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

Chapter 592 The Confusion of the Commercialization Era
The next morning, before the morning mist had dissipated over the Qinhuai River, bicycles creaked and rattled as they rolled over the stone arch bridge beside it. The sound of bicycle chains rattling was quite pleasant to the ear.

After Liu Yimin led everyone to pack their luggage, they went to have breakfast around the Confucius Temple area. Just after they finished eating, people from the Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles arrived.

"Comrades, let's go!" Li Jin stepped off the vehicle with great enthusiasm.

Li Ao laughed and said, "Can we also call each other 'comrades'?"

Li Jin said with a smile, "We are all students of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, so of course we can call each other comrades."

"Haha, what a pity, I'm the one who criticizes the KMT the most. But we comrades do yearn for national reunification!" Li Ao said.

Sanmao looked at the Qinhuai River and said, "Yes, we are all comrades who yearn for unification!"

Liu Yimin urged everyone to get on the bus quickly. The Confucius Temple is not far from the Memorial Hall of the Victims, but there are many bicycles on the way to work, so it took them about twenty minutes to get there.

The staff at the Memorial Hall for the Victims received news last night that a delegation from both sides of the Taiwan Strait was coming to visit, and they have been waiting at the entrance for quite some time now.

Entering through the entrance, the number 300,000 victims was prominently displayed on the memorial wall. People stood in a row in the memorial square; after Li Jin read the eulogy, the delegation presented flower baskets to the victims.

“I bow to the victims, I bow once!” Li Jin said loudly as he walked back into the crowd.

"Two bows!"

"Three bows!"

"Please come this way, everyone. This is the information area. The original site of the Memorial Hall for the Victims was a mass grave. The exhibition hall displays the remains of the compatriots who were excavated when the hall was built," the curator of the memorial hall explained to everyone.

Chi Pang-yuan lagged behind the crowd, seemingly lost in thought.

Chen Yingzhen asked very detailed questions about the materials in the museum, as if she wanted to record everything that had happened there.

The current completed project is the first phase. The memorial hall for the victims underwent two expansions before reaching its current scale.

After visiting the memorial hall, Li Ao said, "There should really be a statue of a Japanese emperor in front of it, so that he can kneel down day and night to atone for his sins."

As Liu Yimin got into the car, he took one last look at the memorial hall.

Li Jin said to the delegation members, "I hope you can come to the mainland often in the future, and visit Nanjing often. In a few years, I believe the mainland will be different again."

"I'll definitely come home more often in the future," Chen Yingzhen said confidently.

Qi Bangyuan suddenly sighed and looked at Liu Yimin: "Yimin, you are right. My perspective on the War of Resistance Against Japan was too elitist. I was able to escape from Nanjing back then, but so many people couldn't escape."

“Sister Qi, you seem to have a lot to say about this!” Li Ao said, turning his head.

Chi Pang-yuan continued, “The more you see, the more you think. When I was young, I came from a wealthy family, and my views on the country and society were too superficial. I couldn’t understand the hardships of ordinary people, but now I understand them a little.”

Liu Yimin told Qi Bangyuan to get some rest. She hadn't slept well the day before yesterday and had cried again yesterday. She was getting old and her body couldn't take it anymore.

Li Jin recounted the brutal wars he experienced when he was a member of the New Fourth Army, especially the Southern Anhui Incident.

"Bald guy is a FD (Democratic Progressive Party)!" Li Jin couldn't help but curse.

Li Ao said, "That's right, damn it, they have no real wisdom, but they're full of petty cleverness. Gangs are rampant in GMD, and nowadays there are many triads on the island. This is what they call 'if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too.'"

The flight from Nanjing to Guangzhou took off at noon. They had a quick meal outside and then headed straight to the airport.

"The airport isn't far, so there's no need to rush," Li Jin said with a smile.

Chen Yingzhen checked the time: "It will take us about twenty minutes to get to the airport, which is quite a distance."

“The island can’t be compared to the mainland. The mainland is too big. We think half an hour is a long time, but mainlanders think it’s not far if we can get there by train in half a day,” Lan Bozhou said.

At the time, Lan Bozhou asked Yan Zhen how far it was from Yanjing to Qinhuangdao. Yan Zhen said it wasn't far, and Lan Bozhou believed him. As a result, they took both a train and a bus.

“Haha, even if you take a train for a whole day, you might not even leave Xinjiang province,” Liu Yimin said.

Lan Bozhou shook his head helplessly: "That's the difference!"

On the plane, Liu Yimin asked Chen Yingzhen if she had written down the contents of the novel "God's Visa". If she had, he would send it to "People's Literature" for publication.

The island's delegation of writers has all read it, and Liu Yimin should submit his work to "People's Literature" by now, otherwise he'll miss the June issue.

Chen Yingzhen said, "Lan Bozhou and I have finished copying it. I believe the next issue of 'Renjian Magazine' will be well received by readers."

"Old Chen, when we get back, I'll get some people to subscribe to a few copies for you to boost your sales," Li Ao joked.

Chen Yingzhen said seriously, "Then it's settled. You never know, I might go and scold you in the newspaper."

"Hahaha!"

Chen Yingzhen then looked at Sanmao: "Sanmao, you're going back to the island for a while to keep quiet. During this time, don't forget to submit your work to us."

Sanmao's travelogues were very popular on the island, and Chen Yingzhen had long wanted to commission Sanmao's manuscripts.

“No problem, Editor-in-Chief Chen, as long as I have it, I’ll send it to you when the time comes.” Sanmao readily agreed.

Wang Zengqi said, "This exchange meeting is almost turning into a call for articles for the magazine 'Renjian'."

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Chen Yingzhen said helplessly, "There's nothing we can do. 'Human World Magazine' is struggling to survive, and we still need everyone's support."

"Support, definitely support!" Pai Hsien-yung smiled slightly.

Pai Hsien-yung is a descendant of Pai Chung-hsi, but he has long since distanced himself from politics. He does not have a clear political ideology, and his views on society and the people are more a reflection of his concern for the country and its people and his humanitarianism, which are influenced by traditional culture and Christian thought.

After the plane landed at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, the group boarded the car prepared by "Huacheng".

Li Shifei and the staff of the "Flower City" editorial department were dressed in neat suits. Liu Yimin joked that they were indeed people from a southern magazine, and they dressed more stylishly than editors from northern magazines.

“We often go to Shenzhen now, and everyone there dresses like this, so we just follow this Western trend. Besides, since it's you guys visiting, we usually just wear shirts.” Li Shifei finished speaking and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

In mid-May, the temperature in Guangdong Province had already reached 30 degrees Celsius. Zhu Lin had prepared a short-sleeved shirt for him in advance, which he changed into on the way here.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Li Shifei had chilled mung bean soup and other refreshing drinks prepared, fearing that something might happen to the delegation. "Our exchange meeting will be held at Sun Yat-sen University tomorrow. Some of our editors will be participating, along with several young writers. Yimin, you'll have to help them out. These writers are young, and I'm afraid I won't be able to compete with them," Li Shifei said worriedly.

"Who?"

"Su Tong and Ge Fei!"

Liu Yimin patted Li Shifei on the shoulder: "Old Li, you really have a big heart. You want to compete for a position in avant-garde literature among national magazines, but you don't have to do this. You know, avant-garde literature is not what I write."

Liu Yimin, Wang Zengqi, and others were not fond of avant-garde literature, so they couldn't very well force themselves to help them.

Li Shifei chuckled awkwardly: "Then we editors will have to step in."

"What about the university professors?"

Yes, but not many.

"Old Li, you guys can talk more about how to commercialize pure literature. This is a problem that all pure literature magazines across the country are facing right now. If you can find a way, that would be the real deal!" Liu Yimin said, giving Li Shifei a thumbs up.

Li Shifei said helplessly, "It seems that's the only way. There are big disagreements within our organization about whether or not to commercialize it."

"Lao Li, what do you think?"

“Me? I know that pure literature is important, but what’s the use of just shouting slogans about ‘pure literature’ when we can’t afford to eat? Slogans are useless. Now the country is starting to promote the corporatization of newspapers and magazines, and we are on the front line of reform, so we have to keep up with the steps of reform.”

Li Shifei is the editor-in-chief, and he's different from the other editors. Other editors can easily shout slogans about "pure literature," but he's not only responsible for the magazine's sales, but also for the daily needs of the magazine's editors.

“I understand. You shouldn’t meddle in things that aren’t in your position. If you were just an ordinary editor, you could shout things out too. But if an ordinary editor were in your position, he wouldn’t be able to shout them out.”

“Yes, that’s exactly right. I’ve been looking into Western magazines lately, and after reading them, I’m quite hesitant. 'Flower City' is so well-known throughout the country now; if it were to fall into my hands, I’d be a sinner!” Li Shifei said with distress.

Li Shifei helped Liu Yimin put away his personal belongings and then took them out to eat.

"These are all authentic Cantonese dishes. Editor-in-Chief Chen, I heard that your ancestral home is Fujian Province?"

Chen Yingzhen said, "Yes, but we arrived on the island at the end of the Qing Dynasty."

“Then you must try it. I think the dishes from Fujian and Guangdong are quite similar, with a general consistency in flavor, but each dish has its own unique texture. Everyone should drink this soup; we southerners love soup,” Li Shifei said, pointing to the coconut chicken soup and the red date black chicken soup.

Chen Yingzhen took a bite and said, "It's very fragrant. Thank you for your hospitality, Editor-in-Chief Li. Our two magazines can exchange ideas in the future. Our 'Renjian Magazine' hasn't gone very far in its exploration of commercialization, but we do have a lot of experience to share."

“Okay, Editor-in-Chief Chen, I’ll visit your magazine’s social circle when I have the chance,” Li Shifei said happily.

At this time, in Cannes, France, director Franck was exhibiting "Green Book". Franck and his team had been running around like crazy lately, and the shareholders who invested in "Green Book" were all waiting for good news from him.

Currently, "Green Book" is performing exceptionally well among the films participating in the festival. It has gone through three rounds of selection and is only one final round away from being chosen.

At Sun Yat-sen University, Liu Yimin met Su Tong and Ge Fei for the first time. Since they were from Jiangsu Province, they naturally had a good relationship with Southern Magazine, and Flower City Magazine was the main platform for their novels to be published.

Upon seeing Liu Yimin, Su Tong said happily, "Professor Liu, hello! It's such a pleasure to be able to communicate with you in person."

"You ever met me?"

“I graduated from Beijing Normal University. Back then, many of us students from Beijing Normal University went to Yenching University. At first, we went to listen to your lectures, and later we went to listen to your classes. Do you remember that time when Yenching University was surrounded by students from Xijiao University? I was there at that time.”

Su Tong remembered Liu Yimin, and Liu Yimin patted the two of them on the shoulder to encourage them.

At the exchange meeting, editors from the editorial department of "Flower City" magazine, Su Tong, Ge Fei, and professors from Sun Yat-sen University and the Chinese Department of Jinan University sat opposite the writers on the island.

The table was arranged in a triangle, with Liu Yimin, Wang Zengqi, and others sitting on the other side.

Qin Mu, the head of the Chinese Department of Jinan University, who had gone to Singapore with him last time, was also among them. When he saw Liu Yimin, Qin Mu nodded to him.

After the opening remarks, Li Shifei began to discuss the problem of Huacheng magazine's financial difficulties: "Commercialization is not the key. The key is how to maintain our pure literary stance in the process of commercialization."

Of course, as soon as Li Shifei finished speaking, some people opposed commercialization.

Chen Yingzhen cited several examples of commercialization and expressed his views: "The advertising department and the editorial department operate separately, adopting a separation of editing and operation to minimize the impact of advertising on content editing."

"Slogans are easy to say, but once a magazine becomes reliant on advertising, what happens when advertisers demand to publish false ads or write articles that praise it? Should we publish them or not? If we don't publish them, we won't get paid; if we do publish them, is it still pure literature?" said an editor from the editorial department of "Huacheng".

Lan Bozhou said, "Then we need to set the rules from the beginning, and not break them for anyone. As long as the magazine is well-run, we won't have to worry about advertisers."

"Now everyone says that pure literature is on its last legs. It is foreseeable that there will be fewer and fewer readers in the future. It is only a declining art form. How can it be done well?"

Hearing this, everyone fell silent. Around 80, it was normal for magazine sales to increase by hundreds of thousands of copies per issue. Now, that's not the case. Without great articles, it's considered a blessing if sales don't decline.

Liu Yimin said, "This is not just a problem for Flower City magazine, but a problem for all Chinese magazines and newspapers. However, we can also see that some magazines are still able to make a profit and loss."

“Professor Liu, your ‘King of Fairy Tales’ magazine only has two authors, of course it makes money.” The editor of “Huacheng” shook his head.

Liu Yimin laughed and said, "As far as I know, there are some magazines that can make money."

Li Shifei said, "That's true, but those magazines are mostly martial arts novels, and those sell well. There are also some that have just been established, with few staff and low costs."

Li Ao analyzed everything from cost control to advertising and content production, urging the magazine "Huacheng" to work together both internally and externally.

Liu Yimin suggested that they boldly carry out reforms; even blisters on one's feet can be worn away, which is better than stagnant water.

The discussion of commercialization in "Huacheng" magazine is not really about finding a practical solution, but more importantly, about convincing superiors and internal staff and building confidence in the entire editorial team.

If problems arise, it will be seen as a failure of the entire magazine industry's commercialization efforts, not a failure of the editorial department or the reformers.

Seeing that opinions were gradually converging, Li Shifei announced that "Huacheng" magazine would officially begin its commercialization exploration, paving a way for the Chinese magazine industry in the tide of reform and opening up.

"Comrades, if blisters form, we can just pop them. Just like the Long March, we kept going even after the blisters were popped."

Wang Zengqi shook his head and said, "I'm afraid of being held hostage by commercial interests!"

"Old Wang, if 'Flower City' is overly bound by commercial interests, only destruction awaits it. This should serve as a warning to future generations!"

(End of this chapter)