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

Chapter 445 The French Traffic King

In the Paris Parliament, a group of French people became the audience, while Liu Yimin stood on the podium and became the protagonist.

Liu Yimin's speech was prepared in advance, but he also made a brief impromptu remark based on Mayor Chirac's words.

Reporters from French newspapers Le Monde and Le Figaro listened attentively to Liu Yimin's speech, ready to ask questions based on its content.

Radio France broadcast the speech live. Normally, such a ceremony would have been briefed, but unfortunately, Liu Yimin was just too popular at the time. With the literary prize and the correspondence with Mandela, the name "Liu Yimin" became synonymous with radio listenership and newspaper sales.

"I am grateful to the French people for their affection for me, and I am also grateful to people around the world for their appreciation of my writing. In fact, my personal success in literature does not belong to me, but to the success of Chinese culture."

People aren't interested in me, but in Chinese culture, Chinese history, and the Chinese people. My writing is fortunate to represent Chinese culture and history, and fortunate to be seen by you all.

The West rarely truly understands China. In ancient China, many Westerners longed for the East but unfortunately had no chance to see it. In modern times, China entered its lowest point in history, and the West viewed China more as prey under the gun.

I hope that Western people will abandon their prejudices, transcend national barriers and ideological boundaries to view China, and appreciate and accept Chinese culture.

Liu Yimin attributed his success to cultural success, recounting the history of Sino-French exchanges. He noted that France, as the first Western capitalist country to establish diplomatic relations with China, sought to pursue an independent diplomatic path.

Unfortunately, the Gallic rooster, though ambitious, was destined for misfortune.

"The France I see is also the France as seen by the Chinese. Many of us know about Napoleon, who left France with a spirit of independence and autonomy. The establishment of diplomatic relations between France and China also proves France's independence and autonomy."

I hope that France, forever, will remain an independent and sovereign France, allowing the friendship between China and France to continue unimpeded by any external forces or constraints.

Mentioning Napoleon tickles the itch of the French. Whether it was the Paris city councilors present or the French people watching the radio, they couldn't help but hum along when they heard Napoleon's name, all with expressions of enjoyment and upturned lips.

Sitting below, Chirac nodded in agreement; these words resonated deeply with him. Forget America and Britain, we are France, proud France.

"We Chinese people know Rousseau and Victor Hugo from France. We Chinese people will always remember Hugo's sense of justice towards the Chinese people."

Yesterday in Italy, the Bellini family decided to return the artifacts looted from China. I believe Mr. Hugo would be very pleased if he knew this.

The Bellini family's actions provided Liu Yimin with an excellent starting point for discussing the return of cultural relics. After Liu Yimin finished speaking, some of the French parliamentarians below began to look somewhat abnormal.

"The French people can hardly imagine that Notre Dame Cathedral has been moved to the East and the Eiffel Tower has been dismantled and placed in a Chinese museum, but the Chinese people are experiencing these things. In the Mandela case, I saw the French people's defense of justice and equality, and the return of cultural relics is also a steadfast commitment to justice, freedom, and love."

"

Finally, Liu Yimin discussed the issue of human rights for Black people, as represented by Mandela, and concluded his speech amidst applause.

Ambassador Cao looked at Liu Yimin and curled the corners of his mouth. He felt that Liu Yimin understood Westerners too well, using the Westerners' usual tricks of freedom, equality, and human rights to fight against them.

Even though I was heartbroken, I still had to hold my nose and clap.

Among this group of French people, Chirac was the one with a relatively peaceful mindset.

"Professor Liu, I am a reporter from Le Figaro. What do you think is the best way to promote cultural exchange between China and France?" the reporter from Le Figaro asked.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "I think both sides should jointly organize cultural events. There are many Chinese people in France, and China has many interesting and fun festivals and customs. I believe these customs will bring a different experience to the French people. As an honorary citizen of Paris, I have the right to make suggestions."

I would like to make a suggestion to Mayor Chirac: I hope that Paris could host an event similar to a "Year of China" in the future.

The reporter pointed the camera at Chirac, who was radiant and looked like an elite: "Since my visit to China in 78, I have developed a strong interest in Chinese culture, and I will seriously consider this suggestion."

"Professor Liu, regarding the issue of cultural relics you just raised, many of these relics are private collections of the French. Since the French Revolution, we have guaranteed the sanctity and inviolability of private property."

"Does the French constitution stipulate that illegally acquired private property is also sacred and inviolable? If my wallet is stolen in Paris and becomes the thief's private property, is it also sacred and inviolable?"

The reporter was momentarily speechless, but after a few vague words, he seemed to have come up with an excellent reason: "Many of them are privately purchased collections."

“An illegal purchase process yields an illegal result. If there were no shameful purchases of cultural relics, I believe there would be no shameful looting and sale of cultural relics. Without buying and selling, there would be no harm! The West emphasizes the relationship between market supply and demand, and I believe I don’t need to explain the reasons to you again.”

The next question was about Black human rights. After Liu Yimin finished speaking, Chirac smiled, stood up, and applauded, interrupting the remaining ten minutes of the interview. Standing in front of the reporter, Chirac said:
“We have witnessed the wisdom of the East. Liu is not only an outstanding writer, but also a writer who, like Mr. Hugo, has the vision of all mankind. I have extended an invitation to Liu to have dinner together. I believe that our dinner on the banks of the Seine will become a wonderful memory for Liu in France.”

Liu Yimin extended his hand and said, "Mayor, I accept your invitation."

Liu Yimin and Chirac shook hands frequently under the flashing lights; this scene will be published on the front page of French newspapers tomorrow.

On the banks of the Seine, Liu Yimin and Chirac sat in a private room at a restaurant, eating their meal while gazing at the Seine.

The two ate Chinese food, which suited both Liu Yimin's and Chirac's tastes. This guy was very interested in Chinese culture and cuisine.

The reporter took a few photos of the couple having dinner and then left, not wanting to disturb them any longer.

"Liu, it is an honor to have the opportunity to dine with an Eastern literary writer like you. Look at this beautiful Seine River."

"The Seine is the soul of Paris, but the garbage floating on the river is really quite conspicuous."

Chirac awkwardly remarked that he would be pushing for improvements in Paris in areas such as culture, environment, and sanitation: "When I visit Paris again, it will certainly be a different experience."

"When I return to Paris, I believe Mr. Chirac will already be leading the French people forward."

Chirac's expression changed slightly. He had been striving for the presidency, but had failed to achieve it. However, he had been working in Paris for more than a decade and his ambition remained unchanged.

"Liu, you are not only accomplished in literature, but I also think you have a keen eye for politics. What are your thoughts on France?"

"France needs a strong leader to demonstrate its standing to the world."

Chirac asked with interest, "Really?"

That expression seemed to be saying—Could this be me?

France is currently facing severe unemployment, heightened public sentiment, widening social divisions, and intense resentment towards American hegemony.

Liu Yimin shared his views, stating that as the successor to Gaullism and a moderate right-wing figure, Chirac's selection as the future French leader was entirely reasonable.

Chirac's private dinner with Liu Yimin today was more of a political show, a way to increase his media exposure and make him a symbol of freedom, human rights, and a strongman in national politics.

Next year is the French parliamentary election, and Chirac hopes to win a majority of seats in parliament through public opinion, thereby taking the position of prime minister and realizing a political situation where the president is left-wing and the prime minister is right-wing.

However, co-governance often leads to mutual hostility and neglect of government affairs. Therefore, France later amended its constitution to change the presidential term to five years, consistent with the election of parliament, in order to maintain political stability.

Liu Yimin was also willing to cooperate with his show, hoping for a win-win situation.

"Liu, regarding the repatriation of cultural relics you mentioned in parliament today, I am very willing to cooperate with China. Cultural relics belonging to China should return to China. However, the French Constitution stipulates that cultural relics donated to the National Museum are state assets and cannot be transferred," Chirac said.

Liu Yimin said, "The money can be returned to a private individual; we will refuse to donate it."

Chirac frowned. "You can do that?" he thought. "It is indeed a method." But Chirac didn't intend to return it, using the excuse that he needed to consult with relevant laws to see if it would violate any laws.

“I am very familiar with the Pinault family. They have a large collection of Chinese artifacts. If you are interested, I can take you to see them.”

The Pinault family had an excellent relationship with Chirac because Chirac loved Chinese artifacts and once spent a fortune purchasing artifacts from the Western Zhou Dynasty. However, these artifacts were eventually recovered on charges of illegal export and smuggling, through a process of refusing to donate them and having the museum return them to the private collectors.

The Pinault family is the same family that auctioned the rabbit and rat heads. Christie's is their auction house. After Cai Mingchao tricked them by bidding high prices, the Pinault family did emergency public relations and bought the items, then donated them to China.

“I don’t look at our cultural relics in foreign countries. Mr. Chirac, if you can push for the return of these cultural relics now, and even become the first political representative in Europe to return Chinese cultural relics, I believe it will be very beneficial to next year’s parliamentary elections, and the French people will support justice.” Chirac smiled and forked a piece of twice-cooked pork, responding with silence.

Napoleon once said that a soldier who doesn’t want to be a general is not a good soldier, and that opportunities in war are fleeting, and seizing them is the key to maximizing benefits.

"Liu, I've heard the first part before, but this is the first time I've heard the second part."

"No matter how many times it happens, as long as it makes sense."

Chirac raised his glass to Liu Yimin, and the two then engaged in a relaxed conversation, mainly discussing Chinese culture.

After leaving the pub, they strolled along the Seine, where the hungry reporters quickly took photos.

Chirac was very careful to cultivate a populist image, and a tour of the Seine with Liu Yimin was a good opportunity for him.

On the one hand, it arouses a sense of honor among the French people, and on the other hand, it demonstrates the importance attached to literature, democracy, and human rights.

After walking about two kilometers, the two got into separate cars: one to return to the hotel, and the other to go home. When Liu Yimin returned to the hotel, the ambassador was still waiting for him. Everyone curiously asked Liu Yimin what he had discussed with the mayor of Paris.

"It's nothing more than Sino-French culture and the beautiful Seine River, nothing else."

"Get some rest, you must be tired after a long day," Ambassador Cao said.

Liu Yimin nodded and walked towards the room. Lü Tongliu asked curiously how the dinner with the French mayor was.
"We ate twice-cooked pork." Liu Yimin said with a smile as he walked into the room.

Chirac did not go home, but went to the party headquarters to meet with several staff members and ask the French people's opinion on awarding Liu Yimin the Order of Paris Honorary Resident and his speech.

"Currently, public opinion is very positive. This is true not only among right-wingers but also among left-wingers. His views on a free and independent France and the Mandela case have won the favor of the French people."

What are your views on the return of cultural relics?

"It caused quite a stir in the United States before, but in the end the United States agreed to return some of the cultural relics."

"If we did something similar, would we gain more public support?"

"It seems likely that way. Nowadays, people prefer friendly and positive politicians."

With his back to his staff, Chirac gazed at Paris under the cover of night, constantly pondering the gains and losses involved.

“Mr. Chirac, even if we push for it, it will be difficult to achieve results in the short term. The return of cultural relics is a complicated matter.”

Chirac turned to his advisors and smiled, “Don’t forget, we still have our own partners.”

After speaking, Chirac left the office. Several aides watched the whip disappear into the distance, already knowing who he would go to see.

The next day, as soon as Liu Yimin stepped out of his room, someone brought him a newspaper. In the newspaper, Liu Yimin, wearing the medal of honorary resident, stood in the center of the council, addressing the members of parliament.

The full text of Liu Yimin's speech was published, along with a reprinted report from Italian media that the Bellini family would return cultural relics to China, directly corroborating Liu Yimin's statement.

After the meal, Liu Yimin went with the publisher to meet his readers.

The first stop of the speaking tour was Paris, followed by a visit to Marseille, the second largest city.

The lecture in Paris took place inside Notre Dame Cathedral, and the main topic was Chinese culture.

After the speech, the book signing began. Some readers had bought tickets and books to get in, and could also take photos after getting their books signed. Others were regular readers in the back rows, who only needed to bring a book.

"Liu, you are a writer with a strong sense of justice. Paris is proud of you." The reader, holding a book, stood next to Liu Yimin and quickly posed for a photo.

The French perfume lingered on my nose; these white people smelled quite strongly.

"Liu, please sign here!"

Looking at the white underwear, Liu Yimin said helplessly, "I'm sorry, beautiful lady, this is not in accordance with Chinese customs. Let me find you a special place!"

The reporters standing nearby were eyeing me intently. "You want me to be on the front page of the paper again tomorrow, don't you?"

Liu Yimin signed his name on a wooden paperweight he had brought from China and gave it to the female reader.

"Wow, thank you so much! I'm so lucky. How do I use this?"

Liu Yimin then selected a few lucky readers and gave them small gifts, which caused the readers in line to cheer and shout "Liu Yimin" loudly.

Amidst shouts and choked cries, Liu Yimin left Notre Dame Cathedral.

"Liu was truly a great writer!"

"An Eastern writer with compassion and a passion for freedom!"

"Looking forward to his next speech at Notre Dame."

Liu Yimin had two events in Paris in one day. In the afternoon, he talked about Mandela, and every word he said was published in the newspaper without any errors.

At an event in Marseille, Liu Yimin met many friends he had seen before. They asked Liu Yimin to convey their greetings to Mr. Ba Jin and to thank him for his contributions to the exchange between the Chinese and French literary circles.

"I am delighted that another representative writer from China is able to represent China in international literary exchanges."

"I will definitely convey your blessings. I believe Mr. Ba Jin will be very happy to receive them." Liu Yimin shook hands with the other party to say goodbye.

After getting on the bus, Massey Dani excitedly said, "The three book meet-and-greets not only brought us closer to our readers, but also generated huge profits. The municipal governments of several cities, including Nice and Lyon, have already placed orders with us, with each city purchasing about 50,000 books to fill their public libraries."

"Any new news from Paris?" Liu Yimin asked wearily.

"No news, what are you waiting for?"

Liu Yimin shook his head: "It's nothing!"

Seeing that Liu Yimin was very tired, Ma Sai Danny stopped talking and told the driver to hurry to the hotel to rest. After resting in the afternoon, they would head to England in the evening.

In the hotel, Liu Yimin lay down for about an hour before the doorbell rang, waking him from his sleep.

Seeing Liu Yimin's tired face and a hint of irritation in his eyes, Massey Dani cut straight to the point: "Mayor Chirac announced at the city council meeting that he would push for the return of cultural relics and help China recover them. The Pinault family announced that they would return two bronze tripods from the Shang Dynasty, a gold bottle, and a jade ornament to China."

Liu Yimin's fatigue vanished instantly, and he laughed heartily, saying, "This is the news I've been waiting for. Let's cancel our tickets this afternoon, return to Paris immediately, and go to England tonight."

The team contacted Chirac, and since Chirac had already done so, Liu Yimin didn't mind returning the favor by whitewashing Chirac's image.

A little over an hour later, they rushed back to Paris. The convoy went directly to the Paris City Hall, where Liu Yimin expressed his gratitude to Chirac, and the two delivered a speech entitled "Love and Culture."

Inside the city hall, Chirac spoke eloquently to the people of Paris about the importance of culture, the shame of plunder, and that they should apologize for it, with the return of cultural relics being the most important way to achieve this.

Liu Yimin praised Chirac as a Paris mayor who respects culture, freedom, and human rights, and expressed his delight that the French people have such an outstanding politician.

(End of this chapter)