Rebirth 2004: A lone figure in the literary world

Chapter 378 Zhang Chao: Make America Great Again! (Seeking votes at the beginning of the month)

“Dear Californians, all Asian compatriots, and the international community:

Today, I stand here with a deep sense of responsibility and reflection. As the 38th Governor of California, on behalf of the state government, I extend the deepest apology to the Chinese workers and their descendants who sacrificed their blood and lives to build California in the 19th century but suffered systematic discrimination and oppression.

This belated justice was driven by the historical resonance inspired by the writer Mr. Zhang Chao, and became inevitable because of the countless silent witnesses of history. ..."

Zhang Chao was sitting in the audience, watching an Austrian man on the stage making a solemn apology to the Chinese on behalf of the Americans. He felt a little bored and almost started yawning.

However, this is considered an important "promotional event" before "Homeland" goes on sale in the United States, so I still have to give it some face.

Besides, he had a lot of people around him - the vice president of Random House, and his editor Madeline; two representatives from Fox Film Corporation; and key members of the "Big Bang Theory" crew.

Most importantly, there are more than a dozen Chinese representatives, including Chinatown bigwigs and Silicon Valley upstarts. In short, they are all important figures.

So under the watchful eyes of the public, Zhang Chao could only barely hold back the intense sleepiness brought on by jet lag.

Since Zhang Chao launched a movement to reflect on American history and promote ethnic equality in the United States half a year ago, American society has been forced to once again begin to examine the fate of Chinese workers and the Chinese Exclusion Act over the past century.

California, a place with a diverse ethnic group and a large number of saints, must of course be at the forefront of trends. So with the help of the media power controlled by Random House, the California government finally became the first state government in the United States to apologize to Chinese workers and the Chinese Exclusion Act.

The person who spoke on behalf of the California government was naturally Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

As an Austrian, he had absolutely no psychological burden about this. He asked his assistant to write the speech in a tearful manner as much as possible. Combined with his not-so-great but adequate acting skills, the visual effect was indeed quite touching.

Schwarzenegger spoke for a while on the stage and said, "In recognition of Mr. Zhang Chao's contribution to equal rights and facing up to history in California, we will grant him the status of 'Honorary Citizen of Los Angeles'!"

After saying this, he led the applause, and the audience followed suit, and the atmosphere on the scene gradually reached a climax.

Zhang Chao stood up amid the applause, walked briskly onto the stage, and stood next to Schwarzenegger.

Only then did he realize how huge the body of this former Mr. World Bodybuilder, Terminator T800 was. With his 180-centimeter height and not-so-thin body, he looked like an underage boy in front of Schwarzenegger.

Zhang Chao received a certificate of "Honorary Citizen of the City of Los Angeles" and a golden metal California state badge from Schwarzenegger and showed them to the audience, which drew another round of applause and cheers.

Schwarzenegger asked Zhang Chao to say a few words, and Zhang Chao did not refuse. He stood next to the microphone and said a few polite words, "Thank you..." Then he got to the point: "From the gold rush in 1848 to the completion of the transcontinental railway in North America, more than 30 Chinese workers crossed the Pacific Ocean and used their hands and wisdom to shape the foundation of California's prosperity. They improved irrigation technology in the Central Valley and turned the desert into a granary;
They laid railroad tracks on the cliffs of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, connecting the economic lifeline of the United States at the cost of 1.2 people per mile; they extracted California's first pot of gold in the mines of Sacramento, but never obtained equal land ownership.

So we must face up to the darkest chapter in California’s history - the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 is not only a disgrace at the federal level, but also a direct consequence of the California local government’s tolerance of violence and acquiescence in discrimination.

Chinese workers were deprived of their rights as witnesses and were unable to defend their lives and property in court. They paid high "foreign miners' taxes" but had no right to enter public schools and hospitals. Even their simple wish to have their bodies buried in their hometowns was shattered by the "Bones Act."

What is even more distressing is that this institutional oppression is solidified through the distortion of literary works. Just as Mark Twain portrayed the Chinese as "unassimilable aliens" in his early novels, mainstream society has constructed cultural otherness to give exploitation a civilized cloak."

Zhang Chao's speech caused different reactions from the audience:

Those white elites in suits and ties became visibly uneasy. They had not expected that Zhang Chao would bring up this scar again on this "happy day".

Only a few black representatives and government officials looked at the white people's reactions with a hint of gloating, and some of them were whispering to each other, but no one knew what they were saying.

The Chinese representatives had serious expressions and sad eyes. Some of them even placed one hand on their chest solemnly and murmured to themselves in a low voice.

These reactions were also captured by reporters on the scene.

Zhang Chao did not plan to say much, and quickly got to the point: "I think that just an apology is not enough to represent the sincerity of the California government. Only by taking action can we prevent the tragedy from happening again."

Sitting on the side, Schwarzenegger, who was originally smiling happily, suddenly froze his smile: What is Zhang Chao going to do?
Before he could think about it, Zhang Chao had already said the following words in rapid succession: "First, I hope to include the history of Chinese workers in the California K-12 compulsory curriculum, focusing on the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad, the anti-Chinese riots, and the contributions of Chinese immigrants to agricultural technology.

Secondly, I hope to establish a memorial area for Chinese workers in the official museum of California, engraving the names of victims of the anti-Chinese policy from 1882 to 1943. In addition, California libraries should systematically explore the technical patent archives of Chinese workers in the fields of water conservancy engineering, mineral smelting, etc. ..."

Hearing this, Schwarzenegger breathed a sigh of relief. These requests were nothing special. It was easy to ask the education department to revise the textbooks or instruct the museum library to add a room.

But Zhang Chao's next "hope" made him completely unable to sit still:

“Finally, I also hope that the California government’s apology will serve as a starting point for actual financial compensation to the Chinese workers and their descendants who were discriminated against and persecuted. Although no amount of money can make up for the harm done to the Chinese workers, it can show the world the Americans’ lofty humanitarian spirit and sense of responsibility for history!
Compensation has a price, but the reputation of the American people is priceless!"

Hearing this, Schwarzenegger was stunned.

Zhang Chao just mentioned in his speech that there were no less than 30 Chinese workers in California alone, and their descendants who remained in the United States number in the millions, with the majority in California.

If they have to pay for it one by one, the California government will have to pay even if it pawns its pants - you have to remember that we are in the midst of a financial crisis and the California government is already struggling.

Schwarzenegger agreed to apologize to the Chinese workers on behalf of the government, on the one hand, to win the support of millions of Chinese voters in California; on the other hand, he also hoped to win the favor of wealthy Chinese and get some donations to alleviate the urgent need. Unexpectedly, before the donations were received, an astronomical amount of "possible expenses" suddenly appeared out of thin air. This can no longer be described as "stealing a chicken but losing a rice bowl", it is simply throwing a head into the hands of others.

Schwarzenegger wanted to use Zhang Chao to improve his political achievements, but Zhang Chao wanted to use him to improve his sales!
The key point is that Zhang Chao's proposal was so provocative that many of the audience members stopped clapping in a ritualistic way, and stood up, nodding and clapping. Some even whistled, and several black people pointed at Zhang Chao with both hands, meaning "You kid, good job!"

Schwarzenegger suddenly realized that there was an even more terrifying development behind Zhang Chao's proposal:

If compensation is given to the Chinese, should compensation be given to the black people?
You should know that the Chinese Exclusion Act was implemented for a total of 1882 years from 1943 to 61, and the number of Chinese victims was roughly hundreds of thousands. The United States generally abolished relevant laws that discriminated against blacks in the 20s. Since the founding of the country, it has been almost 60 years, and the number of black people who have been discriminated against and persecuted must have been tens of millions.

The United States is a country of common law. Compensating the Chinese is equivalent to giving a legal basis for compensating the blacks. Not to mention California, the federal government and other cities with large black populations and the old South will all explode on the spot.

For so many years, the issue of compensation in this regard has always been the sword of Damocles hanging over the head of the US government, and most politicians and media have chosen to deliberately ignore it.

Even the most radical black people's opinion groups rarely consider this aspect - after all, the number of people is too large, and the amount of money involved is astronomical, and no one has ever thought about actually paying the money.

But if the "racial discrimination compensation" is proposed by the Chinese community, it will be very delicate - the number of people is large enough, but not too large; the influence is large enough, but not too large; the compensation amount is high, but not too outrageous...

It was Zhang Chao, a Chinese, who proposed it on behalf of his compatriots;

This was raised when the racial equality movement in the United States was in full swing;
This was after Schwarzenegger formally apologized and admitted his mistakes on behalf of the California government...

This is a bit too much of a combination of timing, location and people.

The problem is that this precedent cannot be set! This is a "Pandora's box". Once it is opened, the United States will no longer be the United States - the key is that this mess was created by Schwarzenegger!
Schwarzenegger stared at Zhang Chao's profile carefully, trying to see whether this young Chinese man was ignorant or doing it on purpose, but after looking for a long time, he couldn't figure out what was going on and could only sigh inwardly.

Zhang Chao was about to end his speech: "Ladies and gentlemen, only when the pain of every group is listened to and the truth of every history is respected, can we truly reach the 'homeland' that transcends race and national boundaries.

Governor Schwarzenegger's apology today is a reconstruction of the California spirit and a solemn pledge of human dignity. Let us use this moment as a boundary to jointly write a new California story that is more honest, more compassionate, and more complete.

Four months ago, I said in my farewell speech that the United States, which has forgotten its history, is no longer the great country it once was and is unworthy of being a beacon of human civilization. Now is the time for the federal and state governments to redeem themselves from the sufferings of the past. Only then can—

Make America Great Again!"

At the end of his speech, Zhang Chao raised his arms and shouted loudly. With the California state flag and the American flag behind him, he looked like a young Chinese man. He looked like a rising star in American politics who was about to run for a congressional seat.

The emotions of the audience were completely aroused, and many people stood up and shouted: "Make America Great Again! Make America Great Again! Make America Great Again!..."

It took a full three minutes before it gradually subsided.

Schwarzenegger then walked up to Zhang Chao and shook his hand "enthusiastically" with all his strength. His mind was completely blank at this moment, and his ears were buzzing with slogans of "Make America Great Again!" He felt how terrifying Zhang Chao was:
He sought compensation from the US government for the Chinese, not by denouncing or playing the victim, but in the name of doing good for the US. It was hard to find any angle to fight back. How did such a genius of public opinion emerge among the Chinese...

It was not until he got on the Cadillac sedan back to the hotel that Zhang Chao gritted his teeth, stretched out his right hand from his sleeve, and shook it, crying out in pain.

Madeline, who was traveling with him, saw that his right hand was noticeably swollen, with four clear fingerprints on the back of his hand, which was noticeably higher than other parts.

Madeline quickly asked the driver to stop the car on the side of the road where there was a pharmacy. She got out of the car and bought a medical ice pack for Zhang Chao to apply on his hand, which relieved Zhang Chao's pain a little.

Zhang Chao said indignantly: "Isn't it just to ask him to pay some money? Is it necessary to be so cruel? It's not like he is asked to pay for it himself."

Madeline covered her mouth and laughed softly, and explained in detail the impact of Zhang Chao's proposals, especially the one about "compensating Chinese workers". Finally, she concluded: "Although Arnold will not have to pay for it himself, it will weaken his support in the party.

You have to know that he is very politically ambitious. Although he cannot run for president or senator because he is a first-generation immigrant, maintaining his influence can give his children the opportunity to participate in high-level politics... Otherwise, why would he marry the Kennedy's daughter?
Now that he's in such big trouble, I'm afraid he won't be able to stay in office as governor of California."

Zhang Chao glanced at Madeline and asked, "Don't you have any objection to what I just said? It seems like there is quite a lot of trouble."

Madeline laughed disdainfully and said, "If there's trouble, it's the government's. What does it have to do with me? What does it have to do with Random House?" Then she turned to Zhang Chao and said excitedly, "Zhang, your performance is great. Now the sales of "Homeland" are guaranteed.

I estimate that among the Chinese, you can sell 50 copies! And you may also open up the black market - you know, in the past they hardly read the books you wrote.

I have to re-adjust my sales activity plan! Zhang, can you stay in the United States for a few more days? Half a month... No, a week, just give me another week!"

Zhang Cha looked at Madeline, somewhat speechless, thinking that the United States was indeed a company packaged as a country, and business was more important than anything else.

However, he still rejected Madeline's request and said to him, "Let's do as we said before. I will only stay for this week. After a week, I will fly directly to Japan. The premiere of "Homeland" there is also waiting for me."

Madeline's face immediately fell, but she was still making a final effort: "But today's speech was on the news, your popularity will definitely rise to new heights, and American readers are waiting to meet you!"

Zhang Chao sighed, thinking how could Madeline be as annoying as Lu Jinbo, so he leaned over to Madeline, motioned for her to put her ear close to him, and whispered, "I think there's a good candidate..."

(End of this chapter)