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

Chapter 509 The Real Purpose of the Japanese
After many years, Xiao Meihezi's Chinese has improved even more; it seems she has been practicing a lot in Japan.

After returning to China, she joined the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as previously arranged, primarily responsible for affairs related to China. She is currently just an ordinary employee, but is also a key figure in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' training program.

As soon as Xiao Meihezi spoke, many people in the Ministry of Culture looked at Liu Yimin with a meaningful smile.

Liu Yimin said, "It was a wonderful time for a group of us." He then explained to the person next to him, "Back then, we had a club with foreign students at Yenching University. I was responsible for explaining traditional Chinese culture to them and taking them around Yenching."

“Comrade Yimin, we know that the ministry discussed this at the time. We felt that the club you started was a good model, and that more similar clubs should be established in major universities to help international students understand China and learn about traditional culture,” said a staff member next to him. Liu Yimin couldn’t remember which department he was from, but the staff member looked familiar.

Xiao Meihezi looked at Liu Yimin: "Mr. Liu, I wonder if our wonderful times will ever come again?"

“You can come back to China to pursue a master’s degree.” Liu Yimin’s words made the people around him laugh, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

"If it's possible someday, I'd like to study under you as a graduate student and become your student."

Xia Yan glanced at the two of them without showing any emotion, then coughed and said, "Come on, let's go into the conference room and talk."

Seeing Xia Yan's reaction, Liu Yimin nodded slightly to Xiao Mei Hezi and followed Xia Yan into the conference room.

Five people came from Japan this time. Liu Yimin was not planning to speak at first, since he was not used to this kind of occasion and it was best to say as little as possible.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Osamu Tezuka steered the conversation back to Liu Yimin, talking about how popular Liu Yimin's works were in Japan, and how Japanese writer Kenzaburo Oe greatly admired Liu Yimin's works and had recommended them on several occasions in Japan.

"Da Jiang believes that Chinese literature has undergone drastic changes in the next ten years, with old literary styles undergoing subversive reforms. From Liu Jun's works, one can see both ancient and modern China."

“Dajiang especially likes Liu Jun’s ‘Wolf Smoke Over Beiping’ and ‘Beloved’,” Xiaomeihezi added.

Kenzaburo Oe was a highly accomplished Japanese writer who focused on reflecting on the facts of Japanese aggression. In the 60s, amidst the wave of opposition to the Japan-U.S. Security Treaty, he arrived in Shanghai and met with the elderly gentleman. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in the 90s.

Osamu Tezuka said with a smile, "I didn't expect Mr. Liu to have such a high talent in the field of fairy tales. When I came here, my Chinese friend recommended your 'Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Swordsmen' to me. I think he has captured the spirit of Chinese martial arts. If it is made into an animation one day, I think it will be very popular."

Your Shanghai Animation Film Studio is a powerful force; they are children's dream weavers who have emerged from traditional Chinese culture.

“I’ve also read Da Jiang’s works; he’s a righteous person I admire very much,” Liu Yimin said with a smile.

There are some enlightened people within Japan, but we should not have any expectations of Japan because of these people, or be soft-hearted because of them.

However, they can be used to continuously publicize the facts of the war of aggression within Japan, gradually dismantling the right-wing narrative.

In short, it can be used, but it cannot be trusted!
Xia Yan said with a smile, "The Japanese film and animation industry is developing rapidly, which is something that our Chinese film and animation industry needs to learn from. I hope that both sides can exchange experiences and jointly promote the progress of Eastern films and animation."

"I am a cartoonist, and I hope that children in China can see more and better comics." Osamu Tezuka's tone sounded very sincere.

Liu Yimin gradually realized that they wanted to strengthen cooperation and exchanges with China in the fields of animation and comics.

"That's a good thing. Many good comics from our country can enter Japan. Their unique Eastern aesthetics and drawing techniques can improve the aesthetic level of Japanese children. Of course, I also have a selfish reason: I hope that my 'Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes' can also be seen by Japanese children."

Liu Yimin's words surprised the other party; what they wanted to discuss was the entry of Japanese animation and comics into China.

Especially after the ban on the dumping of foreign animated films, the proportion of Japanese animation shown in China has been greatly reduced, which they feel is detrimental to cultural exchange.

“Mr. Liu, of course we welcome you, but we are afraid that Chinese animation and comics will not be well-received in Japan. Japanese children still prefer Japanese things,” said Fujita Noji of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Hey, don't look down on the aesthetic standards of your country's children! Since it's an exchange, it can't be a one-sided exchange."

The entire morning's exchange was just a back-and-forth, with everyone dodging the question but never getting to the core issues.

After the meeting ended, Xia Yan called Liu Yimin into his office and said, "The Japanese want us to lift the restrictions on animation!"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Another interesting thing is that many domestic pirate manufacturers are printing Japanese comics, and judging from their attitude, they're basically washing their hands of it, even to the point of letting it go unchecked," Liu Yimin said.

"how do you know?"

"Oh dear, even the 'King of Fairy Tales' magazine has been pirated. When Comrade Zheng Yuanjie was investigating the piracy, he saw a lot of Japanese comics being printed," Liu Yimin said.

"Piracy, piracy control is a big problem, how's his investigation going?"

"The investigation is not going smoothly and is quite dangerous. Combating piracy is a top-down process; it can't be done by individuals alone," Liu Yimin said.

Xia Yan nodded in agreement and then asked Liu Yimin what he thought of these people.

"They won't agree, but we'll discuss with them about getting our animation and comics into Japan," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Liu Yimin's idea was similar to Xia Yan's: just play it safe. After all, it wasn't a formal negotiation, just an exchange between industry professionals. It was already quite good that the Ministry of Culture could spare some time to meet with them.

Next, let people from the arts and culture circles talk to them. No matter how happy they are in the conversation, they can't make a decision.

"Mr. Shen, let me make this clear first, I'm not going to talk to them anymore. I don't have time to waste my breath on them," Liu Yimin said.

"Fine, I'll tell them not to schedule you for anything else."

Liu Yimin didn't go to the Film Bureau that afternoon. In the evening, Xiao Meihezi came to find him by herself. Liu Yimin asked curiously, "How did you know my home address?"

"Mr. Liu, my mouth is below my nose. What? You're not letting your old friend in?"

Liu Yimin reluctantly stepped aside, allowing Xiao Mei Hezi to enter the courtyard.

"What a beautiful yard, Mr. Liu. Are these your daughter and son?"

"Liu Yu, Liu Lin, come and call your sister," Liu Yimin said.

After Liu Yu and the other girl called her "sister," they noticed that Xiao Meihezi's voice sounded strange, so they asked her why. Xiao Meihezi replied, "Because I am Japanese."

"Ah! Japanese devils!" Xiaoyu was so frightened that she quickly took a few steps back.

Liu Lin stood in front of Liu Yu with his arms outstretched, trying to protect her.

Xiao Meihezi looked at Liu Yimin awkwardly. Liu Yimin walked over and rubbed Liu Yu's head, saying, "This sister is not a bad person, she is a good Japanese."

Nevertheless, Liu Yu and Liu Lin went off to play somewhere else.

Liu Yu asked Liu Lin in a low voice, "Brother, are there any good Japanese soldiers left?" "Maybe they're good Japanese soldiers!"

After getting off work, Zhu Lin saw Xiao Mei He Zi, kicked Liu Yimin's chair, and asked him to introduce her.

“This is my wife, and this is Xiao Meihezi, a Japanese exchange student at Yenching University back then,” Liu Yimin quickly said.

"Hello," Zhu Lin said, extending her hand.

Xiao Meihezi looked Zhu Lin up and down: "Hello, please take care of me. I've seen your movie poster, and you're even more beautiful than in the movie 'Fearless'."

"Thank you, you're very beautiful too," Zhu Lin said generously.

That evening, Xiao Meihezi ate at the courtyard house. Having not had authentic Chinese food in a long time, she kept shoveling food into her mouth. After dinner, she again told Liu Yimin about the popularity of his novels in Japan and the number of viewers for the film *Huo Yuanjia*.

"The movie 'Huo Yuanjia' is very exciting, but many people don't like the later parts," said Xiao Meihezi.

Liu Yimin said, "We should face history squarely. Not only 'Huo Yuanjia,' but I think movies like 'The Battle of Taierzhuang' should also be shown more often in Japan."

“I’ve watched ‘Fearless’ several times. Li Jun is so handsome, comparable to Ken Takakura,” said Xiao Meihezi with a smile. When mentioning “The Battle of Taierzhuang,” Japanese media had only reported on the film, but it never had the opportunity to be released.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Liu Yimin saw Xiao Meihezi off. Zhu Lin looked at Xiao Meihezi's departing figure and asked, "How many years has she been in China? She's quite fluent in Chinese."

"Four years, I guess? I forgot when I met these foreigners."

Zhu Lin didn't say anything more, and pulled Liu Yimin back into the courtyard: "Mom and Dad, they'll be here in two days. Remember to pick them up, don't forget."

"Don't worry, would I forget my parents after I get married?"

Zhu Lin smiled and went to bathe and wash Liu Yu and Liu Lin's faces, while Liu Yimin clumsily helped out from the side.

Liu Yimin thought he would never see Osamu Tezuka and the others again, but to his surprise, they appeared at the entrance of the courtyard the next evening.

Osamu Tezuka said, "Liu-kun, we heard the food here is delicious. We were attracted by the aroma. You don't think we're bothering us, do you?"

After saying that, Osamu Tezuka bowed and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"We're sorry to have troubled you!" Fujita Noji and others from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also bowed.

Liu Yimin thought to himself, "You've come even if you're not going to cause trouble. You really haven't forgotten the old Japanese tradition of bowing."

"Come in, what would you like to eat? I can have someone make it for you."

“It’s already too much trouble, just order whatever you like,” Fujita Noji said.

After entering, seeing that Osamu Tezuka and the others were quite interested in the courtyard house, Liu Yimin gave them a tour. They noticed that there was an apple tree planted in Liu Yimin's backyard, and Osamu Tezuka even took a picture standing in front of the apple tree.

“Mr. Liu, when you come to Japan one day, I will definitely treat you well. I think the Japanese literary world will be very happy,” Osamu Tezuka said with a smile.

Fujita Noji picked up a shovel and loosened the soil at the base of the apple tree, then posed for a photo.

Liu Yimin kept wondering to himself what these people were up to this time.

After the tour, Osamu Tezuka saw the tea set set up by Liu Yimin and told Liu Yimin that he also liked to drink tea.

Liu Yimin set out the tea set, took out tea leaves, and prepared to brew them a cup of tea: "What you've learned about tea ceremony is just the tip of the iceberg."

“Mr. Liu, I don’t think so. I think our tea ceremony is more elegant,” Fujita Noji said.

Liu Yimin said, “The function of tea is tea, and in China, tea is more of a practical function. After you learned it, you turned tea into a ritual, and even endowed it with religious and aristocratic spirit. Of course, we can’t blame you. You studied it carefully and brought it back from overseas. It is quite precious, so you have to worship it properly.”

Osamu Tezuka listened quietly to Liu Yimin's explanation of tea culture, not noticing the sarcasm in it. Noji Fujita, however, did hear it, but maintained a cheerful and humble demeanor.

“I have a great fascination with Chinese culture,” said Fujita Noji.

"It's okay to yearn for something, it's okay to learn from it, but you can't steal or rob."

Fujita Noji continued, "Mr. Liu, we admire you very much. Your literary works have many readers in Japan. In order to promote Chinese culture and advance cultural exchanges between the two countries, we would like to cooperate with your research institute."

"Cooperation?" Liu Yimin looked at Fujita Noji with great interest, wondering what this guy was up to.

“We would like to establish close cooperation with the Institute of Literature and Art, or rather, with you personally. We have heard that the Institute of Literature and Art has a teacher training program, and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs can fund their participation in exchange activities in Japan,” Fujita Noji continued, seeing Liu Yimin’s interest.

"Exchange? Should I write down some of my fond memories of Japan?"

"Hmm? We believe they must all be wonderful memories. If you, Liu Jun, want to write about them, we would be very happy to do so. If we collaborate, we will also vigorously promote your works and films. Everything is for the sake of exchange. We believe our cultures have many similarities, which will benefit both of us."

Fujita Noji's face was practically beaming with joy, and he nodded in a Japanese style as he spoke.

"Oh? Promotion? Are there any other benefits?" Liu Yimin continued to ask.

"What does Mr. Liu want?" Fujita Noji asked.

"Hey, what do you mean by 'what do I want'? It's 'exchange,' exchange."

"Yes, exchange, exchange. If your work is published in Japan in the future, we will offer you the best treatment. In addition, we also have special commissioning projects. We are willing to pay generous sums for high-quality works, including novels, essays, and screenplays."

"that's it?"

"Hmm? Mr. Liu, is this not enough?" Fujita Noji felt that Liu Yimin was a bit greedy, but still said, "Liu, we also need to see your sincerity."

"My sincerity? Isn't the publication of my work in Japan a sign of sincerity? In the future, my animated works can also be published in Japan," Liu Yimin said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Fujita Noji quickly said, "No, no, Liu, you misunderstood. We also hope that the Institute of Literature can promote cultural exchanges between China and Japan, such as supporting the entry of Japanese films, animations and literary works into China. This would be entirely beneficial to you."

"Not bad, you even know that everything is beneficial without any harm. But you also know that we are the Institute of Literature under Yenching University, and besides, I am the deputy director. My words don't carry any weight!"

"Liu Jun, stop beating around the bush. I know what your research is about. You are a Chinese think tank that provides policy recommendations to government agencies, especially cultural and educational departments."

(End of this chapter)