Back to 80: My Literary Life

Fang Minghua initially thought that Zeng Huiyan was just a gossip entertainment reporter, but later he found out that she was quite famous in Hong Kong.

She had won three awards, including "Best Journalist in Hong Kong", "Best Feature Writer", and "Best General News Writing", and was elected "Top Ten Outstanding Young People in Hong Kong" and "Top Ten Outstanding Young People in the World"!

"Ms. Zeng, yes, but wait until I sign my name." Fang Minghua said, and then ignored her and took the official document handed over by a young man with a smile.

Zeng Huiyan didn't say anything, but stood aside and waited quietly.

Fang Minghua signed the book for the last reader, and then said to Zeng Huiyan: "Ms. Zeng, what do you want to know?"

Fang Minghua thought he would ask about the "gossip" reported on TV news last night that Guo Aiming came to buy a book for him to sign and take a photo with him. Unexpectedly, the other party did not ask this, but asked:

"Mr. Minghua, I saw the news in the mainland, and you are planning an award called the World Chinese Literature Award recently?"

Ouch

It turned out to be this question!

Fang Minghua immediately became interested.

I came to Hong Kong and planned to find an opportunity to be interviewed by reporters to publicize this matter, but I didn't expect someone to ask this question.

"Yes, Ms. Zeng, since you pay attention to this news, you must also understand the purpose and significance of this literary award, which is to promote the exchange of Chinese literature and Chinese writing across the Taiwan Strait, Hong Kong, and even the world."

Fang Minghua was about to introduce the literary award in a long speech, but was interrupted by Zeng Huiyan.

"Mr. Minghua, do you think you can succeed?"

"Why not?!"

"The Lu Xun Literary Award in the mainland was established in 1986, but it is still waiting to be announced. When it will be truly launched is a long way off. Do you think you can succeed?!"

Zeng Huiyan's tone was aggressive.

Fang Minghua glanced at her and said calmly:

"I don't know why the Lu Prize has not been launched yet, but I think it will definitely be launched in the future, and the Chinese Literature Prize is now in intensive preparation, and will soon issue a call for submissions to the world. Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner as planned."

"Do you think this means the success of a literary award? How do you ensure the fairness and justice of the award and make the works convincing?" Zeng Huiyan continued in this tone.

"The judges include heavyweight writers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait, such as Wang Meng, Yu Guangzhong, and Liu Yichang. Do you think the works they selected are not good enough?!" Fang Minghua asked back.

"But you haven't answered my first question yet, how to ensure the fairness of the award?"

"Open and transparent! Of course, no matter how good the mechanism is, it cannot guarantee absolute fairness, just like the Mao Dun Literature Prize and even the Nobel Prize in Literature are often criticized and questioned, but no one has ever said that canceling the Chinese Literature Prize will achieve this."

Seeing Fang Minghua talking freely, Zeng Huiyan suddenly changed her angle and continued to ask: "Why do you want to set up this Chinese Literature Award? Is it to show off?!"

"The UK has the Booker Prize, which is considered the highest award in the contemporary English literature world, so why can't the contemporary Chinese literature world have its own award?! If setting up a literary award is to show off, then Mr. Zhuang Zhongwen set up the Zhuang Zhongwen Literature Award, is it also to show off?!"

Zeng Huiyan was stunned by the question.

She found that this mainlander was not easy to deal with.

Liu Jiawei, who was standing next to her, couldn't help laughing.

Zeng Huiyan is recognized as a difficult reporter in Hong Kong. The questions she asks are tricky and weird. The interviewees are often asked questions that either make them speechless or say things that are full of loopholes. It is a headache to accept her interview.

Especially some celebrities visiting from the mainland, because they have no experience in dealing with reporters, they must answer all questions and dare not avoid her questions, and as a result, they are often "buried alive" by this woman.

However, Fang Minghua seems to be completely unimpressed by her. She speaks when she should and scolds when she should, without giving the other party face.

The interview time was not long, only about ten minutes, and both parties said goodbye very politely.

After Zeng Huiyan left, Liu Jiawei smiled and said: "Mr. Minghua, Miss Zeng didn't get any advantage from you today."

"I don't think so. This Miss Zeng is really not a good person." Fang Minghua said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Sure enough, the next day, the famous "Hong Kong Daily" published a report on Zeng Huiyan's interview with Fang Minghua.

The content was basically the content of yesterday's interview, but the title of the article was very shocking:

Mainland writer Minghua boasted to surpass Mr. Zhuang and establish a world-class Chinese literature award! "

Damn it!

You bitch, if you don't do these eye-catching things, will you die?!

Aren't you trying to make Mr. Zhuang and I hate you?!

Fang Minghua has been in Hong Kong for only a few days, but she has been on the news twice. The first time was with this year's Miss Hong Kong Guo Aiming, and this time she was interviewed by the famous reporter Zeng Huiyan. She has become a celebrity in Hong Kong all of a sudden.

After the two-day book signing event, according to the schedule in Hong Kong, it was to attend a lecture held by the Hong Kong Writers Association. The person who was responsible for contacting Fang Minghua was someone he knew - Shen Xiwen.

Shen Xicheng is in his forties this year. He has a mustache and wears a floral short-sleeved shirt. He has the demeanor of a scholar, but also reveals a kind of temperament of a gangster.

Yes, he is a member of the Hong Kong Writers Association and a director of the Hong Kong Writers Association. He is involved in both serious and popular literature, and has a good relationship with both gangs. He can't play without some skills.

Today, he came to pick up Fang Minghua to go to the lecture.

The two of them were familiar with each other because of the wine they had two nights ago, and they talked more casually. In the car, Shen Xicheng took the initiative to talk about Fang Minghua's two appearances in the news.

"Brother Fang, you are great. Miss Hong Kong is a fan of you and took the initiative to ask you for an autograph. Then Zeng Huiyan interviewed you. You are more popular than Stephen Chow now."

"Brother Shen, please stop laughing at me." Fang Minghua was a little helpless: "Miss Zeng's interview, isn't it obvious that it makes me and Mr. Zhuang feel uncomfortable? To be honest, I don't mean that."

"Haha. Reporters, they don't stop until they say something shocking. Don't pay attention to it." Shen Xicheng smiled and said, "You don't have to think too much about this matter. Our Chairman Liu has a good relationship with Mr. Zhuang. You can talk to Chairman Liu today, and he will help you eliminate unnecessary misunderstandings."

"That's a good relationship." Fang Minghua was overjoyed.

The Chairman Liu mentioned by Shen Xicheng is Liu Yichang. People in the mainland may not know much about him, but he is very famous in Hong Kong.

In Hong Kong, a city known as a "cultural desert where popular literature prevails", Liu Yichang is famous for his serious literature. Moreover, he started to engage in avant-garde literature and play stream-of-consciousness novels in the 1960s! "Opposition" and "Drunkard" are his representative stream-of-consciousness novels.

As a result, they were brought to the big screen by Hong Kong's King of Sunglasses, namely "In the Mood for Love" and "2046".

"Those vanished years seem to be separated by a piece of dusty glass, visible but not grasped. Everything seen is also vague."

This classic monologue in "In the Mood for Love" comes from his original book.

It is a very happy thing to see this old man again.

After driving for a while, the car finally stopped at the door of a restaurant in Causeway Bay.

Fang Minghua joked with some surprise:

"Brother Shen, is it true? You come to drink before you start your business?"

"Not drinking, but a lecture, a lecture here."

Fuck! The lecture is actually here?!