rise of Great Powers" and the French chapter together only have about 30,000 to 40,000 words.

When translated into French, the length of the article was greatly reduced, and only one page was enough to publish it in its entirety. However, French newspapers such as Le Monde and Le Figaro still deliberately placed it on the front page of the current affairs section, and even the title was deliberately bolded and enlarged.

Once the article was published, it immediately caused quite a stir in France.

After all, the Cannes Film Festival was just over, and the news that the Palme d'Or went to "Farewell My Concubine" has not been forgotten.

The novel of "Farewell My Concubine" returned to the French people's attention with the help of the Palme d'Or, and sales rebounded.

Naturally, the author Fangyan appeared many times in newspapers and television reports, and his fame spread far and wide once again.

Therefore, when people saw that "The Rise of Great Powers" was written in a dialect, fans of movies, literature, etc. flocked to watch it.

As the translator of The Rise of Great Powers, Cheng Baoyi recommended it to his classmates without hesitation when he was teaching at the University of Paris VII:
"I recommend an after-class reading. To be precise, it's an article in the newspaper."

"It was written by a Chinese scholar and is called The Rise of Great Powers. I hope that after reading this article, you can write a review of your experience. This is considered an assignment and can be completed within this month."

As Cheng Bao left one by one, the students of the School of Oriental Languages ​​and Cultures immediately started talking about it:

"The professor must be crazy. He actually asked us to read a French history article written by a Chinese. Does he think he knows more about French history and glory than us, the native French students?"

"You are absolutely right. A book on world history written by a Chinese? Haha, I didn't hear it wrong!"

"Huaxia? I just watched The Last Emperor not long ago. People there still have braids on the back of their heads."

"Hey, don't talk nonsense. The author of "The Rise of Great Powers" is the scholar who wrote "Guns, Viruses, and Steel". He is a world-renowned historical anthropologist. The book he wrote, "The Rise of Great Powers", must not be just an ordinary vulgar thing!"

"So that's the 'Fang'. Wow, that's definitely worth seeing."

"Yes, yes. I'm reading his book The Three-Body Problem recently. The Dark Forest theory is so cool."

"I thought you were going to watch Farewell My Concubine."

"You must be kidding, I'm not British, I'm not gay!"

"Hahahaha!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room burst into laughter. From time to time, someone would say offensive and insulting words such as "the country of gays", "the country of the most gay people", and "England Gayland". After all, Britain and France are a pair of enemies who love and hate each other, and it is common for them to laugh at each other.

Soon, the classroom was filled with a happy atmosphere.

"Okay, let's go buy a newspaper. This is the homework assigned by the professor. Do you dare not read it?"

"Come on, let's go buy it together!"

Someone took the lead in leaving the classroom, followed by the second, the third, and then a large group of people rushed to the nearest newsstand.

Chinese students studying in France on government scholarships, or overseas Chinese, also bought a newspaper out of curiosity and returned to the dormitory.

They sat in a circle in groups of three or four, each holding a newspaper, reading every word of "The Rise of Great Powers".

Chen Rongjie couldn't wait to open the book and read it, and once he started, he couldn't stop.

The above content is full of gems. Although the words explain the history and deep-seated reasons for France's rise, they also point out France's geography from time to time, summarize the character of the French, and even "boldly" say that today's France has lost its former glory!
One of the most fundamental reasons is that the French today no longer have the wisdom and courage they had during their rise!
Chen Rongjie was deeply shocked. The answers to many of his questions could be found in "The Rise of Great Powers", just like the clouds were clearing and the sun was shining.

"I never thought that this would be written by someone from our country!" "It's so insightful! So thorough! It's just a pity that some parts are too brief and cannot be explored in depth."

"Does it feel like there's something lingering, like something stuck in your throat?"

"Yes, the key point is that the opening chapter wrote about nine countries, but now there is only one chapter about France. I really don't know how other countries will be written?"

Just as many students were imagining the day when China was rejuvenated, the article had already caused an uproar in the entire media and even in the whole of France.

French media, big and small, have participated in the commentary on "The Rise of Great Powers", closely focusing on the issue of "how to make France great again" mentioned in the "France chapter", and analyzing and discussing from multiple angles such as politics, economy, and culture, with passion.

After the President mentioned "The Rise of Great Powers" several times in an interview, the discussion became uncontrollable.

The news gradually reached the Chinese Embassy in France at 11 Avenue George V. The staff immediately translated the article "The Rise of Great Powers" back into Chinese and sent it back to China in the form of a telegram, along with a note in the dialect that explained how great a sensation "The Rise of Great Powers" had caused in France.

More and more people are participating in this great debate, and more and more people want to interview the author of "The Rise of Great Powers" in person.

I would like to ask this dialect speaker who proposed “Make France great again” in person, how can France be made great again?

So, editors of newspapers such as Le Monde and Le Figaro called Claire Dubois immediately, hoping that she could help make an appointment with Fang Yan. Unfortunately, Claire Dubois was unable to help. She actually wanted to do a TV interview with Fang Yan immediately.

But Fangyan, the person involved, has already left France and is on his way back to Hong Kong!
At this moment, the plane arrived at Kai Tak Airport.

Fangyan took the suitcase and walked out of the VIP channel leisurely.

In the crowd, I saw Gong Xing wearing a windbreaker and a silk scarf around his neck, waving towards me with a smile on his face.

"You are finally back."

"what happened?"

"What else?"

Gong Xing couldn't help laughing and said that ever since the news of "Farewell My Concubine" winning the Palme d'Or reached Hong Kong, Zhang Guorong, Jiang Wen and others have been chased by paparazzi as soon as they got off the plane. They have received countless interview invitations from TVB, ATV, Ming Pao, Hong Kong Radio and other media.

"You have to learn to adapt. You are the Palme d'Or winner and the first and only director of Chinese-language films!"

Fang Yan half-jokingly said, "You are a world-class famous director. This kind of exposure is just a drop in the bucket for you. There will be more in the future."

"You have such a big mouth, I can't argue with you anyway."

The corners of Gong Xing's mouth rose more and more.

"If you can't win the argument, then you might as well find something to block me."

Fangyan spoke as he got on the bus.

"Okay, I'll plug it up for you with this plug!"

Gong Xingcai made a teasing remark, but she didn't expect that he suddenly moved his face closer and blocked her lips.

The afterglow of the setting sun shines through the rear window glass, onto the side faces of the two people, shining brightly, as if coated with a layer of golden light. (End of this chapter)