Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 330: Declaration of Independence of Chinese Literature
(I was so drowsy when writing yesterday that I made some obvious mistakes. I corrected them later. Thank you for your corrections!)

“The pioneers of the New Culture Movement may not have expected that the pain of this self-reform would last for a hundred years—Chinese literature has always been walking a tightrope between two abysses: on one side is the discourse hegemony of Western modernity, and on the other side is the ghostly echo of classical tradition.”

“Looking back from the threshold of the New Culture Movement a hundred years ago, Chinese literature has always been making a difficult two-way breakthrough: it must reclaim the right to interpret from the huge shadows of One Hundred Years of Solitude and Ulysses, while also avoiding being confined to the glorious legacy of The Complete Tang Poems and A Dream of Red Mansions. This breakthrough is not an either-or cultural stance, but rather the establishment of a narratology based on the contemporary experience of Chinese society.”

"The modernity of Chinese literature lies not in the painstaking imitation of Western theories, but in the original transformation of local experience. Looking forward, we should resist the temptation to simplify the Book of Songs into a cultural symbol; looking outward, we should be wary of academic speculation that uses Kafka's alienation theory as a universal key."

"American sinologist John W. E. Owen said: "The most vital part of Chinese literature always grows in the mixed zone of the cultural spectrum." "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" uses contemporary spoken language to activate official historical archives; "The Three-Body Problem" reconstructs the Eastern cosmology in a science fiction framework; the historical narrative of "The Wind Rises in Longxi" is neither a heroic epic like "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" nor a deconstruction carnival of new historicism..."

“This “neither East nor West” creative attitude indicates a deeper transformation. What we see is not just cultural hybridity, but also the birth of a new literary tradition. The true modernity of Chinese literature may be hidden in these gray areas that have not been named by theory.”

“Many years later, when the dust settles, we may find that all the debates about the differences between Eastern and Western literature are false propositions—Chinese literature does not actually need to choose between the Statue of Liberty and the Forbidden City—

Its future lies in the crowded early morning subways, in the chaotic keyboard tapping in the county Internet cafes, and in those wild stories that have not yet been harvested by literary history. This may be the most moving swan song of literature:
In an age of clamor, we must have the courage to remain silent; in the torrent of cultural anxiety, we must uphold the dignity of creation. "

"This... is Zhang Chao's 'entry essay'?" a reporter muttered to himself after reading it.

It was the afternoon of the second day, and it was time for the awards ceremony. Standing in the hall of the exhibition hall were not only the judges and staff, but also more than 400 participating students and more than 20 reporters.

After hearing that Zhang Chao had also written a "competition essay", everyone was excited, but it was generally thought that it would be a "model essay" aimed at encouraging contestants.

I didn’t expect it to be a “literary manifesto” that was almost like a manifesto. The full text reviewed the exploration of Chinese literature in the past 100 years since the New Culture Movement. It had both the determination to “erase the blackboard” and the courage to “write a new chapter”; but it also had the disappointment of “losing the path”…

If you have paid attention to the book "The Sound of the Egret Island Tide - A Record of Zhang Chao's Visiting Scholarship at Xiamen University" recently published by Xiamen University, you will understand that Zhang Chao has always been concerned with the issue of "modernity of Chinese literature" in the academic field of literature. He does not even believe that China currently has "modern literature" in the general sense of literary history.

This "Literary Manifesto" exposes his "ambition" more thoroughly - the "Chinese literary modernity" in Zhang Chao's mind is to transcend the framework of existing theoretical narratives and find the literary veins that grow from within contemporary Chinese society.

Is it too hasty to show such "ambition" in an occasion positioned as a "student essay competition"?
The students at the scene fell into silence.

Many of them felt regretful after learning that Zhang Chao wrote articles on the blackboard - they clearly thought of it, but why didn't they dare to do it?
A few years ago, when Zhang Chao was still a senior high school student, he dared to write a poem directly on the blackboard when facing the on-site assessment of "Mao Dun Literature Prize winner" Alai. This story had long been spread among the literary and artistic youth community.

Most people envied him for seizing an opportunity, showing his talent, becoming a close friend of Alai, and laying the foundation for his network in the literary world.

But when it was my turn, why didn’t I dare to stand in front of the blackboard?

If I could have stood in front of the blackboard in the competition yesterday, brushed off the chalk dust, said, "I'm done!" and then left calmly...

So even if he can't become the second Zhang Chao, he can surely pave a "golden road" for himself, right?

The reporter couldn't help but start interviewing Wang Anyi, and the first question he asked was: "Did Zhang Chao really write this article on a whim?"

Wang Anyi smiled gently and replied: "The article may have been brewing for a long time, but the opportunity was indeed that no student wrote on the blackboard yesterday. But we can't blame everyone, Zhang Chao's ideas have always been wild and unconstrained.

I only knew he was going to set the questions like this when the semi-finals were about to start. "

Many students heard this, just like a line from a popular TV series a few years ago: "I gave you a chance but you didn't use it!"

The reporter then asked: "This article seems to be accusing something, and it also seems to be hoping for something - but no matter which one, it is closely related to the past and present of Chinese literature.

As the chairman of the jury of this competition and the chairman of the Shanghai Writers Association, can you tell us your understanding? "

This is the issue that everyone is most concerned about, and everyone pricked up their ears and listened carefully.

Wang Anyi's smile was still gentle, and she calmly told the reporter: "Zhang Chao has always had a very persistent belief in literature. He firmly believes that Chinese writers can break through all kinds of stereotypes, prejudices and obsessions, find an independent creative path, and contribute a new literary aesthetic experience to the world.

He believed this, and he did this. If you think he was "accusing" or "hoping", it's actually a misunderstanding. He knew that this road was too difficult and tortuous, and without the preparation of so many writers before him, he himself would not be able to reach that standard.

At the same time, he was still very young. He didn't say to writers of the same age and generation, "I think you can do it one day." - Instead, he said to himself and everyone, "I can do it!"

He is not 'hope', he is 'hope' itself."

When the reporter heard the last part, the fast-moving strokes on the notebook slowed down. He looked at the kind-faced woman in front of him in disbelief and asked with some difficulty: "Isn't this... too... too immodest?"

Wang Anyi laughed and said, "When has he ever been modest?"

The reporter was speechless.

Another reporter immediately asked: "So this semi-final question..."

Wang Anyi continued, "In fact, Zhang Chao did not restrict what people wrote. It is open enough in itself. But for Zhang Chao himself, what he erased was not the rules, but the three thousand years of snow of words that fell on our shoulders. Some people are afraid of dirtying the snow, and some are afraid that their footprints are too shallow, but they forget that only on the cleanest snowfield can you leave your own shadow."

The reporter asked again: "In his article, he mentioned many famous writers and works in recent years, and also mentioned the masters of the vernacular movement, but he didn't seem to mention writers of your generation..."

Wang Anyi glanced at the reporter, still smiling and speaking in a gentle voice: "The 'double abyss' and 'two-way breakthrough' he mentioned in the article are actually the 'double anxiety' that troubles our generation of writers.

This anxiety reached its peak in the 80s, which is why there are so many poems and novels that seem to be "shocking" now. Some people hold Whitman's poems to attack the high wall of thought, and some people carry the banner of Marquez's magic realism to reinterpret Chinese culture...

Of course, all this is in the past. Although our generation of writers is still writing, we can almost see the end of our creative career. It may take many years before we can draw a rough conclusion on what we have learned from the times and what we have left for the times.

Zhang Chao deliberately avoided us in his article, which was both a respect and a kindness. But both I and other judges who read the article last night were very pleased. "

At this time, a reporter finally asked the most crucial question: "It is said that this "New Concept Essay Contest" will be the 'final', that is, the last one. Is this news true?"

As soon as the question came out, the scene immediately fell into a brief chaos.

Some reporters had not heard the news at all. After hearing the news, they were shocked and started asking other reporters around them about the situation.
The students' brains were generally in a state of shutdown, unable to process this information - the "New Concept Essay Contest" was going to be discontinued? They would be the last winners?
You have to know that three years ago, when the competition hit a low point and only received a few thousand submissions, "New Sprout" magazine still gritted its teeth and continued to hold it. Since last year, the competition has not only made a comeback, but this year's submissions have even "burst into the mailbox". It would be too ridiculous to just stop the competition.

Wang Anyi, Zhao Changtian and others were not too surprised - there is no wall that is impenetrable. Zhang Chao had mentioned the idea of ​​making this competition his "final one" in more than one place. People who heard about it included the editor of "New Sprout" and the judges of this competition. It is possible that any of them leaked the secret to a familiar reporter in private.

So they were also fully prepared.

Wang Anyi said: "This news is true, but it is also not true."

The reporter waited patiently, knowing that Wang Anyi would definitely have more to say.

Unexpectedly, Wang Anyi said: "It is true that the idea of ​​'final song' was indeed proposed by someone, and it was Zhang Chao who proposed it. We cannot deny his influence on the competition.

"Not true" means that there is no unified opinion on his point of view. Even he himself said, "Whether the competition is a swan song depends on every participant" - I think this should also include the media reporters present here.

As for whether the competition is really going to end, as the chairman of the jury, I cannot answer this question. I can only express my opinion on my own work. If you want to know the exact answer, you need to ask Zhang Chao. "

Reporters were in an uproar. 'It depends on everyone involved' - what kind of answer is that?
"Zhang Chao? Yes, where is Zhang Chao? Didn't he come?" Only then did everyone realize that Zhang Chao was not at the scene.

Zhao Changtian replied, "He returned to the hotel after finishing his article last night. He sent us a message this morning saying he had something to do and left first."

Reporters who are well versed in the art of communication keenly noticed that this seemed to be another of Zhang Chao's usual tricks... After stirring up a wave of public opinion, he was never in a hurry to respond immediately, but instead waited for an opportunity to act.

It is said that Zhang Chao himself likes to call this "Let the bullets fly for a while..." but no one knows where the name comes from.

Then another reporter caught up with Zhao Changtian and asked, "Editor-in-Chief Zhao, next year's competition..."

Zhao Changtian had a stern face and did not answer the question. Instead, he interrupted directly and said, “I retired from New Sprout magazine last year and am now just a consultant for the competition.

Well, it’s getting late and our classmates are getting impatient.”

The students thought to themselves: “We’re not really that anxious…” Although everyone had some utilitarian purpose in participating in the competition and wanted to know where they would rank, the situation is different now. They realize that they are in the prelude to a major event that may go down in literary history, and they are somewhat excited and curious.

However, neither Wang Anyi, the chairman of the jury, nor Zhao Changtian, who has retired but still represents the opinions of New Sprout, responded to the reporter's questions. Instead, they quickly arranged for staff to maintain order at the venue and got to the point of today -

Awards ceremony.

This year's "New Concept Essay Competition" produced 68 first prize winners, 155 second prize winners, and 212 excellent prize winners.

The most popular first prize winner was Liang Shuheng from Hong Kong. There was news among the judges that he was the contestant with the most potential to become a professional writer in this competition.

It was only when he stood on the stage that everyone was surprised to find that this young man with a delicate sense of writing was actually a rather majestic "Black Whirlwind"...

After the award ceremony, Wang Anyi gave a final speech for this competition: "Standing here today, looking at your young faces, I suddenly remembered the scene of my first literary symposium thirty years ago. At that time, I was just like you, holding a notebook full of notes, looking forward to being recognized, but also afraid that my writing was not "correct" enough. Today I don't want to talk about talent or skills, I just want to talk to you about the simplest essence of writing...

Today’s award is an encouragement, but also an invitation. I invite you to continue to do three things with your words: first, be honest with yourself, even if what you write down is confusion and vulnerability; second, observe the world gently, the quarrels in the vegetable market may hide unwritten epics; third, bravely leave blanks, some words do not need to be said completely, just like the blank space in Chinese paintings, trust that the reader’s heart will fill it in by itself…”

While Wang Anyi was telling the story with deep emotion, a blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigner stood in front of Zhang Chao in Yanjing and said in an excited and joyful tone: "This is an epoch-making product that will change the form of literature. You must try it!"

(End of this chapter)