Generation Z Artists

Chapter 127 Southeast Asia Book Signing

In mid-July, just as summer vacation began, Fang Xinghe embarked on a historic book signing tour in Southeast Asia, marking the first time a Chinese author had done so.

First stop, Thailand.

At that time, the political environment in Southeast Asia was very complex, and Thailand was the country with the closest economic cooperation with China.

From an economic perspective, Thailand urgently needs domestic aid, cooperation, openness, and further expansion of the tourism industry to recover from the damage caused by the financial crisis.

From a cultural perspective, secular Buddhism, populist political parties in opposition, and a considerable number of cultural elites fully agree with Fang Xinghe's ideas on cultural warfare. The current King of Thailand also has a righteous stance based on cultural independence and needs to use Fang Xinghe's articles to perform his own drama.

It can be said that apart from the Chuan Lippo government being overwhelmed and having no time to spare, only one-third of Thailand's elite class, the pro-Western faction, did not welcome Fang Xinghe.

Traditional Buddhism also doesn't particularly like Fang Xinghe, but the reason they are called traditional is because this sect only cultivates itself, doesn't participate in politics, and doesn't engage in worldly affairs.

Under these circumstances, Thai television stations, print media, publishing houses, and cultural circles gave Fang Xinghe 100% attention to his arrival.

The pre-departure coordination and communication alone took more than a month.

This kind of treatment and urgency reassured Fang Xinghe that he would use Thailand as a breakthrough point to open up the entire Southeast Asian market.

To avoid wasting the other party's good intentions, the head of the online trolls pulled another stunt—

Through CCTV reporters Liu Jing and Sister Jing, he impressed a CCTV documentary production team. The team brought a large crew, carrying various equipment, to follow Fang Xinghe's Southeast Asia trip and prepare to produce a documentary.

The Thai side understood perfectly and provided an exceptionally high level of hospitality.

When the chartered plane landed at Bangkok Airport, a red carpet was laid all the way to the bottom of the cabin, and the president of Nanmee Books, along with officials from the Thai Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led a group of scholars to welcome it.

As Fang Xinghe walked down the red carpet, welcoming music played, flashbulbs went off non-stop, and applause and cheers resounded all around...

At this time, Fang Xinghe's popularity among the Thai public was not as high as it was in South Korea.

The situations in different countries are not the same, so generalizations cannot be made. However, due to various needs, the Thai media gave extensive coverage to his arrival in advance, and their friendliness was so great that it was hard for people to adapt.

Three days ago, Thai Rath newspaper provided a detailed introduction to the nation through its "Times" section and cultural discussions.

The description used was "a literary genius that appears only once every thousand years in Asia".

This isn't an introduction at all; it's just blatant hype.

But it worked—as a result, nearly a thousand “fans” flocked to the airport, crowding the already small space to the point of being impassable.

The reason "fans" is in quotation marks is because when Fang Xinghe opened the Starlight Panel and glanced around, he found that only half of the people were glowing.

A small number are true fans; most are just onlookers drawn by the news.

Then, as he walked the last 30 meters of red carpet from the security wall through the airport gate to the limousine, surrounded by the crowd, a gasp of "Wow!" erupted from the crowd.

At this point, Fang Xinghe had already achieved a figure of 89 points, growing taller to 181 cm with straight shoulders, a slim waist, and long legs; his proportions were so perfect they were practically divine.

To avoid violating any ethnic taboos during his trip to Thailand, he dressed very simply, wearing a short-sleeved white shirt, trousers, and leather shoes, without any accessories except for the Buddhist beads given to him by Longhua Temple on his wrist.

The medium-length hair is tied into a small bun at the back of the head. This "disaster" style, which is stiff and close to the scalp, only highlights the perfect development of the skull. The top of the head is full, the back of the head is round, and the jawline is connected in one piece. Whether viewed from the front or the side, it has a flawless feel.

After the contrast between his formal attire and relaxed hairstyle, Fang Xinghe smiled gently and nodded to those around him, and suddenly a riot broke out within a 30-meter radius.

"!"

Pronunciations similar to "wai-ai" came from all directions, and someone even suddenly called out his name in broken Chinese.

The security guards forming the human wall, who were initially facing away from him, were also caught up in the girls' charm and subconsciously turned to look at Fang Xinghe, ultimately creating a famous photograph taken by the Thai newspaper—

The security guards held hands, their backs to Fang Xinghe, struggling against the excited crowd in front of them. But as Fang Xinghe passed by, they couldn't help but turn around, revealing wide eyes, open mouths, and stunned expressions of shock and astonishment.

As Fang Xinghe walked through the chaos, surrounded by a crowd of admirers, the focus of the scene was solely on him, who stood out completely and absolutely in terms of skin color, appearance, height, and aura.

Before getting into the limousine, Fang Xinghe waved gently to his surroundings and noticed that the pedestrians within 30 meters of him were rapidly turning from white to green, from green to blue, and then to powder.

As expected, a true succubus still needs to make her mark offline.

On camera, all sorts of monsters and demons dare to try and take advantage of him, but in reality, it's obvious who has more impact.

This grand scene was captured on video by Thailand's Channel 3 and, after being edited, was featured in tonight's evening news.

As a result, the whole of Thailand knew that an incredibly handsome Chinese literary genius had come to Thailand to hold a book signing event and had received a warm welcome from the cultural community.

Yes, it was indeed very lively.

After being taken to the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok by a limousine, Fang Xinghe rested briefly before immediately attending a welcome reception and symposium hosted by the cultural community.

Thai Deputy Minister of Culture, Director of the Office of China Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President of the Thai Literature Association, and representative of cultural elites, Sura Siwarak, Yingluck Shinawatra, the youngest sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, founder of the Thai Rak Thai Party, Princess Sirindhorn, and other prominent figures attended the meeting and had cordial exchanges with Fang Xinghe…

That's what the news said, but the actual situation wasn't so official. Essentially, it was a mutually beneficial cultural exchange between non-governmental organizations. The presence of officials from the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was simply a long-standing Thai tradition.

In fact, not all the people who came to greet Fang Xinghe were there out of respect for him personally. On the contrary, aside from various calculations of interests, very few of them truly respected him.

After all, he was too young, and few people knew him—most of them didn't think it was necessary.

But it doesn't matter, Fang Xinghe had foreseen this scene long ago and had started preparing more than a month in advance.

Okay, let's begin.

The symposium began in a peaceful atmosphere, with various forms of false enthusiasm hidden in official language lasting for a full half hour.

Fang Xinghe remained mostly silent, quietly and politely maintaining a smile, while Senior Brother Wang Chali handled the small talk and probing questions.

It wasn't until Princess Sirindhorn asked with a smile, "Mr. Fang, are you familiar with Thai literature?"

Fang Xinghe started with zero frames and charged straight at the enemy's face.

"Of course, I really like your country's book 'Four Dynasties,' written by Monrachaon Kri Pamo. Your grandmother had some Chinese ancestry, didn't she?"

"what?"

The attendees were immediately invigorated and became very interested.

Wow, that's really rare.

Princess Sirindhorn's eyes sparkled. Within the royal family, she was primarily responsible for international cultural exchange in Thailand. In Thailand's barren literary scene, only a handful of books had any influence in Southeast Asia, with "Four Reigns" being one of the most important.

"Could I hear your specific evaluation of it?"

"of course can."

Fang Xinghe nodded seriously, not even glancing at the camera set up opposite him, and began to speak eloquently.

"Since reading this book, I have developed a deep curiosity about Thai culture and a great fondness for the Thai people."

Very few foreign classics have made me feel so comfortable reading them. It felt like I was standing next to Paloi, silently watching her life flow by in time, gentle, serene, and full of humanistic care.

Through this book, I saw the kind and peaceful nature of the Thai people and the preciousness of ancient Thai culture…

As soon as Fang Xinghe said these words, everyone's face lit up with smiles.

The vice minister of culture, who had been acting very fake, immediately became genuinely enthusiastic. Later, Fang Xinghe learned that he was actually the nephew of Clive Barmore, the author of "Four Dynasties".

"Few young people are as well-read as you..."

"Mr. Fang's erudition is truly admirable..."

"Thank you for your profound understanding of Thai culture..."

"I never expected this, I really never expected it. No wonder Mr. Fang was able to write such a great work..."

The sedan chair was carried by many people, and Fang Xinghe carried it in a way that satisfied everyone, so the other party was naturally pleased.

Moreover, there is another very important point here: the unspoken tragedy of culturally weak countries.

Thailand's only "world-renowned" culture is its ladyboy culture, which is obviously not something that can be considered highbrow and can only exist as a source of curiosity among the people.

The remaining culture is Buddhism, but this is not unique to Thailand; the whole of Southeast Asia is a Buddhist land.

They had nothing in the cultural sphere that could rival China's, so when Fang Xinghe demonstrated his familiarity with and admiration for Thai literature, their relationship instantly became incredibly close. But the problem was… Fang Xinghe was never exactly a nice guy.

He will give the respect that is due.

He never hesitated to use all his strength when it came to striking.

Just as everyone was overjoyed, Fang Xinghe's tone suddenly changed.

“I can sense that ‘Four Dynasties’ originated from the author’s resistance and reflection on the rapid Westernization of ancient Thai culture, but frankly speaking, it is far from strong enough, which is regrettable.”

The room fell silent immediately.

Only Fang Xinghe's calm yet resonant voice remained, steadily moving forward.

"Mr. Bamo was filled with bewilderment at the invasion of Western culture. He resisted, but not fiercely; he reflected, but not deeply; he went from the court era to modern society and went with the flow; he watched Thai society become less peaceful and more restless, struggled for a while, and then calmly accepted it all."

The novel's linear narrative, straightforward plot, minimal in-depth structure, and even the arrangement of text within chapters mean that it will likely receive little attention from literary critics. It doesn't exist in China, and I'm not sure if it does exist in your country or Southeast Asia.

But these are the three steps it takes to achieve greatness: deeper reflection, more intense resistance, and more sorrowful remembrance.

Before I arrived here, I had a few questions in my mind that I would like to ask you seniors.

First, is there anything in ancient Thai culture that is worth inheriting and promoting?

Second, has the political, economic, and cultural landscape of China become sufficiently wary due to the financial exploitation by the West?

Third, while economic globalization is an inevitable trend, culture doesn't necessarily need to be globalized, Westernized, or Japanese/Koreanized. However, cultural resistance requires overcoming immense pressure from economic cooperation. Is your country truly well-prepared for this?

After the three questions were posed, the entire room fell silent.

But Fang Xinghe only wanted to fight for equal status, not to cause trouble, so he quickly calmed down and sighed with a hint of regret.

"Anyway, I think our country is not ready yet, which is why it has given rise to such an extreme and unrestrained person as me, who speaks out angrily time and time again. This feeling is very uncomfortable."

The atmosphere finally eased.

However, no one dared to underestimate the young man before them anymore. Those three straightforward and sharp questions still stung many people's faces.

He is a real murderer.

He exposes people's past as soon as he opens his mouth...

But the actor, Fang, had already regained his smile and said easily:
"Finally, the dialectical relationship between cultural independence, cultural exchange, cultural competition, cultural integration, and cultural progress prompted me to come to Thailand to learn and experience. I am well aware that I am both part of cultural exchange and part of cultural competition. I feel honored and deeply uneasy to have been warmly received by the seniors. Therefore, I am willing to do my part in promoting the integration of Chinese and Thai cultures."

"it is good!"

Yingluck's sister was the first to cheer, followed by enthusiastic applause.

A group of bigwigs clapped softly, nodded to him with smiles, and sang a song of dignity together.

The symposium concluded in a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.

After the meeting, Chart Korbjitti, president of the Writers' Association, praised Fang Xinghe in a media interview, saying, "During the exchange, Fang Xinghe demonstrated a shocking familiarity and understanding of Thai culture. He showed great respect for us and possessed incredible character and manners."

Thai entertainment news broadcast the grand occasion of Fang Xinghe's visit to Thailand that day, praising him highly: "Fang Xinghe lauded the cultural power generated by the localization and nationalization of Thai literature, and used 'Four Dynasties' as an example to talk about the inspiration this masterpiece of Thai literature gave him. The cultural exchange between China and Thailand has produced a wonderful sublimation through the collision of these two classic works..."

With such promotion, the book signing event was naturally a great success.

He spent an entire day signing 4000 books with superhuman physical abilities and perseverance.

"The Snow in the Night" and "My Youth" were published at the same time and both topped the Thai bestseller list, ranking first and second respectively for the year, each selling over 100,000 copies.

Don't underestimate this; for Tyrande in those days, it was enough to make him a literary giant.

#Fang Xinghe's real appearance# didn't cause any ripples on Thailand's terrible and rudimentary internet, but in the real print media, he has been touted as the spokesperson for beauty.

Advertising invitations poured in, but Fang Xinghe rejected them all because it takes time for the buzz to spread and develop.

Next, he held a second book signing event in Chiang Mai, and at the invitation of the Phuket government, he toured Phuket Island and spent a pleasant day there before returning to Bangkok to visit Shinawatra International University.

This private university, established in 1999, had not yet started enrolling students. Accompanied by Yingluck, Fang Xinghe visited the campus under construction, took a few photos, and then politely declined the $300 million annual tuition fee offered by the university.

Two days later, the price climbed to $500 million a year.

Yes, they wanted to recruit him as one of the first international students in 2002, and would pay him $500 million annually for that.

It sounds outrageous, but it's exactly the kind of thing the Shinawatra family would do.

The CCTV documentary production team excitedly but silently recorded this scene, continuing to add to the legend of Fang Xinghe.

The day before the end of the trip to Thailand, the situation finally became clear—the teenagers in Bangkok were extremely receptive to "The Snow in the Night".

Thanks to Professor Qian Guang's masterful translation, the Thai version of "Cang Ye Xue" perfectly preserves Fang Xinghe's two linguistic styles, perfectly presenting the spiral structure of odd and even chapters, and has received unanimous praise from the mainstream literary circles in Thailand.

Well, although it might sound a bit unfair, anyone who has studied Thai knows just how bad Thai literature really is—it's nowhere near as good as Chinese classics.

The literary masterpiece "Four Dynasties," often referred to as the Thai version of "Dream of the Red Chamber," is translated into Thai and Southeast Asian languages, but none of them can be considered excellent. Only the Chinese version has a uniquely pleasant and comfortable charm.

This is a cultural crushing defeat, which the Chinese people at the time were completely unaware of. Many of our good things are immediately downgraded when taken out, while foreign things are immediately upgraded when brought in—Chinese language is the key to this dimension.

The Thai version of "Cang Ye Xue" is actually a simplified version, but that's enough.

The novel's structure and profound information surpass all other works currently available in Thailand. Coupled with the beautiful imagery of several key snowfalls, it has directly captivated Thai teenagers who have not yet been influenced by Korean dramas.

Of course, sales only dropped to around 30.

This is the limit for Thailand.

Actually, the publishing house didn't make much money, but they made a fortune on another level—the King of Thailand decided to meet with Fang Xinghe.

The specific process was unremarkable; in fact, nothing substantial was discussed.

With the help and guidance of the Chinese Embassy in Thailand, Fang Xinghe went through the motions at the Thai Royal Palace, received a document from the Sino-Thai Friendship Ambassador, and finished his work.

This matter was neither sensitive nor important, but when the news reached China, it increased Fang Xinghe's Star Glory by 2 points.

The People's Daily featured it extensively on its social page, with the title "A Shining Star for the Chinese People."

Look, he didn't even use the term "Chinese people," but directly elevated it to the level of the entire Chinese community.

As it turned out, the readers actually accepted it and felt that this was an extremely honorable thing to do.

Fang Xinghe happily gained 5 points of Star Glory during his 7-day trip to Thailand. People in this era are so easily excited.

The only one who was probably crying was Mr. Ding. On the opening day of Xtep's flagship store in Bangkok, Fang Xinghe attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the store was packed with people that day.

As a result, the Galaxy Generation 1 running shoes, priced at 2000 Thai baht, sold only 1500 pairs in 7 days, far below expectations.

It's not that Thai teenagers don't like it, but this thing is just too expensive, practically a luxury item, but it's nowhere near as prestigious as Nike or Jordan.

Fang Xinghe's influence was like a strong wind that swept through Thai society, but it did not take root and leave a deep mark on this slow-paced and peaceful Buddhist country.

What can you expect from a Southeast Asian country with fewer than 50 internet users?

Regardless, Xtep and Jeanswest have established themselves in Bangkok, becoming must-visit destinations for Thai teenagers, which is already a very good result.

Of course, everyone knows that this is not enough, far from enough.

All business attention has shifted to three truly important places—Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.

The trip to Thailand was just an appetizer, a warm-up; the real battlefield was the so-called Four Asian Tigers.

In early August, Fang Xinghe concluded his trip to Southeast Asia, skipping several small countries and Indonesia, and quietly set foot on Singaporean soil.

This is an island of freedom overlooked by the culture war, yet it sold 50 copies of "Azure Night Snow" early on, representing one-eighth of a total population of 400 million.

This is also the island of arrogance, the only place Fang Xinghe has not made the headlines of since he traveled south.

Such a contrast made him curious—what's the situation like for my buddy in Singapore?
(End of this chapter)