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

Chapter 448 The Chinese literary world is in an uproar
On the evening of March 24, Liu Yimin and his group entered the Lincoln Center Theatre on Broadway, led by a guide.

Lincoln Center is magnificent and has been transformed by Americans into a world-class arts center, where artists from all over the world can take pride in performing and where America’s cultural influence radiates to artists worldwide.

Currently, the only Chinese artist who can perform here is Mr. Mei Lanfang. When Mei Lanfang came to Broadway to perform in 1930, the United States was in the midst of the Great Depression, but the ticket price was still inflated from five US dollars to nearly 20 US dollars.

There are various art theaters here, which can accommodate 18,000 audience members at the same time.

Tang Dacheng exclaimed, "Looking at the towering buildings and numerous art centers here, one can imagine the grand occasion when Mr. Mei visited back then."

“I can still remember Mr. Mei’s plays.” Xu Mengxiong reminisced.

Upon entering the theater where "Beloved" was being performed, many Americans were already queuing up.

Americans who came to see the play all knew that the playwright, Liu Yimin, was coming to watch today's performance, and many people hoped to meet him. In less than a day, from yesterday to today, ticket prices have been inflated by two times.

Entering the theater from the side, Bond found Liu Yimin, who said that a larger performance hall would be opened on March 29, which could seat nearly three or four thousand audience members.

Following yesterday's publicity in the evening newspapers and on television, major American media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Columbia Daily News all published reports today that Liu Yimin will hold a private charity auction after his Broadway performance of "Old Man and Dog".

Many artists responded enthusiastically, expressing their desire to participate in the auction through the media. Artists who didn't receive Broadway invitations even asked Broadway for tickets in the newspapers.

Besides the audience tickets, Broadway gives a portion of the tickets to artists and another portion to wealthy tycoons who need to cultivate a positive image, especially families that have recently been embroiled in scandals and need to engage in charitable public relations.

Bond handed part of the list to Liu Yimin: "These are all the artists participating in the auction."

“I recognize these people; they are all famous Black artists,” Liu Yimin said with a smile. He had met these people when he was in Los Angeles, and Basquiat, who suffered from paranoia, was among them.

“Some of them may not be that famous, but I believe their works can make a significant contribution to global environmental protection.”

Liu Yimin and Bond exchanged knowing smiles. Tang Dacheng and Xu Mengxiong didn't know what they meant, but they felt that the artist's work would definitely fetch a good price.

"Liu, after the play ends, why don't you go on stage and give a short speech to promote the charity gala?"

"no problem."

As the play was about to begin, more and more people came in, and the performance hall, which could hold over a thousand people, was soon full.

Bond goes on stage to tell everyone that the show is about to begin, and that the screenwriter will personally come on stage to thank everyone after the show.

"Wow!" Applause and cheers filled the entire performance hall.

“That’s the influence of the people in America!” Tang Dacheng laughed.

As the performance began, the auditorium quieted down. The American rehearsals of "Beloved" really had an advantage; it was incredibly lifelike.

They knew what life was like for enslaved people back then, and their makeup and clothing were very appropriate.

The rancher, wearing a cowboy hat and leather boots, looked arrogant and haughty, randomly selecting a lucky black slave with his leather whip.

The scene in the script was slightly altered; when the white man stretched out his foot, the black man immediately ran over and wiped the white man's boots clean with his sleeve.

After wiping him, the rancher happily rewarded the black man with a nine-lash lash, which he did not dodge and took solid hits.

After this scene was performed, some audience members kept shouting "fuck," while others chuckled.

Liu Yimin and Xu Mengxiong watched very attentively, but Tang Dacheng couldn't. He didn't understand English very well and could only understand a few scattered words. He couldn't understand sentences if they were spoken quickly.

The theater's surround sound created a strong sense of immersion, and it wasn't until the sound stopped that the audience realized the performance was over.

The staff of the performance hall took Liu Yimin backstage. When the actors came on stage to take their curtain call, Liu Yimin went directly onto the stage, walked up to the actors, and shook hands and hugged each of them.

The theater's air conditioning was excellent, but every actor was drenched in sweat. The Black actress playing the lead role excitedly kissed Liu Yimin's hand.

"Great screenwriter, thank you for seeing the fate of Black people!"

"No, it's not that I saw it, it's because it happened."

They were all carrying microphones, and as soon as he said this, the audience erupted in applause once again.

"What is Yimin talking about?" Tang Dacheng asked hurriedly.

Xu Mengxiong quickly said, "The black man thanked Yimin for seeing the fate of black people. Yimin cleverly said that it was because of the incident that he was able to see it."

Tang Dacheng said helplessly, "This babbling jargon is so incomprehensible, it just makes me feel annoyed."

Xu Mengxiong reluctantly became Tang Dacheng's translator, while Liu Yimin spoke from above and Xu Mengxiong spoke from below.

After greeting the actors, Liu Yimin stood in front of them and addressed the American audience.

"We cannot pretend we didn't see what actually happened in history. The century of humiliation suffered by Black people is something the United States should reflect on, and I think it's not just the United States; everyone involved in how Black people came to the American continent should reflect on it."

I think people must have a sense of self-reflection. If someone treats me badly, I should reflect on why they treated me badly. Chinese people value self-examination three times a day, reflecting on oneself daily. Americans also need to reflect.”

The Americans listening below found Liu Yimin's words very reasonable, and thought that Liu Yimin's reflection was similar to the repentance mentioned in the Bible.

We cannot pretend we didn't see what happened in history; nor can we pretend we didn't foresee what will happen in the future.

Whether in the United States or China, we all live on Earth, and environmental protection is now an urgent matter. The United States has the highest per capita carbon emissions in the world, followed by European countries. This is because people living in developed countries require a wide variety of industrial products, but the cost is environmental destruction.

One statistic states that the amount of garbage Americans generate daily could clog the entire Mississippi River and fill the Great Lakes. The damage to the atmosphere caused by Freon in refrigerators is roughly equivalent to melting an Arctic iceberg every day.

When hurricanes sweep across the Americas, tsunamis destroy the Statue of Liberty, and cars in Detroit float atop skyscrapers, can you stand by and watch?
You may stand idly by, but some have already taken action. In the far East, there is a group of people who are working every day to stop global warming. The forests they plant have become tentacles that capture carbon dioxide. They are making sacrifices and contributions to the entire global environmental system, protecting the environment with love and their own hands.

After Liu Yimin finished his speech, Bond immediately said, "We at Broadway will be hosting a charity gala on March 29th in conjunction with the Eastern writer, Mr. Liu Yimin. All proceeds from the performance tickets and charity auction will be used for environmental protection and afforestation."

In addition, a separate donation channel will be opened. If everyone contributes a little love, the world will become a better place.

Amidst a sea of ​​applause, Liu Yimin and Bond walked offstage.

Miller looked at Liu Yimin smugly: "Liu, what do you think of my rehearsal?"

"Just so-so!"

"So-so? Liu, that's prejudiced. Bond, tell me, how did I rank them?"

"Miller, your arrangement is naturally excellent," Bond quickly reassured him.

Miller said, "Liu, to use an old Chinese saying, we became friends after a fight. I admire you sincerely and hope we can become friends."

"Mr. Miller, have you two fought before?" Himmel sensed the presence of a famous person and hurriedly asked.

Miller's expression changed: "Simole, that's a metaphor, nothing happened."

Miller didn't want to embarrass himself in front of the entire American people. Liu Yimin smiled faintly and walked off the stage.

Tang Dacheng laughed and said, "It's so satisfying, so satisfying! This American-made 'The Favourite' has such a cool, foreign vibe."

Xu Mengxiong thought to himself, "Could you understand this without me?"

Broadway staff escorted Liu Yimin and his entourage back to their hotel. The Vietnamese protest outside the hotel had subsided. Back at the hotel, Liu Yimin didn't sleep; he spent some more time signing books. Today, Liu Yimin had devised a new plan: sell ordinary signed books at above-market prices, only auctioning off specially signed copies.

You can't sign too many regular autographed books, otherwise it'll lead to inflation.

At noon on March 25th, the convoy departed for the Hyatt Hotel. The convoy, adorned with the National Book Award badge, drove around the heart of New York City before leisurely entering the Hyatt Hotel.

At the entrance of the Hyatt Hotel, there was a small book exhibition displaying sample copies of the top 100 best-selling books in the United States. Many Americans were browsing the exhibition.

The awards ceremony was held in the banquet hall of the Hyatt Hotel, with a poster of the National Book Awards hanging at the entrance, and the red carpet leading from the poster all the way into the banquet hall.

Guests attending the event signed the poster, which was adorned with both American and Chinese flags.

Each flag represents a winner, and the Chinese national flag stands out brightly next to the ten American flags.

As Liu Yimin walked on the red carpet, many reporters rushed to take photos and conduct interviews, but Liu Yimin waved his hand to politely decline.

Will all the funds raised at the charity gala really go to environmental protection?

Liu Yimin stopped and said, "All of them will."

"Excuse me, Professor Liu, let's move on." A staff member quickly stopped the reporter from conducting further interviews.

Upon entering the banquet hall, it had been decorated to resemble an awards ceremony, with the words "National Book Award" written in English letters above the stage backdrop!
Liu Yimin sat at the front and greeted the others. Stephen King, author of "The Shawshank Redemption," also appeared in the banquet hall and sat directly behind Liu Yimin, greeting him as well.

“Liu, as an American, I greatly admire you. This is the highest literary honor in our country,” Stephen King said sincerely.

Liu Yimin comforted him, "Stephen, I believe you will definitely be able to obtain it in the future. You didn't this time because the timing was wrong."

"I'm aiming for the American Literature Lifetime Achievement Award in the future," Stephen joked.

Stephen prepared some of his own items to participate in the charity auction: "Liu, what you're doing is very meaningful, and I'll do my part to contribute."

"Thank you. If everyone gives a little love, the world will be a better place."

At 2 p.m., the awards ceremony officially began. Representatives from the U.S. Congress, the Department of Culture, and the judging panel gave speeches, each emphasizing the culture of freedom and the spirit of democracy.

Stephen, half-asleep, asked, "Liu, do you know what the benefits of this kind of democracy are?"

"What? People can argue?"

"What are the downsides?"

"All they do is argue! As long as they win, no one will remember their promises, and the blame for failure will be placed entirely on another party. Just like you said, what we need is not slogans, but actions!" Stephen said with a playful expression.

"Beloved" is a magical realist work of American history. The author, Yi Min Liu, used his imagination to write a literary work for the American people. Through "Beloved", we understand the power of racial equality. Whether black or white, they are all part of the United States of America.

Welcome Chinese writer Yimin Liu!

Amid applause, Liu Yimin walked toward the awards stage, which was erected about one meter off the ground. Handsome models stood beside the stairs. After walking up, Liu Yimin shook hands with the chairman of the jury, Bellow.

"Liu, congratulations! Congratulations on your writing reaching America from China, crossing the vast Pacific Ocean, and proving the power of literature!"

After Bellow finished speaking, there was another round of applause. Bellow handed the award certificate and trophy to Liu Yimin, the trophy being engraved with his name and nationality.

Liu Yimin nodded slightly to Bellow and the audience below, and generously displayed the award certificate and trophy to the audience and reporters.

Next came the speeches, with each award-winning author having ten minutes to speak. Liu Yimin stood up and, as is customary in Italy, briefly recounted his own experiences.

"I just heard a sentence from the awards committee that I felt was a bit off. Magical realism isn't imagination; it's writing adapted from reality. Racial equality is a slogan countless Americans have chanted, but it hasn't been achieved to this day."

Isn't this something we should all reflect on? Literature can serve as a wake-up call, but it can't change everything. To change everything, we need action, and that's what we need!
I thank the award committee for awarding me the National Book Award, and I thank my husband and wife for their support. I sincerely wish that every American could freely lie on the beaches of Hawaii and equally enjoy the sunshine of the Pacific Ocean.

After Liu Yimin finished speaking, he quickly walked off the podium. Stephen shouted "Action! Action!" loudly, which drew a chorus of agreement.

After Liu Yimin sat down, Stephen said in a low voice, "Liu, you spoke very well."

"Thank you, but perhaps only you think so."

“No, no, no, Liu is a great person, I’ve always known that. Hello Liu, I’m Trump, welcome back to my hotel.” Tax King had somehow ended up sitting next to Stephen.

"Wow, you have a beautiful hotel."

"I want to open a hotel in China someday, and I want to make the most beautiful hotel in the world. Every night when I go to sleep, someone will tell me, 'Trump, you are the best person in the world.' I also believe that Trump will become a symbol of great business," the Tax King boasted.

"Trump, you are indeed an interesting person."

The Tax King happily shook hands with Liu Yimin, indicating that he would attend Liu Yimin's charity gala.

"Liu, I really love the environment. No one knows better than me how to protect it."

After the Tax King went to greet the others, Stephen said, "He's a flamboyant real estate developer who won't pass up any opportunity to become famous."

After the awards ceremony ended, the audience stood up and applauded to see him off, and Liu Yimin waved and thanked them repeatedly.

The tax king, standing to the side, said to the others, "He's a very good friend."

"You even understand literature?"

"Sik, no one understands literature better than me!"

Inside the hotel, Tang Damin and Xu Mengxiong happily examined the trophy that Liu Yimin had won.

"There is hope for Chinese literature! If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have had such influence in the world in just a few years. The news will soon reach China, and I believe everyone will be excited again when they see the newspapers, watch the news on TV, and hear the radio broadcasts."

Although the National Book Award in the United States only carries a prize of $10,000, in most people's minds, it carries more weight than the $120,000 prize of the Italian Nonino Prize for Literature.

Newspapers sold out immediately, and readers celebrated, shouting with emotion and choked voices, "Where Americans can stand, we can stand too!"

"Chinese people are no less capable than people from any other country!"

The China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Writers Association sent a congratulatory telegram to the delegation. In the telegram, Ba Jin pointed out: "This is a great progress in the literary attainments of Chinese writers, proving that China today is not a literary desert."

On the day of the awards ceremony, the Chinese American Literature Association held a grand celebration in Chinatown, with various traditional Chinese activities such as lion dances on Wall Street.

China Book and Periodical Press held an exhibition of Liu Yimin's works on Wall Street, allowing American readers to experience Chinese culture while reading his books.

The New York Times stated that Liu's award has caused a sensation throughout the Chinese literary world.

On March 26, Liu Yimin met with Joseph and his wife from the San Francisco Environmental Association, as well as all the members of the performance team. They were all more energetic and full of vitality than before.

"Since our performance, my back doesn't hurt anymore, my legs don't ache, I don't feel empty anymore, I have more energy to walk, and I can climb five flights of stairs at a time," Joseph said happily.

Liu Yimin told them to prepare well and offered his best wishes. Performing on Broadway was a huge pressure for their amateur troupe.

Next, Liu Yimin gave a speech in Ohio, near New York, and returned to New York on the 28th to prepare for the charity gala.

(End of this chapter)