To the writers present, Zhou Yang was definitely a big shot, an old revolutionary, a famous writer, a literary theorist, and a literary activist.

In addition to his achievements in literature and art, he holds a higher official position: Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, member of the academic department, chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles, minister of the Propaganda Department... Vice Chairman of the Federation of Literary and Art Circles is the most inconspicuous title he has.

From the fact that he is the first to give a speech at every National Outstanding Short Story Award Ceremony, we can also see Zhou Yang's pivotal position in the Chinese literary and art circles.

He and Zhang Guangnian whispered for a while, and within two minutes, Lin Chaoyang was invited to their table.

After Lin Chaoyang left, several writers in his hometown did not find it strange. Lin Chaoyang was now well-known, and it was normal for him to be invited by the leaders of the Literary and Art Association for a chat. Even Lin Chaoyang did not take it seriously.

When he arrived at Zhang Guangnian's table, he didn't think it was anything special. The people sitting at this table were all highly respected seniors, and their attitudes were very polite. After Lin Chaoyang sat down, he chatted with everyone.

At this time, Zhou Yang opened his mouth and said: "Comrade Chaoyang, I have read the article you published in "Literary News" a few days ago. Regarding the content of the article, I think there are two issues worthy of discussion."

As soon as Zhou Yang said these words, there was a sudden silence around him.

Leaders always speak implicitly, and the words "debatable" are already criticism in themselves.

The expressions of the people around him were subtle, and Lin Chaoyang was a little surprised, but not panicked.

Because he knew that in the original time and space, the proposal of "root-seeking literature" was very popular in the 1980s and caused some controversy, but few writers who proposed this concept had much negative impact, so it made no sense for him to come up with it.

question.

Zhou Yang paused for a few seconds before speaking, and Lin Chaoyang's reaction caught his eye. Regardless of his differences in literary opinions, he greatly appreciated Lin Chaoyang's unfazed attitude.

“First, you proposed the literary concept of ‘root-seeking literature’, which on the good side is advocating the revitalization of national culture.

But the question here is what kind of culture is called national culture? I think what you are trying to express must be that we must abandon those feudal dross and retain and pursue the essence of national culture.

But what are the standards and criteria for this judgment? There is basically no mention of this kind of judgment in your article. I don’t know if this is an ambiguity or if you avoid talking about it.

Secondly, in your article, you say not to follow Western modernists and become disciples of appropriationism, but to dig deep into the roots of national culture. However, in terms of literary expression, Chinese literature in modern times has indeed been influenced by Western modernism.

The huge influence of ism.

Not only that, even our New China was influenced by Marxist-Leninist thought and was the fruit of victory in the violent revolution after the May Fourth Movement.

The ‘root-seeking tendency’ in your article seems to lead us back to the old historical path, and also ignores the revelation of life problems and contradictions in real society.”

There was no emotion in Zhou Yang's tone, and his face was very calm after saying these words, but almost everyone present understood the weight of his words.

His former question was alright, and it was still a discussion in the literary category, but the latter question was almost a clear discussion of literary issues from a political standpoint.

It is not surprising that Zhou Yang has such thoughts and questions, because he himself is one of the leaders in the domestic ideological field.

Everyone's eyes were on Lin Chaoyang at this time, and everyone understood that Zhou Yang's attitude actually represented the official attitude towards this matter to a large extent.

Zhou Yang questioned Lin Chaoyang on an occasion like today. After that, various mouthpieces would inevitably follow suit, and then there would be another turmoil.

No matter how Lin Chaoyang answered, he could not change the fact that this might happen.

But Lin Chaoyang had to answer, not only he had to answer, but he had to answer very beautifully.

Because it was he who proposed the concept of "root-seeking literature", and there were so many fellow-minded people behind him who cheered for him.

His answer was not only a response to Zhou Yang and an explanation to his colleagues, but also provided programmatic guidance to these people in future major debates with opponents.

After Zhou Yang finished speaking, Lin Chaoyang was silent for a long time, and the surroundings were so quiet that you could hear a needle drop.

"Mr. Zhou, these are two big questions. I'll try to answer the first question first."

Lin Chaoyang's face was calm and his expression was steady. The people around him couldn't help but hold their breath and look forward to his answer.

"To be honest, many traditions in China are not good. Because we all live under the teachings and disciplines of Confucius and Mencius, and we are dedicated to governing the country and educating the world. The category of art was not respected in the past.

You said that "The Roots of Literature" did not describe how to distinguish the essence from the dross in national culture and tradition. This is true.

Because in my opinion, this is a huge proposition.

It would be too arbitrary to make an assertion based on my family's words. What I hope is that our cultural, literary and even ideological circles should make this judgment together.

But since you asked now, let me tell you my point of view.

In fact, how to distinguish is very simple. Mao Zedong has taught us long ago, that is, to look at and consider problems from the standpoint of the proletariat and the people.

The King of Chu had a slim waist. This was a bad habit of the feudal rulers, which we must strip away;

Cixi loved to listen to Peking Opera, which was also a hobby of feudal rulers. However, Peking Opera is also an art form that the people love to hear and see, which proves that its birth is not exclusive to feudal rulers, so it should be preserved;

There is a folk activity in the Henan and Jin Dynasties called "Tiehua", which can be traced back to the sacrificial activities in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

It stands to reason that sacrifice is a feudal superstition, but after thousands of years of changes, the sacrifice and superstitious attributes of the 'iron flower' have long been eliminated, and it has become an ornamental folk entertainment activity, which should be preserved.

In fact, a considerable part of the traditions in our national culture are like "forging iron flowers", and their original intention may not be in line with our modern ideology.

However, through continuous changes in history, it has gradually become a culture that the people like to hear and see, so it should be preserved.

There may also be some incomplete transformations, so we should still criticize them, but we should not beat them to death with a stick."

At this point, Lin Chaoyang had finished answering Zhou Yang's first question. His eyes looked at the other person calmly, without a trace of confusion.

“The people love to hear it!”

Zhou Yang murmured to himself, accurately refining the core points of Lin Chaoyang's answer. After a moment, he nodded slightly.

"It's a little rough, but the overall idea is correct. However, if you do this, there will be a lot of problems in the future. There are always people who like to summon spirits for feudal ethics."

After hearing Zhou Yang's comments, Lin Chaoyang's expression remained normal, but everyone around him seemed to be relieved.

Lin Chaoyang smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou, this is not an issue that I have to consider, but an issue that you should consider."

Zhou Yang laughed dumbly and motioned for Lin Chaoyang to continue.

"As for the second question, it is closely related to the first question. Whether we are following the old path, I think we need to look at this issue dialectically.

Both the Forbidden City and the Old Summer Palace were built by feudal rulers using the wealth of the people. A hundred years ago, they were the exclusive territory of feudal rulers, but now they are common places for ordinary people.

Confucius could discipline ancient civilizations since the Yin and Shang Dynasties, and we can also discipline traditional culture.

The root of this matter still lies in our own insistence on our core concepts and not wavering in the influence of other people or things.

Mao Zedong said that our art should let a hundred flowers bloom. We can't let all foreign art come and let a hundred flowers bloom, while our own art has withered, right?

As for neglecting to reveal the problems and contradictions of life in real society, I think you might as well read my book "Crossing the Guandong" for a while and write more about national culture. It does not mean that we will ignore reality!"

When he first answered Zhou Yang's questions, Lin Chaoyang was still a little reserved. By the end, he had gradually relaxed and felt calm and open-minded.

Zhou Yang laughed and said, "I'm asking you a question, and I have to read one of your books. I'm afraid I'm not as good at selling melons as you are."

He did not try to make Lin Chaoyang's answer more serious first, but instead made a joke to prove that he was satisfied with the answer.

Not only Zhou Yang, but also others around him couldn't help but admire Lin Chaoyang's answer.

The sentence "Confucius can discipline ancient civilizations since the Yin and Shang Dynasties, we can also discipline traditional culture" is majestic!

Zhou Yang continued: "You said, 'Foreign art is blooming, but our own vegetation is withering.' There is some truth in it. I think this is also your original intention of writing this article, right?"

"That's right. The experience and lessons learned more than a hundred years ago tell us that it is wrong to close the country and be self-sufficient, but the chaos in the early Republic of China also tells us that it is wrong to blindly absorb foreign cultures without knowing how to distinguish them.

Only by being firm in our own goals and using and discarding with moderation can we achieve our own unique culture."

Lin Chaoyang's tone was full of determination, which made Zhou Yang feel a little moved.

Through this conversation, he also understood in his heart that Lin Chaoyang was by no means the kind of opportunistic person who wanted to buy people's hearts. Instead, he truly wanted to speak out for the construction of Chinese cultural undertakings. He was a pure scholar.

Speaking of this, Zhou Yang was mostly satisfied, but he did not express his position or say anything else.

Because at his level, every word he speaks may become a weapon, which can hurt others as well as himself.

Lin Chaoyang's answer satisfied him. At most, he would not go to trouble for "Xungen Literature", but if he praised it in person, it would be equivalent to pushing himself to the front and endorsing Lin Chaoyang and Xungen Literature.

Including Lin Chaoyang and everyone present, they also understand this truth.

Zhou Yang's attitude actually expresses the opinions of many officials to a large extent. Lin Chaoyang convinced Zhou Yang in person today, but he will still face many doubts in the future.

This is also the only way for a new literary trend to be born.

However, today's exchange with Zhou Yang was not without benefits for Lin Chaoyang.

Zhou Yang was one of the first official figures to publicly question "root-seeking literature". Lin Chaoyang's answer was spotless and wonderful, which not only gave confidence to those who supported him behind him, but also provided everyone with ideas.

What's more important is that with one punch, the posture is already established, and there is no need to worry about someone going to the line indefinitely. After all, Zhou Yang is just questioning it.

After the question and answer session, Lin Chaoyang chatted with the people at the table for a few more words, then returned to his table, accepting the looks of the judges, writers, and critics present along the way.

"Chaoyang, you did a great job!" Li Tuo ran to Lin Chaoyang's table and praised him excitedly in a low voice.

In addition to him, other people around him also looked at Lin Chaoyang with approval and admiration.

You must know that the conversation between Lin Chaoyang and Zhou Yang just now was completely different from ordinary chats or literary exchanges. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a silent exchange of swords and swords.

Faced with Zhou Yang's attack, Lin Chaoyang responded calmly and without any flaws.

To a certain extent, Zhou Yang's silence is actually affirmation and a victory for Lin Chaoyang and a victory for root-seeking literature.
Chapter completed!