Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 319: I can’t accept this award! (Happy New Year, give me your monthly ticket!)

When Zhang Chao returned to Yanjing, it was already mid-May. The weather was gradually getting warmer, but it was still cool in the mornings and nights. It had the gentleness of spring and a little bit of summer warmth. It was the most pleasant time of the year.

Zhang Chao did not tell anyone about his return to China, but took the opportunity to take a good vacation. On the one hand, he needed to adjust to the time difference, and on the other hand, he didn't want to see anyone.

The reason is simple: Weibo is just too popular.

Less than a month after its launch, the number of registered users has exceeded 200 million, making it a phenomenal social software in recent years. Even though it is restricted to registration using IP addresses from China and the United States, many Japanese, Spanish, and Italian users have still emerged.

The slogan of Weibo is “I want to get you some books to see see!” But in actual application, there is already a trend of transitioning to a popular social platform.

In particular, in early May, a Chinese user named "Xiao Cai Ji" shared a photo of his study room with a caption: "This is where I read. Can I see yours?"

The study in the photo is very simple - it is very small, without even a window, and only has enough space for a narrow table and a small chair. It seems to have been converted from a utility room at home; the bookshelf is just a few layers of wooden boards nailed above the desk; on the desk is a desk lamp with yellow light and a half-opened book.

The result was the first large-scale "China-US collaboration" on Weibo.

Many netizens began to forward this content, and attached photos of their own study rooms and the same sentence - "This is where I read books, can I see yours?"

Among them is a traditional Chinese study room with an antique feel, filled with Chinese furniture and thread-bound books. In the middle is a large rosewood desk, which is particularly impressive. On the desk is an unfinished landscape painting.

There is also a simple table, a chair, a lamp, and a volume. There is not even a bookshelf or books, but it fully demonstrates the owner's concentration and minimalist aesthetics.

There is also a typical desk for Chinese urban children - a spacious and bright room, with bookshelves filled with all kinds of teaching supplementary books, and the desk is also filled with various exercises and test papers.

There is also a Yanda professor who uploaded his study room - the large room is filled with bookshelves, many of which have shelves bent by the weight of the books; many books are piled directly on the ground, even all the way to the ceiling.

Of course, there are also displays from American users:
Someone uploaded a photo of the study in his big house - there was a big window, and the sunlight poured in, making the study room particularly bright; on the desk was a classic retro desk lamp with a green lampshade and a copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird".

Others took their own "study room photos" in the university library's reading room, accompanied by rows of bookshelves more than ten meters high and classmates who were also studying hard in the reading room.

Some people simply posted a photo of a computer on a table. The meaning was very clear - now is the Internet age, and there is no need to keep books around you.

In addition to these "serious" study photos, there are many other "study photos" that make people think deeply, shock, or smile -

A young man living in a black neighborhood in the United States took a photo of the steps in the back alley of his apartment building and wrote: "This is my study, where I can stay away from quarrels and drugs. I finished reading "Ninety-Three" here."

A child from a rural area in China was photographed by a teacher who came to visit his home while he was reading a book on a greasy square table. The teacher captioned the photo: "This is his study, but it is also his kitchen, dining room, and living room; it is a desk, a dining table, and an altar for sacrifices."

Another user took a photo of a buffalo's broad back and commented: "Your study room doesn't move, does it? Mine does - when I was a child, I read on its back and played the flute when I got tired."

Another user was obviously not in the United States or China, but in a ruin. In the ruins stood a desk with only three legs and a big hole in the tabletop. The caption read: "This used to be my brother and I's study. The Americans came, and now there are only me and this desk left."

……

No one would have thought that a simple photo of a study would reflect the various aspects of human life and the ups and downs of the world, and even reflect whether a country is turbulent or peaceful, as well as the huge class differences within it. It immediately attracted the attention of news media around the world.

CCTV1 Daily News: "A photo, a true feeling. Recently, the trend of "showing off study rooms" on Weibo has swept across the ocean, with netizens from China and the United States competing to show off their reading environments. Among them, the photo of the study room of a 12-year-old child from Guilin, Guangxi, has attracted special attention..."

People's Daily: "Stories in the Study Room: How Global Netizens Redefine Reading Culture through Weibo" - "...the stories behind these photos are thought-provoking, especially those children who insist on studying in extreme environments. This comparison not only reveals the differences in educational environments, but also exposes the problem that current educational investment is not extended to the back end..."

The Economist: "From a simple desk to a luxurious study: the class mirror on social platforms" - "The "study photos" not only reflect the differences in educational environments in different countries, but also reveal the huge gap in social classes. This gap is disturbing. In the process of globalization, we cannot ignore the details of educational inequality. Education is not just about building some schools..."

The Times: "How Weibo activities turn study rooms into windows for cultural dialogue" - "Globalization is not only about global division of labor and cooperation in the economy, but also a process of cultural exchange and elimination of barriers. Weibo, founded by Chinese writer Zhang Chao, shows us how to do this."

……

For each social media to move from a niche application to a mass platform, it first relies on highly focused viral transmission, and then sees if it can seize the opportunity to "break the circle" and allow traditional media to actively spread the information.

The "study room photo" trend on Weibo this time obviously seized the opportunity and was particularly clever, so much so that everyone in "Tide Culture" believed that it was Zhang Chao who was secretly behind it.

Zhang Chao was speechless and could only spread his hands and said to the crowd: "Don't be so feudal and superstitious. How can everything be my marketing? You should believe in the power of the people!"

I don’t know whether the people in “Tide Culture” believed it or not, but the huge effect caused by “Weibo” has already attracted everyone’s attention. Many units that were jealous couldn’t wait to reach out, but they were quickly pulled back by one sentence:
“Weibo is not only a bridge for communication between the Chinese and American people, but also a platform for promoting Chinese culture and spiritual civilization. Weibo is still very weak, and we should protect it, not restrict it; we should let it thrive, not let it be timid; we should…”

The most pitiful one in this trend is Twitter, a short content sharing platform that started earlier. All the investors that previously approached it are now either on the sidelines or have shifted their interest to Weibo.

So now Zhang Chao is experiencing the most glorious moment in the past few years, and is receiving far more attention than any previous novel he published or any time he appeared on TV.

Although he had repeatedly told others that he wanted to invest and cooperate, and that they should all go to Huang Jiefu and others, he still received calls, text messages, and emails in an endless stream, and some even went so far as to visit him in person.

So Zhang Chao stayed at home for only three days, adjusted to the time difference, and on the fourth day he quietly drove out for a "self-driving tour around BJ". After all, it was hard to refuse some people. If someone really knew that he had returned to China, he would simply say that he was not in Yanjing, but was out collecting folk songs.

It's not that he wants to act noble or really be a "free and easy person", but the value of "Weibo" has just begun to ferment, and it is far from the most appropriate time to introduce external capital.

Anyway, Chaotide Culture has no shortage of money now. After operating for a while, its user base will double again, and by then its valuation will no longer be 8 million to 10 billion US dollars.

Zhang Chao's first stop was Tanzhe Temple in Mentougou. Tanzhe Temple is one of the oldest temples in Beijing, and there is a folk saying that "Tanzhe Temple came first, and then Beijing City".

However, Tanzhe Temple is well-known nationwide, mostly because of the essay "Autumn in the Ancient Capital". The author Yu Dafu listed almost all the autumn scenes in Yanjing, including "the bell of Tanzhe Temple", which is on par with the reed catkins of Taoranting, the willow shadows of Diaoyutai, the insect singing of Xishan, and the night moon of Yuquan, becoming one of the most representative landscapes in Yanjing. Although it is not autumn now, it is the most beautiful season in Tanzhe Temple - since the beginning of spring, the magnolia, crabapple, lilac and bauhinia in the temple have bloomed one after another, colorful and fragrant, and you can also see big trees like the thousand-year-old ginkgo, which is a good place to go.

Zhang Chao bought a camera specifically to take pictures. The first thing he photographed was, of course, the most gorgeous redbud flowers, then the towering thousand-year-old ginkgo trees, and then the ancient buildings in Tanzhe Temple - the Great Hall, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the ancient pagoda...

Even the tourists who come here are quite photogenic - there are teenagers jumping to pick flowers, old men concentrating on worshiping Buddha, children running and jumping for joy, and middle-aged people who are also holding cameras to take pictures... Moyan?

The two of them stared at each other in shock. After a long while -

Zhang Chao: "...Teacher Moyan...Okay..."

Mo Yan: "...Aren't you still in the United States?"

Before Zhang Chao could react, he saw Yu Hua, Liu Zhenyun, Jia Pingwa, Wang Meng, Liu Heng, Tie Ning, Sun Ganlu, Alai and other leaders of writers' associations from all over the country and important writers all turned out from behind Moyan and looked at Zhang Chao. There were at least forty or fifty people.

Moyan quickly explained: "Everyone is in Yanjing for a meeting, and we planned to go to Tanzhe Temple to collect folk songs on the weekend. I didn't expect..."

Zhang Chao then remembered that when he parked his car outside, he saw two minibuses. At the time, he thought they were a tour group, but he didn't expect that they were all old acquaintances from the Writers Association.

Zhang Chao, who instantly became the focus, was extremely embarrassed, but he still had to show basic courtesy, so he stepped forward and greeted everyone one by one.

Everyone was also very surprised to meet Zhang Chao here. But it was normal to think about it - although Yanjing is big, there are not many options for spring and summer travel. People with cars are willing to go farther, and Tanzhe Temple is naturally the choice of many people.

Wang Meng said with a smile: "It is true that 'one can find something without any effort after searching everywhere'. Everyone was looking for you and you showed up on your own. Young comrade, you are very conscious!"

Zhang Chao was puzzled: "Looking for me?"

Tie Ning explained: "Everyone was meeting in Yenching, and the focus of the discussion was how to use the Weibo you created - and of course other Internet platforms - to promote Chinese literature."

Yu Hua said with some pride: "Now they are all jealous that I have more than 30 fans! I said that I am 'the one who is close to the water gets the moon first'... You can't learn it."

Zhang Chao finally understood what was going on and said with a bitter face: "Teachers, I didn't dare to speak out when I returned to China because of this. Please forgive me...next time, next time."

Wang Meng said, "No, where can we catch you next time? It's better to do it today than to wait for a day. It's rare for so many people to come here today. Why don't we find a place in Tanzhe Temple to have a chat? Don't worry, you can continue with your work after the chat."

Zhang Chao thought about it and said hesitantly, "Here? Isn't that a good idea? There's nowhere else to go. We can't let the teachers sit in the wild."

Wang Meng said, "What's the big deal? I'm very familiar with the abbot here, Master Chang Dao. Let him think of a solution."

Seeing that things had come to this, Zhang Chao had no choice but to agree.

Half an hour later, Zhang Chao sat on the cushion on the main podium of the Tanzhe Temple Lecture Hall, looking at the other writers sitting below the stage, feeling as awkward as he could be. But this was the only place in the temple that could be used for a "meeting" with so many people, so he had to make do with it.

Liu Zhenyun even comforted him - "Comrade Xiao Zhang, you are nervous because you are obsessed with appearances. Han Yu said, 'Those who were born after me, but heard the truth before me, I follow them and learn from them.' When it comes to playing with the Internet, you can certainly be a teacher to all of us..."

Zhang Chao's eyelids twitched as Liu Zhenyun praised him, and he thought to himself that it was a good thing that they only had to spend half a day together...

In this way, Zhang Chao ascended to the throne and preached the true doctrine of network marketing, saying it so well that the sky fell and the ground sprouted golden lotuses. Although all the writers in the audience were highly respected and famous, they had never heard of these "evil ways" and were all fascinated by them.

Zhang Chao spoke for more than an hour and answered various questions for more than half an hour before this special "Dharma Assembly" came to an end. However, everyone was still not satisfied and wanted to catch Zhang Chao back to the Writers Association in the Second Ring Road to give a series of lectures.

However, Zhang Chao certainly did not want to stay. After saying goodbye to everyone, he walked straight out of the temple. He was determined to go further, to Hebei, to Cangzhou to see the iron lions, and to the Bohai Sea to eat soft-shell crabs. He couldn't run into anyone this time.

However, just as he reached the gate of Tanzhe Temple, Zhang Chao heard someone calling him from behind. Turning around, he saw that it was Tie Ning, Wang Meng, and Liu Heng.

Zhang Chao asked in surprise: "...Is there anything else?"

Tie Ning and Wang Meng looked at each other, and then Tie Ning explained to Zhang Chao the idea of ​​establishing the "Mao Dun Newcomer Literature Award" and said almost "explicitly": "Xiao Zhang, if this award is established, your chances of winning the first prize are very high!"

Zhang Chao pondered for a while after listening to this, and then resolutely said: "Dear teachers, your idea is very good, I support it very much! But I cannot accept this "Mao Dun Literature Newcomer Award"! "

Wang Meng got anxious when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "Why can't you accept it? This is not the time to be upright and noble. If you can't get the first Newcomer Award, this Newcomer Award will not be...will not be..."

It was a good thing I didn’t say the last two words “joke”, it would have been too rude to say them.

Zhang Chao said firmly again: "Yes, I can't take it!"

Liu Heng was also anxious and asked hurriedly: "Why?"

Zhang Chao explained: "Because I want 'Tide Culture' to sponsor this award! How can a sponsor sponsor and then receive the award? We have to avoid suspicion!"
I, I'll just give out the awards!"

Tie Ning: “…”

Wang Meng: “…”

Liu Heng: “…”

(End of this chapter)