Literary Master 1978.

Chapter 371: Pure Literati

For the writers present, Zhou Yang was definitely a big shot, an old revolutionary, a famous writer, a literary theorist, and a literary activist.

In addition to his achievements in literature and art, he held higher official positions, including vice president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, academician, chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and assistant minister of the Propaganda Department... Vice chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles was actually the least notable title he had.

The fact that he was the first to give a speech at every National Outstanding Short Story Award Ceremony also shows Zhou Yang's important position in China's literary and art circles.

He whispered with Zhang Guangnian for a while, and less than two minutes later, Lin Chaoyang was invited to their table.

After Lin Chaoyang left, the writers in his room did not find it strange. Lin Chaoyang was now very famous, so it was normal for him to be invited by the leaders of the Literary Association to chat. Even Lin Chaoyang did not take it seriously.

When he arrived at Zhang Guangnian's table, he didn't feel anything special. The people sitting at the table were all respected seniors, and their attitude was very polite. After Lin Chaoyang sat down, he chatted with everyone.

At this time, Zhou Yang spoke up and said, "Comrade Chaoyang, I have read the article you published in the Literary Gazette a few days ago. Regarding the content of the article, I think there are two issues worth discussing."

As soon as Zhou Yang said this, there was a sudden silence around him.

Leaders always speak in an implicit way, and the words "worth discussing" are in themselves a criticism.

The expressions of the people around him were subtle. Lin Chaoyang was a little surprised, but not panicked.

Because he knew that in the original time and space, the concept of "root-seeking literature" was very popular in the 1980s and caused some controversy, but few writers who proposed this concept had much negative impact. There was no reason why it would cause problems for him.

Zhou Yang paused for a few seconds while speaking, and Lin Chaoyang's reaction caught his eyes. Putting aside the differences in literary views, he admired Lin Chaoyang's attitude of being indifferent to fame and fortune.

“First, you proposed the literary concept of ‘root-seeking literature’, which, from a positive perspective, advocates the revival of national culture.

But the question here is what kind of culture is called national culture? I think what you want to express must be that we must abandon those feudal dregs and retain and pursue the essence of national culture.

But where are the criteria and standards for this judgment? Your article basically does not mention this kind of judgment. I don’t know whether this is an ambiguity or a way of avoiding the topic.

Secondly, in your article you said that we should not blindly follow Western modernism and become disciples of plagiarism, but should dig deep into the roots of our national culture. However, in terms of literary expression, Chinese literature since modern times has indeed been greatly influenced by Western modernism.

Not only that, even our new China was influenced by Marxist-Leninist thought and was the fruit of victory achieved in the violent revolution after the May Fourth Movement.

The "root-seeking tendency" in your article seems to lead us back to the old path of history, and it also ignores the revelation of the problems and contradictions of real society and life. "

There was no emotion in Zhou Yang's tone, and his face was very calm after he said these words, but almost everyone present understood how much weight his words carried.

His first question was okay, at least it could be considered a discussion in the literary field, but his second question was almost clearly discussing literary issues from a political standpoint.

It is not surprising that Zhou Yang has such thoughts and questions, because he himself is one of the leaders in the domestic ideological field.

Everyone's eyes were on Lin Chaoyang at this time. Everyone understood that Zhou Yang's attitude actually represented the official attitude towards this matter to a large extent.

Zhou Yang questioned Lin Chaoyang on an occasion like today, and various media outlets will inevitably follow suit, causing another storm.

No matter how Lin Chaoyang answered, it could not change the fact that this might have happened.

But Lin Chaoyang had to answer, and not only had to answer, but also had to answer beautifully.

Because he was the one who proposed the concept of "root-seeking literature", and he has so many like-minded people who support him.

His answer was not only a response to Zhou Yang and an explanation to his fellow travelers, but also a programmatic guidance for these people in the future debate with their opponents.

After Zhou Yang finished speaking, Lin Chaoyang was silent for a long time. The surroundings were so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

"Mr. Zhou, your two questions are very broad. I will try to answer the first question first."

Lin Chaoyang had a calm and steady expression, and everyone around him held their breath, waiting for his answer.

“To be fair, many Chinese traditions are not good. Because we all live under the teachings and disciplines of Confucius and Mencius, and are dedicated to governing the country and educating the world, art as a category was not respected in the past.

You said that "The Roots of Literature" does not explain how to distinguish the essence from the dregs in national culture and traditions, and this is true.

Because in my opinion, this is a huge proposition.

It would be too arbitrary to make a judgment based on my personal opinion. What I hope is that our cultural, literary and even ideological circles can come together to make this judgment.

But since you asked, let me tell you my opinion.

In fact, it is very simple to distinguish them. Mao Zedong has already taught us that we should view and consider issues from the standpoint of the proletariat and the masses of the people.

The King of Chu likes thin waists, which is a bad habit of feudal rulers, and that is what we want to strip away;
Cixi loved to listen to Peking opera, which was also a hobby of feudal rulers, but Peking opera was also an art form that the masses loved, proving that its birth was not exclusive to feudal rulers, so it should be preserved;

There is a folk custom in Henan and Shanxi called "making iron flowers", the history of which can be traced back to the sacrificial activities during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

It stands to reason that sacrifice is feudal superstition, but "iron flower making" has undergone thousands of years of changes, and its sacrificial and superstitious attributes have long disappeared, and it has become a folk entertainment activity of a viewing nature, which should be retained.

In fact, a considerable part of our national culture's traditions are about "making iron flowers". Their original intention may not be in line with our modern ideology.

But through the continuous changes of history, it has gradually become a culture that the masses love and enjoy, so it should be preserved. There may be some that have not completely transformed, so we should still criticize them, but we should not condemn them all at once. "

Lin Chaoyang had answered Zhou Yang's first question here. He looked at the other person calmly without a trace of emotion.

“The people love it!”

Zhou Yang muttered to himself, accurately extracting the core point of Lin Chaoyang's answer. After a moment, he nodded slightly.

"It's a little crude, but the overall idea is right. But if we do this, there will be a lot of problems in the future, because there will always be people who like to summon the spirits of feudal ethics."

After hearing Zhou Yang's evaluation, Lin Chaoyang remained calm, and the people around him seemed to be relieved.

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, this is not a problem I want to consider, but a problem you should consider."

Zhou Yang burst out laughing and motioned Lin Chaoyang to continue.

"Regarding the second question, it is closely related to the first question. Whether it is a follow-up to the old path, I think we should look at this issue dialectically.

Both the Forbidden City and the Old Summer Palace were built by feudal rulers using the people's money. A hundred years ago, they were the exclusive territories of the feudal rulers, but now they are common places for ordinary people.

Confucius was able to discipline ancient civilization since the Shang Dynasty, and we can also discipline traditional culture.

The root of this matter lies in the fact that we ourselves must adhere to our core beliefs and not be influenced by other people or things.

Chairman Mao said that our art should let a hundred flowers bloom. It is impossible that all foreign art can bloom while our own art withers, right?
As for ignoring the revelation of real social problems and contradictions, I think you might want to read my book "Crossing Guandong" in a while. Writing more about national culture does not mean that we will ignore reality! "

When answering Zhou Yang's question at first, Lin Chaoyang was still a little reserved, but by the end, he had gradually relaxed and had a calm and open-minded feeling.

Zhou Yang laughed and said, "I have to read one of your books to ask you a question. I'm afraid Wang Po is not as good at selling melons as you."

He did not take Lin Chaoyang's answer seriously, but made a joke to prove that he was satisfied with the answer.

Not only Zhou Yang, but other people around couldn't help but admire Lin Chaoyang when they heard his answer.

The sentence "Confucius was able to discipline ancient civilization since the Shang Dynasty, and we can also discipline traditional culture" is magnificent!

Zhou Yang continued, "What you said about 'foreign art is flourishing, while our own is withering' is somewhat true. I think this is also the original intention of your writing this article, right?"

"That's right. The lessons learned from more than a hundred years ago tell us that it is wrong to close the country to the outside world and to be self-contained, but the chaos in the early days of the Republic of China also tells us that it is also wrong to blindly absorb foreign cultures without knowing how to distinguish them.

Only by being firm in our goals and using and discarding things in moderation can we create our own unique culture.”

Lin Chaoyang's tone was full of determination, which moved Zhou Yang.

Through this conversation, he also understood in his heart that Lin Chaoyang was by no means the kind of person who took shortcuts or bought people's hearts, but he really wanted to speak out for the development of China's cultural cause and was a pure literati.

Speaking of this, Zhou Yang was generally satisfied, but he did not say anything else.

Because at his level, every word he says may become a weapon that can hurt others as well as himself.

Lin Chaoyang's answer satisfied him. At most, he would not cause trouble for "Root-Seeking Literature". However, if he praised him in person, it would be tantamount to pushing himself to the front and endorsing Lin Chaoyang and Root-Seeking Literature.

Lin Chaoyang and everyone present understood this truth.

Zhou Yang's attitude actually reflects the views of many official figures to a large extent. Lin Chaoyang convinced Zhou Yang in person today, but he will still face many doubts in the future.

This is also the only way for a new literary trend to emerge.

However, today's conversation with Zhou Yang was not without benefits for Lin Chaoyang.

Zhou Yang was one of the earliest official figures to publicly question "root-seeking literature". Lin Chaoyang's answer was flawless and brilliant, which not only gave confidence to those who supported him, but also provided ideas for everyone.

More importantly, the stance has been set after the first punch, so there is no need to worry about anyone making a big deal out of it. After all, Zhou Yang was just questioning.

After the conversation, Lin Chaoyang chatted with the people at the table for a few more words and then returned to his own table, accepting the gazes of the judges, writers, and critics present along the way.

"Chaoyang, well done!" Li Tuo ran to Lin Chaoyang's table and excitedly praised him in a low voice.

In addition to him, other people around him also looked at Lin Chaoyang with approval and admiration.

You have to know that the conversation between Lin Chaoyang and Zhou Yang just now was completely different from ordinary chatting or literary exchanges. It is not an exaggeration to say that it was a silent sword fight.

Facing Zhou Yang's attack, Lin Chaoyang responded calmly and was not found to have any flaws.

To some extent, Zhou Yang's silence is actually an affirmation, a victory for Lin Chaoyang, and a victory for root-seeking literature.

(End of this chapter)