Chapter 51 Addendum: I write our song and answer readers

It took a whole year to finish writing our song.For me, this year's life has been quite unusual. I am not a pure writer. In my environment, it is a luxurious thing to steal some free time to write manuscripts and climb the grid. As a wife and mother, I have no right to be sad and happy for the ups and downs of the plot of the novel. , affecting the emotions of the whole family.But to write such a long novel, and let me live a smooth and stable life, like a normal person, if I am hungry, I will eat when I am sleepy, and I will sleep, I am not capable of doing that.So this year seemed to be much longer than usual, and I was exhausted and strenuous. In addition to being disturbed and suffering from being disturbed from time to time to fulfill my duties as a housewife, I always felt oppressed by a huge pressure until the end. After a batch of manuscripts were sent out, the pain and stress disappeared, and happiness and relaxation came together.Many literati refer to writing lengthy articles as being like a woman giving birth to a child. I think this description is really penetrating and apt.Only the subtle feelings of a mother when she conceived her children with flesh and blood, love, hard work, can describe the complex emotions of suffering and happiness when an author uses patience, perseverance, blood, sweat, and thinking to create his works.

No one dares to read such a long novel, whether it is good or bad. This is by no means a lie. The editors of newspaper supplements or magazines will admit that it is true.Moreover, it is said that almost all newspapers and magazines have a group of their own supporters, foreign monks who don’t want to recite the scriptures. More than 100,000 words. Although it is not credible to listen to Tu, it is enough to discourage people, not to mention that I am not someone who has never tasted it.When I started writing our song, I was discouraged and thought: I don’t belong to any faction, and I don’t know any powerful people in the literary world. After spending so much effort writing it, who will publish it?Unexpectedly, not long after I sent the outline of the story and a small part of the first draft to the deputy editorial department, I received a letter from Mr. Xia Tiejian, saying: Such a novel is exactly what we need, please write it as soon as possible Finished, let the deputy to publish it.

With such encouragement, I became more energetic in writing. After finishing the first part (about one-third of the book) and sending it to the Deputy Central Committee, Mr. Xia immediately decided to serialize it. From April 2 last year, to As of April this year, for more than a year, our songs meet readers every day in China. People abroad often say a word: where there are Chinese, there is Central Daily. This is not an exaggeration at all. Among the Chinese people we know directly or indirectly, there are very few people who do not read the Central Daily News.Because the JoongAng Ilbo has a wide distribution, our song readers naturally have many.To my comfort and honor, my suffering was not in vain, and this novel has aroused extremely strong reactions among the broad readership.For a writer, there is nothing happier than being accepted and resonated by readers.

An overseas student here told me that a couple of his friends living in the United States, because they watched our songs every day, could not help but have infinite reverie about Europe, thinking that it is more poetic and emotional than the United States, especially the place where the story takes place Munich made them yearn even more, and they felt that they had to be there to experience it.So they really came to Europe by plane. Instead of going to London or Paris, they went to Munich as soon as they came. After leaving the old university buildings, and then wandering on Ludi Weixi Street, then went to the British Park, walked through the green prairie, watched the slow flow of the Isar River, and the big swans and wild ducks in the small lake Finally, I went to the Chinese Pagoda and listened to the wind chimes. Another friend said: His relatives who lived in South America admired the spirit of Chen Jiahe and traveled all the way to Europe. But I went around the old town of Zurich in order to find an Asian handicraft agency.

In addition to hearing several touching stories like this, I also received letters from many enthusiastic readers, some asking about the development of the plot, and some asking about the results.Some contribute their valuable opinions, while others just send simple wishes. To my great shame, I have hardly answered any of the letters from those readers who love me.But I want to explain that not replying to the letter does not mean that I do not value readers. On the contrary, I thank readers for their care, value their opinions and feelings, and get the warmth of resonance from them.I didn’t answer, because I was too busy with very simple practical questions, and most of my busy work was with trivial matters that had little to do with culture. I didn’t have much time to write articles on weekdays. As for the situation of going to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, as for other letters, even if you want to answer them one by one, you still feel powerless.

What I can take comfort in is that every letter from readers has been carefully read over and over again, and every question and opinion from readers has been carefully considered. Some readers asked me: What is your motivation for writing such a novel?Who asked you to write it?Or: Are you a nationalist?Why do most of the characters in your book have a strong sense of nationalism? , since the title is our song, why are there not many mentions of the song in the second half?Some people also asked: He Shaoxiang and Yu Zhiyun, the male and female protagonists in the book, have flaws in character and concept, and they are not enough to be perfect models. Why are they created in this way?Especially for an outstanding scholar like He Shaoxiang, it would be a pity that he would have such a big flaw in his personality!A reader wondered: Will certain plots in the book expose the superiority of Westerners too much?And the vast majority of readers are concerned about the ending of the whole book, especially for Jiang Xiaofeng, who have poured incomparable sympathy, saying that they are simply fascinated by him, and ask me to arrange a happy ending for him, and don't let his fate so miserable.What moved me the most was that some readers thought that I had said for them what they wanted to say but could not.

In short, readers have given different reactions from different angles, and no matter what kind of reaction they gave me, I was very happy and willing to answer them. I never deny that I am a nationalist, and I think being a nationalist is not a bad thing.The great harmony of the world and the universal family are naturally the highest and most beautiful realm we have always pursued.However, as of today, it seems that we have not reached that step. The trend of facts proves that it is not enough for us to be in harmony with others. To be in harmony with others, we must first have enough conditions. Here I borrow a famous saying: first There is nationalism, and then there is cosmopolitanism. If a nation wants to be respected by other nations, it must not only be strong and perfect, but also maintain its character and characteristics, and must be truly itself.If we want to keep up with the trend of the world, we don't have to abandon ourselves. We should absorb the advantages of the West, but we must not ignore the good and the bad, and imitate the East indiscriminately.If a nation does not even insist on its own culture and identity, what is the basis for its survival?If others respect us, it must be because of our self-esteem, self-improvement, and self-confidence, and we are the real Chinese nation with a splendid culture, not because we blindly worship others, are good at imitating, always running behind others, and forget our own origin. road.

This is what I think, and so are the positive characters created by my pen. However, I want to say that the color of nationalism in our songs comes from the deep-rooted love of Chinese people for their own people, not because of their love for other peoples. Hate, what they have to do is to strengthen themselves, not to destroy others.As for my motivation for writing this book, it can be said to be very simple. I was neither asked to write it by anyone, nor did I write it for any practical purpose. The only reason was that I wanted to write it.The motivation to write a novel with content like our song has been in my mind for a long time.

Many famous writers believe that literary and artistic creation should be art for art's sake, and only need to express the author's personal feelings and feelings, mysterious writing skills and innovations in structural forms, without social responsibility.However, I think that under today's situation, as a Chinese with a pen holder, if he can still hide in the Palace of Literature and Talents with peace of mind, sing the wind and enjoy the moon, and weave his own dreams, this person's self-cultivation must be It has reached the stage of becoming a fairy or a Buddha, which is not something an ordinary flesh and blood can do.Literature reflects the era, what kind of literary works are produced in what era, although my works cannot be called literature, but a book with more than 500,000 words and as thick as a brick, if it is not to express something, it is only for art In terms of art, I don't want to spend so much effort and pen and ink.

People who write articles are often hailed as engineers of human souls. When they pick up a pen and write in black and white, they enter the eyes of thousands of people, and their thoughts and words become the eyes of thousands of people. Thoughts and words, how can such a public figure ignore the accidents happening around him, how can he not worry about the worries of the people, but only art for the sake of art? I have been abroad for nearly 20 years, and now I am a European Chinese. Switzerland is a peaceful and pure land, and it is not bad to live there. As a Chinese, a certificate of nationality cannot change my heart, let alone reduce my concern for the motherland.Over the years, I have traveled to many places and met different kinds of Chinese people. Because I have seen more, I have more feelings, and I have expressed my feelings in pen and ink, which has become our song and this novel.

Many readers ask me: Are the characters and content in our songs real?Is it my own story?I want to say that a completely fictional novel must not arouse readers' sense of reality, and it is even more difficult to obtain resonance.However, if it is entirely a record of real people and events, it will lack suspenseful atmosphere and drama, which will reduce the beauty of the novel and make it difficult to arouse readers' interest.The composition of novels is always true and false, there is truth and illusion.Those lovely readers who went to the Chinese Pagoda to listen to the wind chimes, but did not hear the sound, must agree with me! I like reasonable plots, I also like to observe accidents happening around me, and I like to tell the truth in my heart, so I can frankly say that our songs are very realistic, and some of the characters are also quite authentic. Paul Tang, who committed suicide after abandoning his wife and children while staying in the country, failed the exam, saw Jiangdong's elders without a face, and Xie Jinchang, who lived abroad for half his life, are all real people.Precisely because I want to give full play to the high degree of authenticity and describe the characters in depth in the novel of our song, neither He Shaoxiang nor Yu Zhiyun have perfect characters for the hero and heroine. Perfect example. I don’t think that good people are all born perfect and perfect models. People are not sages. Mistakes, deviations, and contradictions are inevitable. After lessons, they can be enlightened and corrected, and they are superior in personality. People are not afraid of mistakes. The worst is knowing the mistakes and not correcting them, or being stupid and cunning, lacking conscience, and not knowing the mistakes at all. As for why the title is called our song, but the part of the song doesn't appear much?I don't think I need to explain this much. Smart readers will understand that our songs are not about songs. Songs should be just a symbol here, a symbol of the spirit of our nation.We want to sing our songs in unison, which means that we should work hand in hand to move towards a big goal. This goal is to let the Chinese people find their original appearance, be proud of their own culture and tradition, and be confident, self-improving, and self-love. If our songs expose the superiority of Westerners, I admit it.If it is said that the exposure is too much, it will not be admitted.I just wrote it very truthfully. In the past many years abroad, I have made some good foreign friends. We have a heart-to-heart relationship and trust each other. They never show any sense of superiority in front of me.But my friends are only a very small number of Westerners, and I am only one of the Chinese.The vast majority of Westerners, especially those who are ignorant and prejudiced, always feel somewhat superior. The only reason for this superiority is because their skin is white.I think this kind of psychology is extremely cruel and unfair, so I write it out frankly without feeling excessive, uneasy, or humiliating to the Chinese.When our song was serialized to the part where He Shaoxiang and Yu Zhiyun encountered difficulties in renting a house, I received several letters from foreign readers, saying that the writing was very true, and they had encountered such troubles when renting a house. A student surnamed Chen studying in the United States wrote a letter from California, which moved me very much.He said that after going abroad, he was not very smooth emotionally and academically. He was once discouraged, but since reading our songs every day, his confidence has gradually recovered. Among them, Jiang Xiaofeng gave him a lot of inspiration and made him see a person The value of life is not only tied to personal success or failure. A young man who has received so much education and read so many books still has a lot to do and should do. People should look at the big picture, not just look at it Drill in the corner of the cow.I have received several letters like this one, and it has given me great pleasure.If my book can point out a way for the wandering youth, it will make me feel more comforted and proud than if my book is a bestseller. Some readers asked me: Is our song a love story?This is really a difficult question, say it is not a romance novel!Love plays a very important role in it, so call it a romance novel!It's really not just about love.I thought: it is such a novel, which shows love and other things.People, especially young people, are always inseparable from love.The more sincere and enthusiastic a person is, the purer and truer his love will be. Therefore, when I created Jiang Xiaofeng, a promising young man with ideals, I also endowed him with a hot and pure personality, and created Yu Zhiyun. When a girl with a bit of vanity, let her show her true feelings.However, passionate men and women may not all regard falling in love as the only important thing in life. A truly passionate person will not only love his lover.He will love all the people around him, his family, the society he is in, his country, and his nation.When I say this, I don't think there is any suspicion of selling plasters and shouting slogans.Since ancient times, people with great love have a big caring side. They are either heroes or loyal ministers and martyrs. They will not be people who just hide in a warm small environment, regard falling in love as the only purpose of life, and enjoy themselves in a romantic way. Many readers like the musician Jiang Xiaofeng and asked me to arrange a good ending for him.And the ending I arranged for him was to be swept away by the strong wind and huge waves, which would disappoint many people.I am sorry and sad about this. I originally wanted to arrange a happy ending for him, but after thinking about it again and again, it is really impossible.Just imagine how a pure and perfect soul like him, the interpretation of happiness and perfection can be the same as our mortal beings?Maybe marrying Yu Zhiyun will bring him happiness and happiness, but immortality must give him more happiness and happiness.Although his body disappeared into the invisible with the wind and waves, his spirit was not damaged at all. Not only was he not damaged, but he also shocked the hearts of so many people and led them towards a big goal.He did not fail, and he paved the open road to success, and he is immortal.Therefore, this ending may be more suitable for him. Such a long novel has been serialized for more than a year. It is an unprecedented creation in Zhongfu. I am very grateful to the editors of Zhongfu for giving me this good opportunity, and especially thanks to the executive editor Mr. Xia Tiejian for his great efforts. support.I have lived in Europe for many years, and I am quite estranged from the situation in the domestic literary world, and I have no contact with people in the literary and artistic circles. It is probably a rare thing in the writing world to make such a long novel break a record in China. He is extremely impartial and selfless, with a frank style that only recognizes text but not people. On the eve of the publication of our song, I would like to express my most sincere thanks to the readers who love me, the editors and gentlemen of the deputy editor, and the seniors in the literary world who encouraged me. Zurich, Switzerland, March 25, 1980