Literary Master 1983

Chapter 399 Everything was peaceful

An excited Gu Bin returned to the University of Bonn and immediately wrote a review of the Lisbon Maru in the magazine "Dragon Boat," which he edited.

"In my opinion, the Chinese writers of the 1980s had a fatal flaw: their level of education was not high. They lacked a deep understanding of society and were also deficient in language skills. These writers may become good at writing novels and gain some fame, but in the long run, their achievements are far from enough."

"In order to quickly keep up with the trend of world literature, a large number of Chinese writers read 'Chinese translations'—they read translated foreign classics to learn from. Unfortunately, these translated works themselves contain many errors and are practically the translator's personal re-creation... This has ultimately created a strange phenomenon in the contemporary Chinese literary circle, in which they have essentially learned a 'locally spontaneous import' that is very different from the original version."

How abstract is this kind of thing?
It's like when Europeans came to China to preach in the 19th century. They thought they were spreading Christianity and believing in Jesus, but they didn't expect that the whole of southern China would fall into the trap of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, believing that Hong Xiuquan was also a child of God, and that in addition to Jerusalem, Nanjing in the south was also a holy city.

The Chinese version of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom even formed a complete logical relationship, which in turn allowed it to debate with Western missionaries on a high level—Gu Bin believes that some contemporary Chinese novels seem to have this kind of "strange flavor," a kind of bizarre derivative.

At this moment, Gu Bin couldn't help but wonder why he had paid attention to Yu Qie.

Because Yu Qie was highly educated, he truly understood Western society. He neither admired nor belittled it, but rather, like a Westerner, he was very knowledgeable about the most basic religious beliefs, social organizations, and myths.

These are precisely the cultural factors that truly constitute Westerners.

Gu Bin elaborated on this point in his book "Dragon Boat": "In the 70s, I came to a language school in the mainland to study and learned two languages: Classical Chinese and the language of the workers, peasants and soldiers at that time. Therefore, I still call myself 'Old Gu' and address others as Comrade XX!"

“The word ‘comrade’ is no longer used, so I address people as ‘Old Gu’ or ‘Young Gu’; I even gave myself a courtesy name, but it’s not a good one, so I’ve never told anyone. When I chat with contemporary Chinese writers, I find that some of them neither call me Comrade Gu nor ‘Old Gu’ or ‘Young Gu’, and of course they don’t speak to me in classical Chinese! Naturally, I’m very disappointed!”

“I feel that their culture has been interrupted; they can neither write Chinese nor foreign languages.”

After Gu Bin's commentary was published, it had some impact on the critical circles in Germany. Faculty and staff at the University of Bonn were among the first to see it, noting that Gu Bin was lavish in his praise and also displayed a certain Eastern subtlety.

When he discussed "why Yuqie is different," he wrote indirectly:
"Yu Qie is the kind of person who can call me 'Old Gu' or 'Comrade Gu', and also accurately call me Wolfgang Kubin in Germany."

Qian Zhongshu saw this article.

He was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment: "Who is this Gu Bin? I've hardly heard of him, but he speaks with great arrogance. According to him, there are hardly any novelists left in all of China."

Yu Qie certainly knew this Gu Bin.

Previously, when Yu Qie received the Formentor Prize, Gu Bin wrote a commentary on it. Furthermore, Gu Bin will become even more famous in the future, eventually becoming one of the most renowned sinologists overseas.

“I know this Gu Bin. He went to study in the mainland in the 1970s. He mainly likes classical Chinese and the language of workers, peasants and soldiers—he thinks it is the simple language of the working class. But he mainly likes classical Chinese, and he is quite fond of the past and disdains the present.”

"But your 'Lisbon Maru' wasn't written in classical Chinese either, was it? Isn't he just being unreasonable?"

"It's probably because of the British jokes I write. He's German, of course he likes them!"

After that, Yu Qie continued the serialization, gradually publishing the remaining plot of "The Lisbon Maru" in "European News." "European News" wasn't a major newspaper; on the contrary, its readership was quite small. However, Yu Qie was very famous, and his announcement that the novel would be serialized for free for a limited time led to "The Lisbon Maru" being picked up for printing by several newspapers. Many Spanish-language writers from the Barcelona school actively promoted his work.

The story has reached its climax:
The three British sailors became friends with the Chinese fisherman who rescued him. Under the protection of the fisherman's family, they learned some Chinese and began to understand China.

After several twists and turns, the sailors finally contacted the British Embassy, ​​which then contacted the Nationalist government at the time, promising to let them return to London safely.

Along the way, they witnessed the brutality of Japanese soldiers spreading germs, and at the same time, they were deeply impressed by the Chinese people's spirit of resistance. Through international radio broadcasts, the three planned to expose the Japanese army's war crimes to the world.

The Japanese were furious upon learning that they had released British prisoners of war. They set up roadblocks along the route and retaliated against the fishermen. They landed on the islands, searching house to house for British people, even stabbing haystacks with bayonets. Once found, they broke the prisoners' hands and feet, tied them to boats, and sank them.

Chinese fishermen who "protected" British prisoners of war were also killed without exception. Some fishermen tried to help British prisoners of war by bandaging their wounds or bringing them rice and flour so that the prisoners could die well-fed during their final journey.

This was also not allowed by the Japanese, who raised their guns in threat. Expensive items like rice, flour, and alcohol were naturally stolen.

Qian Zhongshu was quite surprised when he read this passage, as he was aware of the living standards at the time. He asked, "Are these things really true? Would the fishermen back then be willing to share these things?"

Yu Qie then presented the evidence he had gathered from his visits: all of these incidents came from accounts of surviving prisoners of war, and many incidents were corroborated by multiple prisoners of war.

For example, a sailor named Evans said, "I was almost exhausted when I was rescued by a small boat that smelled of fish and then put on the shore. I and the others were put in a shed full of fishing nets."

Another sergeant major named Soden was also in this "shed." He said, "The shed was full of fishing nets, and the women fed us hot vegetable soup and rice with pieces of fish."

There was another sailor in the "shed" who only remembered being extremely hungry at the time. "I rubbed my stomach desperately to show how hungry I was! The Chinese brought us chopsticks and food, but I didn't know how to use them, so I used them like forks. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw them!"

Two British sailors were rescued together; one had a broken bone, and the other suffered severe sunburn.

The one who had the fracture said, “When I woke up, it felt like I was in heaven. An elderly, kind Chinese woman, without angel wings, was wearing traditional Chinese peasant clothing… She was feeding me warm sweet soup with a porcelain bowl and spoon, and then I fell unconscious again.”

Another person who had sunburned said, “They even gave us tobacco, smeared some strange mixture on my sunburn, and put a coat on me… I was delirious with fever at the time, and when I woke up I realized that they weren’t dressed much either; they were poor.”

“I suspect this tobacco was their last bit of tobacco. Yet they gave it to me.”

Qian Zhongshu then understood.

At least in British historical records, the accounts of the "Lisbon Maru" are largely credible.

These sailors came from all over Britain; it's hard to say they conspired specifically for this.

This rescue operation primarily involved China, Britain, and Japan. Japan naturally wouldn't provide any information, but now that Britain has provided data, the only remaining recourse is to leave the group of silent fishermen from back then to definitively prove their innocence. Qian Zhongshu volunteered to return to his hometown to investigate this matter.

"Didn't you just have surgery?" Yu Qie was a little reluctant to let him go.

Qian Zhongshu is 77 years old this year, older than Ma Shitu. Moreover, for various reasons, Qian Zhongshu does not like to show his face in public.

“Do you remember what I told you before?” Qian Zhongshu said. “I said, ‘Of all your achievements, only your novels are truly deserving of the title.’ In fact, you have already exceeded my expectations!”

Yu Qie was surprised that Qian Zhongshu would suddenly bring up the past. "What, you have a new opinion now?"

“I do have some personal opinions, Yu Qie,” Qian Zhongshu said, then remained silent for a moment.

He mentioned something Yu Qie never expected—Zhang Li and Chen Xiaoxu.

Currently, quite a few people know that Yu Qie is "loyal and unwavering," but Yu Qie keeps it to himself and never mentions it.

Qian Zhongshu was a Christian in his early years, but later, due to changing circumstances, he stopped acknowledging his Christian faith. However, he was still influenced by these values. Qian Zhongshu disliked Lu Xun largely because he felt that Lu Xun's romantic relationships were chaotic and not pure.

Why did Qian Zhongshu admire Hu Shi?
Because Hu Shih was too good at disguising himself, and besides, Hu Shih kept a diary! How could he write bad things about himself in his diary?

Ironically, Qian Zhongshu actually frequented brothels when he was young, but he didn't consider it affection; it was just pure pleasure-seeking.

In previous years, Qian Zhongshu had a "Platonic relationship" with one of his students. His wife personally went to "catch him in the act," but of course, he didn't admit it and was quite open about it.

A wife is a wife; there should be no overstepping of that line. He did not betray his wife.

He left all the money and status to his wife, Yang Jiang. It was a perfect marriage, and he was a moral exemplar.

Yu Qie did not do well in this regard, and was so openly and honestly loyal that Qian Zhongshu felt that a "perfect person" had fallen into depravity.

“After the ‘Ice-Melting Journey,’ I haven’t often praised you in public. Actually, what I’m most proud of is having had this experience with you. I think… I’m not usually someone who appears so cautious like I am now. This isn’t me.”

"You did something risky, but everyone praises it! I'm so old, this is the last thing I can do!"

Yu Qie understood that Qian Zhongshu wanted to cause trouble and show off, but he didn't dare to do it, so he pinned his hopes on Yu Qie.

Who knows?

Qian Zhongshu was conflicted, unlike Yu Qie's teacher Ma Shitu, who was very straightforward. Although Yu Qie and Qian Zhongshu had known each other for a long time, they couldn't really be considered true friends despite their age difference.

However, this was a rare moment when Qian Zhongshu confided in him, so Yu Qie naturally had no choice but to agree.

So, in December, Qian Zhongshu returned to China to visit relatives. His "family visit" was a pretext; his real purpose was to investigate the inside story of the Lisbon Maru incident. He was still the vice president of the academy, and upon arriving in the local area, he naturally received a grand welcome, with his subordinates coming to greet him.

Qian Zhongshu mobilized a large amount of resources in a short period of time; his actions were much faster than Yu Qie's.

There have actually been people in Zhoushan who have been paying attention to this matter. Several retired cadres and leaders in the cultural system have conducted on-site investigations and accumulated a lot of valuable historical materials.

Upon inspection, it was immediately clear that it was genuine, exactly as the British had described.

Regrettably, a key figure, Miao Kaiyun, disappeared. He had served as the deputy commander of the Fourth Battalion, and his efforts in escaping the British prisoners of war from the trap were invaluable. However, a few years later, Miao Kaiyun was suspected of being a communist sympathizer, and although no concrete evidence was ever found, he was executed.

There are many artifacts in Zhoushan that can serve as evidence to show that the British government was aware of this matter:
In 49, the British held a ceremony of gratitude in the port, where the Governor of Hong Kong presented Chinese fishermen with a fishing boat called "Hai'an".
After the rescued British prisoners of war arrived in Chongqing, they appeared in Zhongshan suits and left behind a photograph.
In gratitude for the Chinese fishermen's life-saving act, the prisoners of war gave them their valuables: harmonicas, rings, military water bottles... some of which have survived to this day.

Qian Zhongshu sent a message to Yu Qie: "We have ample evidence to prove the authenticity of the Lisbon Maru incident. I even found a telegram from the British Ambassador to China to China, which fully records the entire incident."

"The British know perfectly well that we rescued nearly two thousand of them and pulled more than three hundred out of the water; it's written in black and white!"

"The Republic of China's foreign affairs department was shocked at the time and sent a letter to the provincial offices in Jiangsu and Zhejiang to inquire whether this had happened... Unfortunately, it was already 1948, and the country had no time to deal with this incident, so it was dealt with hastily."

The truth is out!
Initially, the Republic of China government did not pay attention to this matter, as they were busy fighting the civil war; later, the situation changed drastically, the British no longer wanted to mention it, and the Japanese would not mention it either, so the Lisbon Maru sank to the bottom of the sea forever.

By the time Yu Qie finished reading all the materials, his novel was also completely finished. After a whole month of spreading the word, the "Lisbon Maru" incident had gained some recognition in Europe.

German writer Wolfgang Kubin commented on Yu Qie's novels three times, praising the humanitarian spirit embodied by the Chinese fishermen. In London's Chinatown, a wealthy Chinese man with assets exceeding 100 million was moved to tears after reading the story and offered to sponsor Yu Qie's trip.

"Ever since I started doing business in England, I've always faced a lot of difficulties and been morally looked down upon. The slightest difference isn't seen as a cultural difference, but as a sign of inherent flaws! Yet our morals are no worse than anyone else's!"

The television station had also recorded the footage, preparing to ring in the Christmas and New Year of 1988 for the British people. Director Cowens said, "I felt a spiritual cleansing, and I believe the Lisbon Maru incident can serve as a classic example of eliminating misunderstandings and prejudices."

In mid-December, with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) recently signed and entered into force by the US and the Soviet Union, all of Europe was bathed in a glow of peace. Ideological differences seemed to have faded away, and humanity was getting better. Europe had finally gained the tranquility and security it had longed for.

So far, everything seems to be going extremely well.

(End of this chapter)