Back to 80: My Literary Life

sleep.

Fang Minghua stopped thinking about it and fell asleep in a daze.

Fang Minghua booked a flight at four in the afternoon. When she woke up, she put on clothes and prepared to go back to San Francisco. Liu Xiaoli drove her to the airport.

It was almost seven o'clock in the afternoon when she returned home to San Francisco. Li Li and her daughter were having dinner together when they saw Fang Minghua come in and hurriedly greeted him.

Upon hearing that he hadn't eaten yet, the nanny immediately brought the dishes and chopsticks.

"How was your birthday?" Li Li asked while eating.

Fang Minghua didn't hide anything and simply explained the whole process.

"Ah, there was such a formation? So many people were invited?" Li Li was a little surprised.

"How about we hold a birthday party like this for Xinxin?" Fang Minghua glanced at his daughter who was eating seriously with a small bowl and said.

But Li Li shook her head: "I don't think it's necessary. It's fine as long as my family can live well. Sissi wants to take the road of stardom. Her mother hopes to get to know more people in the entertainment industry. Xinxin doesn't want to be a movie star."

"Then what does Xinxin do?"

"I told you a long time ago that I am a family just like you."

this.

It doesn't matter if you are a writer or not, just don't be like Jia Ge's daughter.

It was September, and her daughter was going to kindergarten again. Fang Minghua took the initiative to assume the role of daddy. Li Li had been very busy, leaving early and coming back late. She didn't know what she was busy with.

That night, Li Li came back late. Before Fang Minghua asked what was going on, she asked Fang Minghua with a smile: "I'll tell you good news. Our school will hold a Chinese Culture Day next week. Will you participate?"

"Chinese Culture Day?"

"Yes, this is part of the "2000 International Education and Culture Week" organized by the International Education Department of our school. It is also the first time that Chinese culture has been included in the activity. "Li Li explained.

"More than ten performances including ethnic singing, dancing, musical instrument playing, kung fu, and Tai Chi will be held on site to comprehensively integrate our traditional Chinese culture and attract guests from all walks of life and school teachers and students to watch."

"Oh, there are so many people in your school who understand Chinese traditional culture?" Fang Minghua was surprised.

"Of course not. The performers on the show come from different institutions in the Bay Area, including Chinatown Martial Arts School, American Academy of Arts Dance Company, Lowell High School, Hayward High School, Qingcheng Tai Chi North American Team, Guzheng Classroom, etc."

"Is this your credit? I see you've been busy lately." Fang Minghua said.

"It can't be entirely me. Several professors, including Mr. and Mrs. Gallo, participated, as well as the support of the Chinese community in San Francisco." Li Li said, but she couldn't hide her inner pride.

"Of course I support what you strive for, but I don't seem to know anything, right? Singing, dancing, Tai Chi. Fang Minghua spread his hands, feeling a little regretful:

"It would be great if Tangtang was here. She would perform a solo dance to "Ode to Red Plum Blossoms" and it would definitely shock everyone!"

"Who said you can't do anything? You can write. Your calligraphy is very good." Li Li reminded.

Oops

Forget this.

I don’t dare to make any mistakes in my calligraphy in China, mainly because there are too many masters in China, but when I came to the United States, I didn’t dare to do it wrong.

It's absolutely okay to show off in front of foreigners.

"Okay, I'll go and show off our country's profound calligraphy art!" Fang Minghua decided immediately.

"Okay, the time will be next Tuesday. Then you can go with me."

In the past few days, Fang Minghua has been practicing calligraphy crazily at home. If he wants to write, he must write the best. He must not embarrass the country.

September 10th, which is China’s Teachers’ Day, was held in the concert hall of San Francisco State University. After sending off his children in the morning, Fang Minghua put on new clothes and took Li Li’s car to the state university.

To be honest, Li Li has been working here for more than ten years and Fang Minghua has never come in.

Although this university is not as famous as Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley, in the same city, it is also a century-old school.

The campus has beautiful scenery, including a golf course and a beautiful lake. After parking the car, Li Li and I walked towards the concert hall. Many students and teachers greeted Li Li on the way. Of course, we were also curious about the big sunglasses she was wearing next to her. A man who covers half his face.

No way, just keep a low profile.

The main stage of the concert hall mainly performs singing, dancing, martial arts, etc., as well as lion dancing. From the perspective of mainland Chinese, it is not very authentic, but it is quite good. After all, they are all amateurs.

Especially when he saw a blond girl wearing Tai Chi clothes and doing Chen style Tai Chi on the stage, Fang Minghua always felt a little inexplicable joy.

In addition to the performances on the main stage, overseas study projects were also promoted on site. There were booths for Chinese painting and calligraphy, rope skipping, shuttlecock kicking, etc. to entertain the people. Fang Minghua’s calligraphy fell into this category.

To his surprise, he met Professor Yu Yifang from Stanford University.

"Professor Yu, hello." Fang Minghua went up to say hello. "Are you here to participate in Chinese Culture Day today too?"

"Yes, I want to take this opportunity to tell the students about the history of Chinese workers building the Pacific Railway." Yu Yifang said with a smile: "Mr. Fang, thank you for the book you wrote, which made many people know about this history."

"This is what I should do."

The two chatted for a few words and then went about their own business.

Li Li also had her own business. The staff took Fang Minghua to a classroom next door to Yu Rongyi's lecture.

There was a desk in the middle of the classroom, with pens, ink, paper and inkstones on it. Fang Minghua touched the paper.

improvise.

I looked at the ink and brush again - these things are pretty cheap, luckily I brought them myself.

The calligraphy room is not big, and there are not many students in it - far less than the number of people listening to the guzheng. Only four or five students looked at him curiously.

However, when he took off his mask, a flaxen-haired girl screamed immediately: "Minghua! You are the writer Minghua!"

Oh

A fan.

Fang Minghua smiled and insisted.

Soon, the calligraphy room, which was originally somewhat empty, was suddenly crowded. Fortunately, there were security personnel to maintain order, otherwise Fang Minghua would not be able to show his talent at all.

Laying the characters, grinding, picking up the brush.

Fang Minghua took the brush and faced the rice paper in one go.

The moonlight in front of the bed is bright, and it is suspected to be frost on the ground.

Looking up at the bright moon, looking down at my hometown.

Tang Dynasty - Li Bai.

To promote Chinese culture, is there anything better than poetry and calligraphy?

Of course, we have to start with the most simple and easy to understand.

Unfortunately, most of the students who came to watch could not understand Chinese. They just thought that Fang Minghua was holding the brush and writing strangely, and his writing posture was very handsome.

"Students, let me translate this ancient poem for you. It's called "Quiet Night Thoughts". It's the work of Li Bai, a great poet in the Tang Dynasty of my country. This is what he translated into English."

Abed, I see a silver light,

I wonder if it's frost aground.Looking up,

I find the moon bright;Bowing,

n homesickness I'm drowned

Fang Minghua translated sentence by sentence, and warm applause rang out in the calligraphy room.

"Teacher, can you give me this calligraphy?" The flaxen-haired girl suddenly asked.