Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 336 American Squid? Why are they getting so worked up? (Please Subscribe)

Several directors nearby, overhearing the back-and-forth between the two, secretly rejoiced. This Miller, who came to the Beijing People's Art Theatre from the United States, had started finding fault with everything, making many directors feel resentful.

Unfortunately, Cao Yu, as a master of both Eastern and Western thought, could only speak openly or subtly. It's perfect that Liu Yimin spoke up; since Miller called Liu Yimin a "young man," surely this master wouldn't be angry with a young man!

As the two continued their discussion, the performance on stage seemed to become secondary; everyone was focused on their debate, and their voices grew louder and louder.

"Liu, to be honest, I've read your speech in the United States, and I've also read 'Green Book.' I've read about four of your screenplays in China. To be honest, I think your work has literary value, but it lacks artistic value."

Liu Yimin smiled faintly and said, "Mr. Miller, please enlighten me!"

“I read it, and most of your content is praise rather than criticism. I think the essence of high-quality literature lies precisely in its criticism. Even in Green Book, the criticism is insufficient, and the final reconciliation dissolves the cruelty of racial discrimination.”

Like other Chinese writers, your other works share a common theme: praise. I have read your "High Mountains and Long Rivers" and "Red River Valley", as well as "Mr. Donkey".

The first two films are celebratory, while *Mr. Donkey* is critical, but its artistic value is clearly not as high. Young man, you should acknowledge this issue instead of thinking of rebuttals in your mind.

"I admit you are an excellent young man, but you are still too young. Your life experience and knowledge are insufficient to support a great work!" Miller said mercilessly.

Cao Yu, standing to the side, was ashen-faced, while Zhu Lin was so angry he wanted to break the American's high nose bridge.

Liu Yimin said to Ying Ruocheng, "Teacher Ying, let's not translate this sentence yet."

Then he looked at Cao Yu and said, "Teacher, may I be a little presumptuous?"

Cao Yu didn't speak, he just nodded.

Liu Yimin cleared his throat and said with a smile, "Mr. Miller, how do you think this war should be portrayed?"

Seeing Liu Yimin's calm tone, Miller assumed Liu had given up, and said smugly, "Liu, I am a Thai. Our people were massacred during World War II. I have written many plays about Nazi crimes. But do you know how I described them?"

Miller was Thai, but he was born in New York and did not flee to the United States. In the 1950s and 60s, he wrote a large number of plays criticizing German atrocities.

However, his critique was unique, unlike that of his fellow Tibetans. He did not directly depict the cruelty of the Holocaust or directly criticize the Germans.

Instead, the drama downplays the Nazi German soldiers and places the Japanese people in the main focus. It portrays the reactions of the Japanese people, whether they were involved in or not, during the massacre, giving them the impression of being accomplices to the evil through their misery, apathy, or weakness.

Whether it's the Japanese characters in the drama or the audience watching it, it gives people the feeling that "no matter if I'm in the East or the West, no matter who I am," as long as I am numb or do not stand up to fight back or condemn this massacre, I am an accomplice to the massacre.

This is indeed one of his major characteristics, but to the audience, it seems like we did nothing, yet unknowingly became accomplices in evil.

If we don't condemn it, our conscience won't allow it.

Liu Yimin believes this is a typical "narrative of the weak," which uses people's sympathy to support itself and achieve its ultimate goal.

Judging from what Yu Tai did later, this was indeed the case. He cried his heart out to the world to win everyone's help. He then used that help to wipe away his tears and frantically pulled the trigger on even weaker nations.

After Miller finished speaking, he smiled and looked at Liu Yimin: "Young man, what do you think?"

"Mr. Miller, from an artistic standpoint, I certainly have to give you a thumbs up. But I feel that our content contains a critique of the invaders!"

Miller frowned: "But you mostly sing praises!"

"Mr. Miller, let me ask you a question: Whom am I praising?"

"Of course, they are soldiers from your country!"

"Yes, don't our country's brave soldiers deserve praise? They sacrificed their lives for the country, shouldn't they be admired? How can a nation that doesn't admire heroes not produce heroes?"

Mr. Miller, do you have any heroes like this worthy of being celebrated?

After hearing this, the directors were overjoyed and even Ying Ruocheng's tone became much stronger, as they thought Liu Yimin had just backed down.

Miller fell silent, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

"Don't you have any heroes to sing praises?" Liu Yimin pressed.

Liu Yimin almost said that it wasn't that you didn't want to sing praises, but that you simply didn't have the time or resources to!
Miller, forcing a smile, said, "Young man, you are indeed eloquent, but our nation has wandered for over 2000 years, enduring countless hardships. Without heroes, we would have long since ceased to exist. In Warsaw, our heroes have also organized resistance!"

This was one of the few resistance movements; the actual resistance lasted only two days. Four weeks later, the bodies of the remaining members were found in the sewers, thus extending the resistance to four weeks.

"Oh, I know him. Does he deserve to be celebrated?"

"Of course!" Miller's expression had already darkened somewhat.

"So I think you should sing praises to heroes. I think the differences in our artistic expressions are more a matter of national character. We Chinese people admire heroes and never place our hopes on other nations, which is why we have been able to live on this land for thousands of years."

It's a bit of a pity compared to you, because most Chinese people have only seen the scenery of this one place.

You might say that our victory in World War II relied on foreign aid, but we sacrificed countless soldiers and also helped the British and Americans. We only lacked weapons, but not spirit!

You place your hopes on others, now on Americans, no, it should be said that your people place their hopes on your country.

We not only admire our own heroes, but we are also grateful to those who help us. There was a German man named John Rabe who saved countless Chinese people from the clutches of the Japanese invaders. After returning home, he was destitute, and the entire nation donated money to help him through his difficult time.

Norman Bethune, a Canadian and an internationalist fighter, sacrificed his life in China; we will remember him for generations. Don't they deserve our praise?
We are not only heroes to ourselves, but also willing to be heroes to others. At a rally in the US, I heard from an overseas Chinese that in Austria, a Chinese diplomat issued numerous visas to people in concentration camps, who then left with them. I don't know why? It seems that those who were rescued never mention this incident.

Mr. Miller, do you think the people he saved should be grateful to him and sing his praises?

"should?"

"But why have so many people forgotten?"

In 1938, Germany annexed Austria, and all the Austrians were imprisoned in concentration camps. Germany promised them that they could leave if they could obtain visas.

At the time, all the embassies of Austria (which were later converted into consulates after the annexation) refused without exception. No one expected that the weak Chinese consul would be willing to lend a helping hand and issue visas overnight. Chinese consul He Fengshan issued more than 500 visas in one day at most.

The consulate building was reclaimed by Germany, so he rented a place at his own expense to issue visas until he was transferred in 1940.

No one would have known about this if his obituary hadn't been published in the newspaper after his death.

Why did none of these tens of thousands of survivors stand up after the war and say that a Chinese person saved them?

“Mr. Miller, you come from the developed Western world. When you set foot on Chinese soil, you may feel that this land is backward, closed off, and even that the people here are ignorant.”

But even when we are weak, we never lose our compassion. The West supports you for its own interests, but we save lives out of pure humanity. Did this Chinese man expect anything in return? No, he didn't think about anything in return; he simply wanted to pass on kindness.

Liu Yimin's words were forceful and authoritative, and Ying Ruocheng, when translating, no longer thought about saving face and translated everything directly.

Miller jumped to his feet after hearing this: "Hmph, that's just your side of the story. If this were true, I believe we would have known long ago! We are not a nation without heroes, we are not an ungrateful nation, we are not a nation that places its hopes on others!" With that, he turned and left, with Ying Ruocheng, the translator, quickly following him.

Only the director and actors were left staring at each other in bewilderment. The actors had long since stopped performing and were now standing on the stage watching the verbal battle.

All eyes turned to Liu Yimin, who shrugged and said to Cao Yu, "Teacher, why are you getting so worked up?"

Cao Yu felt a sense of relief, but at this moment he didn't know whether he should be proud or angry.

Lan Tianye said to Liu Yimin, "Yimin, well said, well said!"

Cao Yu glared at him, and Lan Tianye stopped talking, whispering to Ouyang Shanzun with a wronged expression, "That's right!"

Zhu Lin stood up, walked to Liu Yimin's side, and said loudly, "Teacher Liu is right. I think you are also a hero of our country, at least in my heart, you are my hero!"

The sound stunned everyone in the rehearsal room for a few more minutes. How could someone be so bold?

Some young people were extremely envious, but they also felt that what was said made sense. If Comrade Liu Yimin was not a hero at this time, then who was?
Cao Yu was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, alright, Xiao Lin, I didn't say I was going to punish Yi Min, you don't need to stand up."

Cao Yu got up and walked towards the door, then said to Liu Yimin, "Don't worry, aren't teachers just for wiping your butt?"

After Cao Yu walked out, everyone in the rehearsal room applauded. Several directors praised him, and Ouyang Shanzun said, "I was moved by what he said. This American colleague is so old and still getting worked up? Yimin, you too, you always poke at people's lungs!"

"But it's really fun to poke at!" Su Min laughed.

"I hope nothing bad will happen?" Xia Chun was a little worried. This was the script that he had strongly recommended for importation: Death of a Salesman.

The directors lost interest in rehearsing and walked out the door with Liu Yimin.

On stage, the actors sat down helplessly. Yang Lixin pointed towards the door and said with a delicate gesture, "Look at this American, he has no manners at all!"

In the office, Cao Yu listened to Ying Ruocheng's voice on the other end of the phone. Ying Ruocheng told Cao Yu that Miller was already packing his bags and preparing to leave.

Cao Yu said, "Tell Miller that even if he leaves today, this young Chinese man will still go to the United States in the future and you will still run into him. The American media will discuss how a well-known American playwright hastily left China."

Secondly, we signed a contract; if we want to leave, we'll have to pay compensation!

"Lord Jiabao, won't this anger him?" Ying Ruocheng said anxiously.

"Provoke him? Let him go. If Butcher Zhang leaves, will we still be eating hairy pork?"

Seeing a group of people gathered in his office, Cao Yu said directly, "Disperse, everyone. Go back to what you were doing. The premiere of 'Green Book' is not to be wrong in the slightest!"

Upon hearing this, the group of people immediately wilted and quickly left Cao Yu's office.

Liu Yimin and his team reviewed the rehearsal again. After it was over, Liu Yimin smiled and said to Lan Tianye, "Director Lan, I think if you were to direct 'Death of a Salesman,' you wouldn't be much worse than Mr. Miller!"

Upon hearing this, Lan Tianye immediately laughed and said, "That's why I said Yimin is so discerning! Yimin, it's a real loss for the Beijing People's Art Theatre that you didn't come here!"

Just then, Cao Yu walked over, clapped, and said, "Comrades, the performance was indeed excellent. Remember, don't gossip after you get off the stage!"

Ouyang Shanzun walked to Cao Yu's side and asked in a low voice, "Lord Jiabao? Is it resolved?"

“Mr. Miller wasn’t angry at all. He plans to relax in Yanjing for a few days before coming back to rehearse!” Cao Yu winked at everyone.

Cao Yu gave Liu Yimin a wink, and Liu Yimin immediately followed Cao Yu out of the rehearsal room and into the office.

Seeing Liu Yimin looking around, Cao Yu asked in confusion, "What are you looking at?"

"Teacher, I thought Miller was sitting here angrily, wanting me to go inside and apologize to him!" Liu Yimin said sarcastically again.

"Haha, you've moved on from this. That arrogant American deserved to be taught a lesson. How's work at Yenching University these past few days?"

"It's going very well, teacher, but it's a bit busy. I'm thinking of compiling a textbook, but I haven't told the department yet!" Liu Yimin said, taking a big gulp of tea.

Cao Yu tapped his raised left knee with his hand: "So does that mean your writing will be delayed a bit?"

"We'll be working on both at the same time; the textbooks can't be completed overnight!" Liu Yimin said with a grin.

"I wanted to ask how your magical realism piece is coming along. Miller said your work isn't very artistically valuable, so you should write it out and let the Americans see if it's artistically valuable or not!"

Upon hearing that Cao Yu was talking about this matter, Liu Yimin immediately said, "I have written about 20,000 words. Once the first plot is slightly improved, I will send it to you to take a look."

"Twenty thousand words! You're not as fast as you used to be!" Cao Yu teased.

"Teacher, this work is quite difficult to write. Although it is about reality, the magical realism technique requires a non-linear narrative, with the past, future, and present intertwined. The plot arrangement of multiple spaces, times, and scenes must be reasonable and not abrupt."

My drafts already number nearly 50,000 words; I need to write them slowly and meticulously, like an embroiderer.

Cao Yu became even more interested after hearing Liu Yimin's explanation: "Okay, then you should write well."

After saying that, he glanced at the tender buds sprouting outside the window and said, "I hope you can go further than me. My life may end here, and I'm really not willing to accept that." Miller spoke eloquently about his work, and I even wondered how I should answer when he asked me a question!

When Cao Yu turned his gaze to Liu Yimin again, Liu Yimin saw the endless confusion in his eyes.

Cao Yu achieved fame at a young age, but his regret was that he didn't write anything in the second half of his life.

"Teacher, life has both height and breadth. Breaking through in either height or breadth within the length of life is a way to realize a higher value in life. You are now pursuing higher heights, so why not loosen your feet and pursue the breadth of life, and make more contributions to the entire drama and arts community?"

You might unexpectedly discover that you've reached another level. Inspiration is something you can't always find by searching, but suddenly, it might be right there in the shadows.

Cao Yu dipped his finger into the teacup and used the water to write the height and breadth on the table, then drew a mountain.

After a long pause for thought, he said, "You're right. Everyone says I'm your teacher, but we're teachers to each other. I can do more for the theater and arts community. 'A thousand sails pass by the sunken ship, and ten thousand trees bloom before the withered one.' We should cheer for new forces."

Liu Yimin walked out of Cao Yu's office. Cao Yu repeatedly traced the disappearing "mountain" with his finger, making it grow wider and wider.
Zhu Lin was waiting for Liu Yimin at the door. When she saw him, she asked, "Are you alright, Teacher Liu?"

"It's alright!" Liu Yimin said with a smile, holding Zhu Lin's hand.

"Teacher Liu, you're amazing! Although it wasn't a debate with a group of scholars, it was still like Zhuge Liang scolding Wang Lang. I'm really afraid that Miller won't be able to hold on!"

After Zhu Lin finished speaking, he leaned close to Liu Yimin's ear and whispered, "Teacher Liu, I'll treat you to something when we get home tonight!"

"Ahem, Comrade Zhu Lin, I think we should prioritize our work!" Liu Yimin said earnestly.

P.S.: Thank you all for your continued support. Today, the book was recommended and reached number 235 on the bestseller list. Thank you so much!
(End of this chapter)