Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 269: Face, how can it be such an inconvenient thing!

Zhang Chao smiled at the camera, revealing his neat white teeth, and said slowly: "Professor Sun, when does the registration for the Japan Study Summer Camp organized by your wife's travel company start?

Oh, and also, is there any subsidy for this summer camp? Where does the subsidy come from? "

After he finished speaking, the interview site fell into a deathly silence. Even a senior reporter like Xiao Yajuan didn't know how to respond. This kind of information could not be verified on the spot. Zhang Chao could take revenge, but the TV station had to be cautious, after all, the impact was too wide.

Even the director on the scene was gesturing to her to change the subject quickly. In fact, she didn't know that Zhang Chao was holding back on what he said.

Ever since he received a call from Xiao Yajuan at noon, he had arranged his actions via text message at the dinner table, taking advantage of the fact that Yanjing had not yet had a holiday.

Although Zhang Chao did not have a deep impression of the name "Sun Yunxiao" and did not pay attention to it at first, as soon as "The Competition in Summer Camp" was mentioned, all the new and old grudges of him as a "post-80s" came to his mind.

Not only Zhang Chao, but also Ma Boyong, Shuang Xuetao and others in the office of "Tide Culture" were excited when they heard that they were going to check his information! Huang Jiefu was stunned by their enthusiasm. In the first two months, the box office of "Your Name" sold nearly 7000 million, but these people were not so excited.

He doesn’t know how many times these “little emperors” were PUA’d by adults when they were young because of this article.

Although the Internet was not well developed in 2007, these people were experienced Internet addicts and they quickly dug up all the news and interviews about Sun Yunxiao and related people and sent them to Zhang Chao via email.

After reading it, even though there was no evidence directly pointing to a conflict of interest, Zhang Chao quickly pieced together the most likely answer from the various fragments.

The China-Japan summer camps in the 90s were mainly organized by the government, with the purpose of promoting folk cultural exchanges rather than commercial significance. At that time, it was the "China-Japan honeymoon period", and there were many similar cultural exchange activities.

But organizing such activities nowadays is purely a commercial act. Zhang Chao probably understood Sun Yunxiao's intention of biting him for no apparent reason. He originally thought it was a dispute between "quality-oriented education" and "examination-oriented education". It turned out to be caused by Mr. Kong Fang.

It can be said that Professor Sun has an understanding of the fan economy that transcends his time. He is well versed in the principles of purification and crystallization. When the early sales of summer camp tickets were unfavorable, he was able to think of blasting out the parents who believed in his ideas through a verbal battle with Zhang Chao. Even if he was scolded by Zhang Chao, it was not unacceptable to him.

This is actually a typical "business practice". On the surface, the two people here are pulling each other down, but in fact, their goals are far away.

But Sun Yunxiao never expected that his wife's relationship would be uncovered by Zhang Chao so quickly, and exposed without any concealment. Before criticizing Zhang Chao, he was very sure that there was no direct connection between himself, his wife, the travel company, the summer camp, etc. on the Internet, and even indirect connections were difficult to find.

Because some things are not operated through the Internet at all now, for example, travel agencies do not have "official websites", and summer camp promotion and registration are not done online. All that can be searched are the memory blogs written by students who have participated in previous years.

The information was too fragmentary. Zhang Chao's network of contacts did not overlap with his own, so it was even harder to find out anything.

So he firmly believed that his "business philosophy" would succeed. As long as Zhang Chao was framed in the topic of "education" to fight against him, he didn't care if he got beaten to pieces.

From the perspective of communication, the public has no memory and will soon forget about this dispute. In a few months or a year, he will be a well-known "child and youth education expert".

If Zhang Chao was really just a writer in his early 20s, he would have fooled us. But Professor Sun had no idea that Zhang Chao had been bombarded with all kinds of online live broadcasts, anchor PKs, product promotions, verbal battles, and live broadcasts for many years, and he had seen all kinds of bizarre scripts.

Sun Yunxiao felt that it was flawless, but Zhang Chao thought it was full of loopholes. Compared with those internet anchors who were good at hype, it was not even like a child playing house.

What's more, this kind of thing does not require empirical evidence. As long as the evidence is conclusive, the relationship between the evidence, even if it is isolated from each other, can be completed in the mind through the "montage effect".

What does Maimaidao fear the most? Being “opened” in front of the public. Once “opened”, even the most loyal fans will quickly stop following him after they feel that they are just his cash machines.

Xiao Yajuan didn't know that there was such a deep entanglement behind Zhang Chao's simple words, but as a TV reporter, she could only follow the director's instructions and start to change the subject: "It seems that Zhang Chao knows a lot about Professor Sun. I believe that Professor Sun will definitely answer you after seeing this..."

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Chao said sarcastically: "Whether he responds or not may depend on his wife. Mrs. Sun majored in Japanese and is also engaged in a related industry. Professor Sun's deep feelings for Japan may be the result of family education?
Didn’t he publish a book called “How to Educate Children”? It seems that he has personal experience, so his feelings are particularly profound! ”

Xiao Yajuan, who was sitting opposite Zhang Chao: "..."

Zhang Weiguo in front of the TV: "...it's over, it's over..."

Yu Hua in front of the TV: "...His personality hasn't changed? Then how can I explain it to Lu Yuan?"

Lu Yuan in front of the TV: "...Teacher, you lied to me..."

Other viewers in front of the TV: "...it's still the familiar recipe, it's still the familiar taste..."

Sun Yunxiao, who was in the Yanjing office, picked up a book at hand and hit his head with the monitor. Fortunately, the CRT monitor was still working, and the glass screen was very durable, so there was no screen distortion.

The young man outside the office heard the noise and hurried in. He didn't dare to say anything more. He quickly adjusted the monitor for Sun Yunxiao, picked up the book and placed it in a corner of the desk.

The cover features a beautiful photo of Sun Yunxiao and the words “How to educate children” in large letters.

After seeing this, Sun Yunxiao wanted to get angry again, but in the end he just waved his hand and told the young man to go out. He wanted to be alone for some time. Now he no longer cared how many summer camp tickets his wife's travel company could sell.

And the most terrifying thing for him was how did Zhang Chao know about the "subsidy"? Although the summer camp had nothing to do with the "subsidy", someone did talk to him about it...

After Zhang Chao's words were smooth, his mentality finally calmed down and he regained his composure. He said to Xiao Yajuan, "Sorry to interrupt you. Please continue."

Xiao Yajuan also calmed down a bit. This was her second interview with Zhang Chao, but it was her first time facing Zhang Chao in a "combat state". She was inevitably shocked by the young man's aggressiveness.

When Zhang Chao threw the topic back to her, she said, "Just now you said, 'The Japanese born in the 80s are no match for us!' It seemed a bit like an angry remark, or do you really think so?"

Zhang Chao said: "Of course I'm not saying this in anger, that's just what I feel. I wonder if you've ever heard of the saying, 'Showa men are homebodies, Heisei men are wastes'?"

Xiao Yajuan said: "I have seen it on the Internet, but I don't have a deep understanding of it."

Zhang Chao said: "What these two sentences mean is that the men cultivated in Japan's Showa era (1926-1989) were all 'real men', while those cultivated in the Heisei era (1989~) were all 'otakus' and 'wastes'.

This describes a characteristic of contemporary young people in Japan. They do not care about the grand issues of the times, have no desire to work hard, do not get married, do not buy houses, and just like to stay at home.

I have not verified whether this term was proposed by the Japanese themselves or was a joke by Chinese netizens. But everyone may have misunderstood the two, thinking that "Showa Man" and "Heisei Otaku" are opposing concepts. "

Xiao Yajuan was surprised and said, "Isn't it? One is a 'man' and the other is a 'waste'."

Zhang Chao shook his head and said, "In fact, 'waste' is the continuation of 'man'. Without the deformed social culture created by those 'man', how could a generation of people go down the path of 'recluse' and 'waste'?

In the Japanese concept, people of different ages and classes should "grow up" into a certain fixed appearance. Although people from different societies and cultures have similar tendencies, Japan, influenced by its traditions, is particularly rigid.

For example, the "perfect" Japanese elementary school students in Professor Sun's eyes are hardworking, united, friendly, polite and respectful... They bow on the side of the road before getting on the school bus every day, wear the same hat and carry the same schoolbag when going home after school, and bow to the vehicles that give way when crossing the road. They are cute and never weird.

But how did such a group of elementary school students grow up to create the most rebellious pop culture in Asia and one of the world's leading erotic industries? "

Xiao Yajuan asked, "So, you think that being 'perfect' in childhood doesn't mean there won't be problems when you grow up?"

Zhang Chao nodded and said, "On the one hand, children are the easiest to be guided, but the other side of 'easy to be guided' is 'easy to be suppressed'. We can get some clues in "Summer Camp Competition". The 'hardships' of many Japanese elementary school students in the film have violated human instinct.

We all know the principle of springs: the deeper you press, the stronger the springback. So we can see that there are many artists in Japan who go against traditional concepts and order. No matter how famous they are, they are outside the mainstream recognition.

Even Haruki Murakami was considered to be a "too Americanized" writer and was rejected by the mainstream Japanese literary world. In fact, it is nothing more than that he does not like to use the traditional techniques and aesthetics of Japanese literature, nor does he like to portray Japanese subculture groups.

Therefore, "not being able to be the person that others expect" is a kind of pain that many Japanese people have trouble letting go of. Of course, I am looking at this from an outsider's perspective, and they may not necessarily agree with me.

When the 'Showa men' created what they thought was a perfect society and a noble order for the next generation, they were actually destined to create the 'Heisei otakus'.

Xiao Yajuan nodded thoughtfully and asked, "What about the young people of this generation in China?"

Zhang Chao said frankly: "We encountered many problems during our growth. Many people born in the 80s went hungry in their childhood and could barely guarantee basic food and clothing, not to mention excellent education conditions.

Children like me who live in the county, although they have no worries about food and clothing, have a shallow understanding of "modern civilization". Do you know what my first reaction was when my mother asked me to watch "Summer Camp Competition" when I was a child? "

Xiao Yajuan: “What is it?”

Zhang Chao laughed: "My first reaction was 'what is summer camp?'"

This sentence made everyone laugh again. Many viewers of the same age as Zhang Chao recalled their childhood experiences and found that they had similar experiences.

Zhang Chao said with emotion: “The childhood experiences of our generation—or even the generation before—are so mixed, so Tie Ning’s Oh, Xiangxue caused such a sensation after its publication.

To use a line from Hu Shi's poem, "You can't be my poem, just as I can't be your dream." But it is precisely because we have not been shaped by such a unified social culture that our generation of young people is destined to collide with more possibilities. So my aversion to Professor Sun Yunxiao is not because he said that Japan's children's education is so good, but because his so-called "good children" are too neat. No matter how many beautiful words he uses to package it, it cannot change the fact that his educational concept is essentially still a kind of "examination-oriented education."

It’s just that the ‘tests’ that children have to take, from the test papers given by the school, have become the social norms that they idealize.”

……

After Zhang Chao answered this question, the interview ended quickly. This was the first time Zhang Chao talked about his views on education, but it was as shocking as any other time he talked about literature.

It’s not that his theories are so profound or his views are so novel, but that what he talks about has a solid foundation in social observation, which makes many people think deeply.

Especially his views on foreign education, to say that he does not use a filter is an understatement, it is simply wearing a reverse filter. Before Zhang Chao, leaving aside historical grievances, Japan was simply a perfect country in the minds of Chinese people.

Technology is advanced, people are wealthy, the environment is beautiful, the city is clean, the quality of the people is high, and they are polite to an extreme... Especially the GDP. In 2006, Japan's GDP was 4.60 trillion US dollars, while China's was 2.75 trillion US dollars, and the per capita GDP is an order of magnitude different.

To a certain extent, the pessimistic view that the young generation should learn from the United States, Japan, Germany, Singapore, etc. and that the quality of the young generation is far behind that of developed countries has become mainstream.

However, Zhang Chao dared to go against the grain and shouted, "The Japanese generation born in the 80s are no match for us!" This was simply a huge offense against the world, and immediately made many people not want to spend the rest of their lives and just want to throw themselves into this wave of public opinion.

"Zhang Chao is right, the children have already stood up, but the adults are still kneeling! You are the ones kneeling!"

"Zhang Chao is just stirring up national sentiment. Before you brag, take a look at other countries' level of modernization. For example, even the smallest convenience stores in the United States and Japan accept credit cards. How convenient. Can China do that?"

"What the Americans and Japanese can do, the Chinese can do too, and they can do it better!"

"Everyone can brag, why don't you do one?"

"Zhang Chao himself also relies on the Japanese to help him make cartoons. It would be awesome if he made one himself!"

"There is a process from learning to creating. Didn't Japan also learn animation technology from the United States? How many years did it take for it to catch up?"

……

Everyone was having a great time hyping up the incident on the internet, but the one who suffered the most was Sun Yunxiao.

As a figure that cannot be avoided in this debate, public opinion, whether in agreement or opposition to Zhang Chao, almost unanimously lashed out at him. Although he repeatedly clarified that he and Zhang Chao only had differences of opinion and it had nothing to do with interests.

But no one believes it!
Especially Zhang Chao's sentence "Professor Sun's deep affection for Japan is the result of his family education" was frequently seen in newspapers, and Sun Yunxiao would break down every time he saw it.

The greater pressure came from his wife. The travel agency had to come out and say that the "Japan Study Summer Camp" was a normal business operation aimed at promoting mutual understanding between Chinese and Japanese children, and there was no private transaction.

However, in order to calm public opinion, the travel agency had to let Sun Yunxiao's wife take a long vacation to avoid the limelight.

Now Professor Sun can no longer feel at home peacefully, facing his furious wife every day...

Zhang Chao, the center of the vortex, was the quietest. He declined all follow-up interviews and article requests, and spent a peaceful year at home with his parents.

Pasting Spring Festival couplets, killing chickens and ducks, stewing pig's feet, making New Year's Eve dinner, keeping vigil, setting off firecrackers...

Zhang Chao almost made up for all the things he had not done with his parents in the past few years. Even his most annoying thing, "visiting relatives", was done this time in a very obedient and respectful manner.

In particular, the big red envelopes he gave were enough to help the children who received them fulfill many of their dreams—provided that they were not taken away and “saved” by their parents.

After finishing all this, on the afternoon of the sixth day of the first lunar month, the weather was rare and sunny, so Zhang Chao sat on the balcony with his parents to bask in the sun. The warm sunshine sprinkled on the body, dispelling the unique dampness and coldness of the south, making people unable to help but be lazy.

Looking up, the sky was light blue, with only a few white clouds floating leisurely occasionally.

Zhang Weiguo took a sip of tea, lay back comfortably in the rocking chair, and asked casually, "When are you leaving?"

Zhang Chao also slumped in the recliner, thought for a while before answering: "It seems that there is nothing urgent to do, so there is no rush."

The mother asked curiously, "Why, haven't you been busy with a lot of things these years?"

Zhang Chao stretched and said, "I've decided. From now on, I won't look for trouble. I'll let trouble look for me."

The mother didn't quite understand, but the father Zhang Weiguo understood a little bit and asked, "You seem to have entered a new stage?"

Zhang Chao nodded and said, "Now, if I take the initiative to find something to do besides creating, I really can't be myself. The things others find for me are already too busy for me to handle..."

Zhang Weiguo smiled and said, "You mean 'don't look for trouble, but don't be afraid of trouble'?"

Zhang Chao said, "No matter if it's a good thing or a bad thing, we can fight against the enemy with our own army and block the water with our own earth. What's there to be afraid of?" He kicked his legs and was about to stand up and make a show of force, but the recliner disagreed and the backrest lay flat, causing Zhang Chao to do a backflip...

……

"When an enemy comes, a general will fight back - what if the general is a woman?"

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Zhang Chao received a link when he was on QQ.

When I opened it, it was an article published on a portal website with the title: "Against Justice for My Father - An Open Letter from a Daughter."

The article was signed "Sun Ran", and her identity was revealed at the beginning - the daughter of Sun Yunxiao.

The entire article reviews his father's contributions to promoting exchanges between Chinese and Japanese teenagers and children, especially in making more Chinese parents and young people aware of the merits of Japanese education.

As a daughter, influenced by my father, I not only insisted on attending a middle school with Japanese language courses in China, but also accompanied my father on many exchanges and inspections to Japan. I also participated in summer camp activities organized by the Japanese side and went mountain climbing with Japanese students.

She has now inherited her father's career and become a journalist stationed in Japan, dedicated to promoting mutual understanding and exchanges between the two countries.

Her views on Chinese and Japanese teenagers are not as extreme as her father's. She believes that Chinese teenagers are better at studying hard, solidarity and mutual assistance, being lively and cheerful, and doing housework, while Japanese teenagers are better at independence, responsibility, thrift and environmental protection, physical exercise, and civility. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The reason why my father praised Japanese education and Japanese teenagers so highly was, on the one hand, because of the "factor of the times", and on the other hand, he hoped that Chinese teenagers could learn from each other's strengths and make up for their weaknesses. This would be a great thing that would benefit the country and the people. How could Zhang Chao describe this as inferiority or even some kind of conspiracy?

The article writes:

"Zhang Chao's remarks not only hurt my father's image and the feelings of our family, but also hurt the sincere friendship between the youth exchanges between the two countries and all those who have worked hard for this. It can even be said that it has set the relationship between the two countries back!"

"My father has devoted his entire life to the field of education, and has made many achievements, especially in the field of family education. He has promoted the development and innovation of Chinese family education concepts, and has helped many parents better understand how to love and educate their children. This cannot be denied!"

"Zhang Chao was very confident in his comments on education during the interview. He seemed to be confident. I would like to ask, apart from attacking my father who has devoted his life to education, can he make any contribution to education?"

"As a daughter, I want to speak up for my father, for my family, and for the cause of friendship between our two countries!"

"Zhang Chao, this world will not tolerate speculators and sophists like you running rampant!"

Zhang Chao read the article carefully and couldn't help laughing. This reporter surnamed Sun should be a few years older than him, so they are the same age. It is understandable that he is on the same front as his father, especially when facing Zhang Chao, his attitude is so firm and fierce, he can also be selected as one of the "New Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars".

However, Zhang Chao felt no sympathy at all because he had just read an article the girl wrote when she was 18 years old about her visit to Japan.

In that article, Sun Ran mentioned that there are special seats for the elderly, the weak, the sick and the disabled on Japanese buses. Even if no one is sitting there, no healthy or young people in Japan will sit there, which shows their very high quality.

But that’s not a big deal. The key point is what she mentioned later in her article: “We didn’t sit in the car the first time. The second time, we were very, very tired. We saw that there was no one in the car, so we sat there secretly. We felt very embarrassed at the time.”

Zhang Chao couldn't help but sigh that lying is a hereditary trait. Since "there is no one on the bus", it means that all the seats are empty, so why do people "secretly" sit in the seats reserved for the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled and pregnant women?

Are there still buses or subways in Japan that have special seats for the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled and pregnant women?
In order to show that the quality of Chinese teenagers is not as good as that of Japanese teenagers, she can be said to have "put herself in the game", right?
Zhang Chao was impressed by this contemptuous attitude towards "face", so he made a phone call:
"Hey, when will the website be online? Okay, let's improve it as soon as possible so that everyone can see it after school starts!"

After hanging up the phone, I thought about my subsequent plans and felt a little sympathetic towards Sun Yunxiao and Sun Ran...

(This... counts as three chapters in one)

(End of this chapter)