Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 233 Zhang Chao's Chivalrous Journey (two chapters in one)

Wang Mingquan finally brought the topic of the interview back on track. Zhang Chao breathed a sigh of relief and answered calmly according to his preconceived idea:

"First of all, contestants who have already qualified for the semi-finals can still participate in the semi-finals as usual. When we selected the contestants for the semi-finals, we did not reserve special places for contestants from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

In other words, these 12 students from Hong Kong are the best among tens of thousands of contestants from across the country. I believe that even if there were no organizational errors in the preliminary round this time, having more Hong Kong students participate would only increase the number of candidates for the semi-finals, and they can still be on the list.

So I hope these 12 students will not have any psychological baggage, put aside their worries, and boldly participate in the competition. I believe that both the Hong Kong citizens and the local literary community will understand and support them. "

After answering the first question, Zhang Chao paused, waiting for everyone to digest the decision, and then continued: "Before answering the second question, we must first clarify one thing. Since the last two sessions, the 'New Concept Essay Contest' has been decoupled from university admissions. ..."

Wang Mingquan interjected at the right time: "That is also your 'credit'."

Zhang Chao couldn't help but feel his ears warm after hearing this. After all, it was really hard to tell others the whole story. It was also the most rash and impulsive attempt Zhang Chao had made since his rebirth. Fortunately, Wang Mingquan was just joking and didn't mean to take advantage of the topic, so Zhang Chao continued:

“It is precisely because the ‘New Concept Essay Contest’ no longer involves specific, actual distribution of benefits that we have put the competition in the summer vacation to give the contestants more time to prepare.

Our current positioning for the "New Concept Essay Contest" is to discover the emerging forces of Chinese writing and let them get attention earlier. In fact, it is an opportunity for them to "show up".

Therefore, in response to this organizational mistake, I have decided to publish a special issue of "The New Force of Hong Kong Literature" in our "Youth" magazine this year, and will start soliciting manuscripts from today.

Our magazine "Youth" has a circulation of over 50 copies per issue, making it one of the most widely circulated literary magazines in the country. So publishing an article in "Youth" is as much of a "show" as participating in the "New Concept Composition" competition.

Wang Mingquan nodded and said, "In fact, writers are very similar to actors and singers in this respect. 'Appearance' is very important. The level of competition you win and the scale of the play you perform in often determine whether your future path will be smooth.

Then there is another question. We know that contestants from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan all write in traditional Chinese characters, which is a very important feature. How can we ensure that contestants from these three places will not be treated specially in the semi-finals? "

Zhang Chao smiled and said, "This should be the 'fairness' issue mentioned earlier. In fact, it is very simple. The judges of this competition will not review the original manuscripts of the authors, but the electronic manuscripts transcribed by stenographers, all in simplified Chinese.

专业的速记员每分钟录入字数在200-300个，一篇稿件通常10分钟左右就能录入完成。我们这次会聘请20名速记员为大赛提供服务，预计在比赛结束后2-3个小时内，就能完成全部稿件的誊录。”

Wang Mingquan was surprised and said, "A stenographer transcribes the manuscript? This is a very creative idea."

Zhang Chao said: "Actually, this is not a creative idea. In ancient China, the imperial examinations had already used this method to prevent cheating. It was just that they copied by hand at that time, while we use computers.

Of course, such measures are to prevent gentlemen but not villains. But as I said before, the current "New Concept Essay Competition" does not involve any major interests, but only provides a more eye-catching "show" opportunity.

Therefore, everyone participates on their own initiative. The venue for the semi-finals is a very large and open space. We will not even forbid the contestants from discussing with each other as long as the others agree.

I hope that everyone will not regard this as a "competition", but a spiritual journey of communication and collision with peers who love literature from all over the country. I also believe that in a relaxed state, better writing can be produced.

Because literary creation does not rely on temporary success in a certain place, but on long-term persistence and hard work. The most important thing is participation, the most important thing is participation! "

Wang Mingquan said: "It seems that you are very open to the competition?"

Zhang Chao nodded and said, "Of course, it must be very talented to write a wonderful article in a limited time while sitting in a cramped little seat. But some writers have requirements for the writing environment and write very slowly.

Although this year's 'New Concept Essay Contest' cannot fully meet all requirements, my idea is to let everyone express themselves freely. Since we have tried to downplay the utilitarian meaning, why not do it a little more extreme? "

Wang Mingquan asked: "Do you have any expectations for the performance of the Hong Kong players this time?"

Zhang Chao said: "I hope that contestants from all over the world can write at their best level. As the organizer of the competition, I actually hope that this competition will gradually develop into a literary paparty, where everyone comes not to compete but to communicate, or even to have fun."

Wang Mingquan said: "We know that two years ago, you became famous by criticizing the 'New Concept Essay Competition'. Why are you willing to become the organizer of this competition two years later?
Many people have doubts about your holding of this competition and expanding the scale of the preliminary round, believing that it is too commercialized from operation to publicity. What do you want to say about this? "

Zhang Chaoxian joked: "I believe that those who think the competition is too 'commercial' are definitely not Hong Kong people."

Wang Mingquan also laughed and said, "It seems that you have a lot of complaints about Hong Kong's business climate!"

Zhang Chao continued: "Of course not, I think it is a compliment. This competition is indeed a commercial operation. Our sponsors have covered the cost of organizing the competition. Whether the winning works are reprinted in magazines or published in collections, we will also pay the authors the highest standard of royalties.

Because all publishers are confident about the sales of the winning collections. So actually, from a business perspective, it is profitable for both me and New Sprout magazine to hold this competition. "

Wang Mingquan exclaimed "Wow" and said exaggeratedly: "So frank?"

Zhang Chao said: "Literature needs passion, but literature cannot be just passion. With passion alone, I might be able to pay for one competition, or even two. But if you ask me to pay for the third competition, I will definitely hesitate.

Because this will not give people hope for literature, but will only make people feel that literature has reached its end. The reason why I want Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan to participate is because a "literary ecology" that can generate its own blood must have diversity. ..."

Wang Mingquan's interview with Zhang Chao lasted about 20 minutes, and the live broadcast officially ended at 8:20.

As the lights in the studio dimmed, Zhang Chao breathed a sigh of relief. There were too many unexpected things during this interview, and it was the first time that a host launched a "kamikaze attack" on him, and even went straight to the lower third road, which was really unexpected.

But TVB's response was quick and they finally saved the situation, otherwise Zhang Chao could not have predicted how the situation would end. Lin Zhien was clearly trying to anger Zhang Chao.

As soon as he stepped down from the stage, TVB's top executives found Zhang Chao, apologized to him profusely, and said that they had just verbally announced backstage that Lin Zhien had been fired, and that they would investigate the ins and outs of the matter and give Zhang Chao an explanation.

Zhang Chao just responded with a few words and left in a hurry. When he returned to the hotel, he first called Wang Chongkai, the only Taiwanese writer he knew. After being Zhang Chao's roommate for three months at IWP, Wang Chongkai had completely put aside his pitiful pride.

If the "New Concept Essay Contest" was promoted in Hong Kong because of Pan Yaoming, even though it was misorganized, it could still be promoted, but in Taiwan it could only be left to its own devices.

Anyway, for an island with a population of 2300 million, only 6 candidates were selected for the semi-finals, only 2 more than Macau, which is not even as big as its Pudong Airport.

Taiwan also heard about the turmoil in Hong Kong and made various weird moves, so the Taiwanese players also waited and watched.

Zhang Chao certainly doesn't have the time to go to Taiwan now. Not only is he unfamiliar with the place, but the public opinion environment is definitely more than 10 times worse than that in Hong Kong. So Zhang Chao just asked Wang Chongkai to help pay attention to the public opinion trend in Taiwan in the past two days to see if it was affected by the changes in Hong Kong.

Wang Chongkai agreed and invited Zhang Chao to come to Taiwan when the time is right. Zhang Chao called Huang Jiefu right after hanging up the phone with Wang Chongkai. Facing his own people, Zhang Chao was furious. He said to Huang Jiefu: "Gradually stop the cooperation with Huayi, and keep an eye on Huayi's operation in the capital market. They are going to go public in the next two years."

Huang Jiefu was extremely surprised. Zhang Chao rarely acted so aggressively in front of him, and rarely talked about the specific operating details of other companies. Why did he get so angry about Huayi? So he asked, "Paying attention to Huayi's capital operation... What is our purpose?"

Zhang Chao sneered, "Pay attention first, and I'll tell you what to do after I finalize some things."

Huang Jiefu responded "OK", then took the opportunity to report on his recent work before hanging up the phone.

When Lin Zhien told Zhang Chao that Song Jia got the opportunity to star in the movie "Better Days" because of his recommendation, he thought of Huayi.

Because only himself, director Sylvia Chang, producer Yi Zhe and assistant director Lu Jianqing were present at the time, and the other three knew very well that Song Jia and they had never met each other before and were complete strangers.

Sylvia Chang and Lu Jianqing are both very professional filmmakers. They have no grudges against him and will not spread rumors. Zhang Chao still trusts them in this regard.

My collaboration with producer Yizhe was actually quite pleasant, but I happened to have had an unpleasant exchange with his immediate superior some time ago.

As a subordinate, it is normal for Yizhe to report the situation of the casting meeting to his superiors, so it is very likely that the two brothers of Huayi knew this inside information. At the same time, they have been communicating frequently with the cultural circles of Hong Kong and Taiwan, and it is most likely that they took the opportunity to control themselves.

After dealing with these trivial matters, he was really tired. In the two days since he came to Hong Kong, he had been in a state of high-intensity mental activity, either being indoctrinated by others or indoctrinating others, and finally managed to get a turnaround for the situation.

Zhang Chao stood by the window, looking at the brightly lit night view of Victoria Harbour outside, and a strong feeling of fatigue surged in his heart.

The next morning, Zhang Chao, who didn't set an alarm, slept until almost 10 o'clock and was woken up by the ringing of his cell phone. He picked up the phone and saw it was Pan Yaoming, so he answered it.

Pan Yaoming's voice was obviously much more relaxed than when they first met two days ago, and his words were full of gratitude towards Zhang Chao. However, given his age and status, he naturally wouldn't show too much excitement. After a few pleasantries, he got down to business:
"You are going to hold a discussion with the students who are competing in the semi-finals. It has been arranged and will be held at 3 pm today. This is a closed-door meeting and the time and location have not been disclosed to the media. Keep it as low-key as possible.

As for the symposium with representatives of literary societies from other schools below BAND1, it has been basically confirmed that it can be held tomorrow. The media has been informed of this meeting, and no less than 5 newspapers will interview and report on it. "

Zhang Chao said: "That's good."

After Pan Yaoming finished talking about business, he asked, "Mr. Cha admired you very much after watching your live broadcast. Are you free to come to his office in the next two days? He hopes to chat with you."

This made Zhang Chao feel a little embarrassed. If he had come to Hong Kong to visit Jin Yong, it would not matter. However, communicating with such a big shot would require the same state of mind and brainpower as a TV interview.

My schedule is already very tight and I really don’t want to waste any extra energy.

After thinking it over, Zhang Chao said to Pan Yaoming, "I will return to Shanghai immediately after I have a meeting with the representatives of the literary society tomorrow. I came to Hong Kong in a hurry and did not make any preparations. It would be a bit impolite to meet Mr. Cha like this.

Next time, next time I come to Hong Kong, I will make a special trip to visit him and ask for his advice."

Pan Yaoming couldn't help but feel embarrassed and said hesitantly: "This..."

Zhang Chao immediately said, "I have actually not been idle during the two days I have been in Hong Kong. I happened to write a martial arts novel, which I expect to be completed tomorrow and will be submitted to the literary supplement of Ming Pao.

I would like to ask Mr. Cha to read this novel first as a token of my appreciation. Is that okay with you?"

When writers meet, handing one's work over to the other for evaluation is considered a high level of respect, and meeting in person is secondary. Pan Yaoming is also a writer, so he knew that he could "get it over" with this novel, so he readily agreed.

In the following two days, Zhang Chao held discussions with the students who participated in the rematch and representatives of several middle school literary societies. With the preparations made in the previous two days, the results were very good.

One low-profile and one high-profile arrangement once again drew the attention of Hong Kong citizens to literature.

After the second symposium, Zhang Chao completed his first martial arts novel that evening and sent it to Pan Yaoming, asking him to pass it on to Mr. Jin Yong.

Pan Yaoming did not dare to delay and printed the novel in large print and personally brought it to Jin Yong.

The title of this novel is "Xia Ke Xing", which happens to be the same as the name of one of Jin Yong's works. However, it is only about 7000 words. Jin Yong finished reading it quickly, put the manuscript on the table, and asked: "Have you read it?"

Pan Yaoming said: "I took a quick look on the way here."

Jin Yong sighed, "The young are indeed formidable. I hope that enough people in Hong Kong can understand this novel. Send it to Ming Pao and ask them to reprint the full text."

Although Ming Pao was no longer under the control of Jin Yong, his influence on Ming Pao was everywhere. Pan Yaoming was also the president of Ming Pao Publishing House and the editor-in-chief and general manager of Ming Pao Monthly.

Pan Yaoming asked, "Will it be too long?"

Jin Yong said, "You can arrange for an extra page. I hope that all Ming Pao readers will be able to read this article "Xia Ke Xing" tomorrow."

Pan Yaoming nodded and immediately went to the newspaper office.

The next morning, readers who received the latest issue of Ming Pao were surprised to find that the newspaper was a little thicker than before. When they opened it, they found that the supplement had an extra page.

The extra space was all given to a martial arts novel called "Xia Ke Xing".

Many people were surprised, thinking that Mr. Jin Yong couldn't stand the loneliness and "came out" again. After a closer look, they found that the author was not Jin Yong, but Zhang Chao who has been very popular in Hong Kong these days.

Out of curiosity, they all began to appreciate it seriously——

【In winter, the sky in the north gets dark so early that it is too dark to see the road before dusk. The pine forest beside the road gradually becomes like the thickest ink-textured patch in a landscape painting, as if a bandit may break out from the shadows of the trees at any time. The young man is naturally not afraid of bandits - at least one or two. He has a long sword hanging from his waist and a horse under his crotch. His hair is high and tied very tightly, which makes the corners of his eyes and eyebrows look a little higher, making his sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes look more energetic. Anyone who sees him will cheer: What a young hero! How dare ordinary bandits come to die when they see him in this outfit?】

……

(Two chapters combined into one, the full story of "Xia Ke Xing" is in the extra chapter)
(End of this chapter)