Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 215 The fish is alive, but the net is broken

The ten-day-long hype over Zhang Chao's ghostwriting incident has raised everyone's attention to Youth · Grand View. Almost everyone is certain that Zhang Chao will fight back in his own way.

The countdown he had posted on his blog before - "seven days", "six days", "five days", "four days"... - was not only a preview of the new magazine, but also a preview of his counterattack against the slander.

Sure enough, the sales of "Youth·Grand View" exploded after it was officially launched on June 6. Students who had just started their summer vacation rushed to every bookstore and newsstand that might sell "Youth·Grand View", not only to buy it for themselves, but also for their friends.

Not only students wanted to buy it, but also journalists from all over the country who were involved in the cultural field were anxious to get their hands on it. Those with connections asked bookstores to reserve it for them; those without connections could only follow the long queue and wait in line.

The retail sales of Youth: Grand View exceeded 30 copies on the 30th, and with the readers who pre-ordered, the total reached a terrifying 50 copies. Phone calls and emails from all over the country for additional subscriptions kept flying to the editorial department, making everyone overwhelmed.

If nothing unexpected happens, the first issue of "Youth·Grand View" is likely to exceed 100 million sales.

Only those readers who made reservations in advance felt comfortable. They could leisurely pick up the magazine, which still smelled of ink, from the concierge, the mailbox or their own front door, then happily go into the room, open the magazine and read what Zhang Chao said.

Zhang Chao’s first official counterattack was the inaugural speech published in "Youth·Grand View", entitled "The Secret of Literature".

[This is an eye-catching title]

【Literature has no secrets. Or to put it another way, the secrets of literature are public. Every novel, every essay, every poem tells this secret over and over again. It’s just that most people, after listening, either stay for a short time or choose to leave. Only a very few people are willing to linger for a long time and keep listening. …】

[This is different from most other art forms. It is easy for us to know the teachers of painters and musicians, because if no one interprets the mysteries of light and shadow and notes for you, then even the most intelligent genius will often not be able to enter the door. Literature is different. Except for the stories of Flaubert and Maupassant that have been passed down to later generations, we rarely hear about which writer learned from a specific predecessor. More often, they use different works to open the door to different worlds...]

[So although literature has no secrets, writers do. Every author has a secret place in his heart that he does not easily reveal to others. It is made up of every book he has read, every road he has walked, every person he has loved, every flower he has smelled, every tear he has shed... For some writers, most of the materials that make up this secret place are the pain that has lingered in their hearts for a long time, with only a little bit of joy that makes people forget everything for a moment. ...]

[All literary works are made up of the words externalized from every plant, tree, flower, and leaf in different secret realms. …]

【Mr. Lu Xun said, "People's joys and sorrows are not the same," but this does not prevent readers from looking for joys and sorrows similar to their own experiences in the works, or experiencing joys and sorrows that can move them. ……】

[Every writer has many different but vaguely related worlds. A writer once said: "Writing is a job that imitates God." The writer who said this is happy for this. But for many people, writing is a strong sense of mission, and even a curse. But this cannot quell the urge to create a new world. ...]

[In this new magazine called "Daguan", we can see many such writers. Some of them are young authors who have just graduated from "Youth School"; some are talented writers who have been working silently for a long time; and some are great talents who will create a new world in a certain literary genre. The world they write about is so bizarre that it may exceed the imagination of all readers. ]

[I want to specifically mention the cover work of this issue: "The Three-Body Problem". This is a science fiction novel, written by an engineer who sits in a thermal power plant every day during his daily work breaks. This novel tells the story of the contact and collision between humans and alien civilizations - but it is different from any Hollywood movie or any science fiction novel we have seen. It is more magnificent and more desperate. ...]

[It is difficult to summarize this work in a few words, but I can say without exaggeration that the author Liu Cixin has, to some extent, provided us with a completely new worldview. Most genre literature or popular novels cannot do this, and can only put old wine in new bottles. However, "The Three-Body Problem" can indeed refresh our understanding of the world to a certain extent. I don't know if this is a kind of self-centered praise, but when I write this, I still feel excited when I think of some of the plots in this work. ...]

[So can a writer write a work that transcends his own life experience? I think not. But can outsiders outline the entire outline of a writer's life experience and even fill in the details based on their speculation? I think it is even more absurd. But we have seen a lot of such absurd performances recently.]

[However, for a writer, life experience itself is a work. If it is too plain, it would be boring. It is the embellishment of various absurd people or things that makes this work interesting. …]

【Finally, let’s talk about “Grand View”. From the pre-Qin period to the modern era, the word “Grand View” has appeared frequently in books, with different interpretations, but my favorite is what Jia Yi said in “Ode to the Bird”: “Small wisdom is selfish, it despises others and values ​​itself; great wisdom is broad-minded, and nothing is impossible.” This magazine is to express a literary view of “nothing is impossible” - no longer distinguishing between “traditional literature”, “serious literature”, “genre literature”, “popular literature”... As long as the editor-in-chief and editors think it is “okay”, they can select it, and this is what can be called “Grand View”.】

[I hope every reader can find their favorite words in this magazine and enjoy the short, selfless spiritual journey.]

Although Zhang Chao did not contribute any new novels or essays to Youth·Grand View, this "inaugural speech" has more than 3000 words, which can be considered a new work even if it is not a new work.

Only the editors of Youth knew that Zhang Chao’s first inaugural article was not “The Secret of Literature” but another one. However, one hour before the first issue was to be printed, Zhang Chao stopped the printing and finished the new inaugural article in two hours.

Ma Boyong also laughed and said: "I thought you could really achieve 'Unmoved by the Eight Winds'."

Zhang Chao also laughed and said, "Are you scolding me or praising me? I am not Jin Yong, and Lian Yue and Teacher Fang are not Wang Shuo."

What they were talking about was a "public case" in the literary world. In 1999, Wang Shuo, who was always aggressive, wrote a series of "My Views", one of which was "My View of Jin Yong". In "My View of Jin Yong", "Jin Yong" was called "the four vulgarities" along with the "Four Heavenly Kings", "Qiong Yao" and "Jackie Chan", pointing out that Jin Yong's novels were verbose and praised robbers.

Jin Yong's response was also an article, which began with "My first reaction was the Buddhist teaching: one must be 'unmoved by the eight winds'." However, Jin Yong's words about being "unmoved by the eight winds" were actually a hidden weapon. Just the various words of praise for him from various literary critics, university professors, etc., listed "Yenching Normal University Wang Yichuan", "Yenching University Professor Yan Jiayan", "University of Colorado", and many others.

It seems that "the eight winds are unmoved", but in fact "the eight winds are shaking", which has become a laughing stock for a while.

Zhang Chao's "The Secret of Literature" is quite similar. Although he did not name Lian Yue, Teacher Fang and others, everyone who pays attention to this matter knows who he is referring to when he says, "Can outsiders outline the entire outline of a writer's life experience and even fill in the details based on their speculation?"

Moreover, there is a sentence "Small wisdom is selfish, despising others and valuing oneself; great wisdom is broad-minded, and everything is possible" which hit Mr. Fang's lungs even more. He has always prided himself on being rational and objective, so how could he tolerate being criticized by Zhang Chao as "small wisdom" and "selfish" who "despises others and valuates oneself"?

Zhang Chao's updates on his blog further stimulated all those who stood against him.

"The first-day sales of Youth · Grand View exceeded 50 copies. Thanks to every supporter and every opponent." "The sales of Youth · Grand View exceeded 60 copies. Thank you again. After all the praise and slander, it just wants to move forward."

"The sales of Youth·Grand View have exceeded 70 copies. Zhang Chao and his father, Mr. Zhang Weiguo, pay tribute to every reader!"

The last one was posted on July 7th, which made Mr. Fang, who had been patient for many days, furious and almost completely lost his "rationality" that he was proud of. However, under the persuasion of his wife, he calmed down and wrote an article in front of the computer:

"A lie cannot become the truth even if it is repeated 70 times"

The article states:

[Zhang Chao still chose to avoid direct response by "whitewashing" in the face of doubts. He believed that it was difficult for "outsiders" to describe the outline and details of a writer's life experience, but that was a matter of the pre-information age. Zhang Chao's rise was precisely in the information age. What are the characteristics of the information age? Wherever you go, you leave a trace. His creative journey also began on the Internet, and he left his own traces on the Internet at almost every stage after he became famous. ]

[These traces are enough to serve as evidence to outline the contours of his life and even fill in the details of his life! ]

[Zhang Chao's usual trick is to use his sales to prove the correctness of his views. He used this logic to deal with the doubts of the literary criticism community a few months ago; a few months later, when faced with everyone's pursuit of the truth, he still used this logic. This reflects his arrogant heart and lack of rationality.]

[From Zhang Chao's article, we can see that he is still immersed in the "idol dream" of being a "literary genius" and is unwilling to wake up. Liu Cixin, an engineer at a thermal power plant, can write "The Three-Body Problem", but it does not prove that high school student Zhang Chao can write "Youth Like You" or college student Zhang Chao can write "Dwelling Narrowness". This is the most basic logic, and Zhang Chao obviously did not grasp it. ]

[If Zhang Chao wants to prove himself, he must produce evidence of his own creation, and this evidence must be able to stand up to scrutiny.]

[Of course, Zhang Chao could have found a group of his writers and teachers or professors from Yenching University and Yenching Normal University to endorse and testify for him, but this just shows that a network of interests has been formed between these people and Zhang Chao. They cheer for Zhang Chao, and Zhang Chao works hard to promote them.]

[In the past, there was "literati looked down on each other", but now there is "literati love each other". As long as there is benefit, Zhang Chao and his teachers will not hesitate, put aside their face, and "love each other and protect each other". ]

【Goebbels said, "A lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth." Zhang Chao posted the sales of his magazine on his blog, hoping that his lie would become the truth even if repeated 70 times. But history tells us that a lie is a lie, and no matter how many times it is repeated, it will never become the truth.】

【Goebbels died with the Nazis. What about Zhang Chao?】

After Teacher Fang finished writing the article, he hesitated and struggled for a while, but still sent it out.

He was not completely sure that Zhang Chao had a ghostwriter. The main reason for his hasty action was the temptation of "Yanjing Spring" and the stimulation of Sima Bei.

But he was still quite sure that Zhang Chao could not produce any evidence of creation. After all, it was all written on the computer, what could a word document prove?

As long as you stick to this point, the tide is like mud falling into your pants, which can never be washed clean!

If Zhang Chao was brought down, Yu Hua and others would also fall into a credibility crisis. Although he was not the first to take action, it was his handiwork to tie Zhang Chao and the teachers who spoke for him into the so-called "chain of interests."

Once successful, my influence and reputation will be raised to a higher level. When the "Anti-Counterfeiting Fund" is launched, it will definitely attract more donations.

I have to say that Mr. Fang's article is quite intimidating. Traditional scholars have always been afraid of these causal disputes. Kong Qingdong, who is not stingy, was also amused after reading the article. He said to Zhang Chao: "I am taking advantage of you by speaking to you. This Fang is really good at shutting people up."

Zhang Chao laughed and said, "Why not let him be a 'fake fighter'? Without this energy and skills, how could he fight so many 'fakes'? In some ways, I admire him."

Kong Qingdong asked, "Don't you hate him?"

Zhang Chao said: "Hate? Why should I hate him? He helped sell at least tens of thousands of the 70 copies of the new magazine. Besides, at least to this day, Mr. Fang has indeed made a lot of contributions to society by fighting against counterfeiting.

In addition to fighting against counterfeiting, he was also the first pioneer to organize netizens to digitize ancient Chinese books and masterpieces, and he did a very good job of proofreading them..."

Kong Qingdong looked at Zhang Chao with surprise.

Zhang Chao said: "People are always multifaceted. Mr. Fang's stubbornness and tenacity are the factors that led to his many successes, but also the reasons for his extreme paranoia..." After sighing, Zhang Chao continued: "I had not expected to have such a head-on confrontation with Mr. Fang. But since it has already happened, this time I can only let Mr. Fang taste the bitter fruit of his own paranoia..."

Kong Qingdong asked: "What are you going to do?"

Zhang Chao said: "Since Mr. Fang wants to 'test' me so much, how can I let him down? I am afraid that by then, I, the fish, will not die, but his net will be broken."

(Two chapters in one)

(End of this chapter)