In addition to letters and sample books, the package sent by Ming Pao Publishing House also contained some magazines and newspapers. These publications were collected by Dong Qiao.
It records some media feedback after the launch of "The Death of Van Gogh" and "Enter Guandong" in Hong Kong in the past year or so.
Lin Chaoyang flipped through it casually. There were at least fifteen or six publications in it, and half of them were introductions and evaluations of "Crossing Guandong".
You must know that "Crossing Guandong" has only been published for less than two months. The attention of these publications also proves the popularity of this novel in Hong Kong.
One of the brand-new magazines is the most eye-catching, and that is "Hong Kong Literature" which was just launched this month.
"Hong Kong Literature" is named after "Hong Kong", and its intention and pattern are self-evident.
A closer look at the origins of this publication will reveal that "Hong Kong Literature" was actually funded and founded by the mainland, and Hong Kong writer Liu Yichang was invited to serve as its editor-in-chief.
If it were placed in the 1970s, "Hong Kong Literature" would have been almost impossible to appear.
Because since 1967, the Xiangjiang government has imposed strict restrictions on ZY people and their activities.
The reason why "Xiangjiang Literature" appeared at this time point is naturally closely related to the "ZY Joint Statement" just released last month.
With the release of the ZY joint statement, the return of Xiangjiang to China has become an ironclad fact, and the ZY culture that has been suppressed over the years has gradually become mainstream.
Since the 1970s, the situation of literary and art periodicals in Xiangjiang has been deteriorating, and knowledgeable people in the literary world have even exclaimed: Xiangjiang’s literature is about to perish.
The literary environment in Xiangjiang is not good, and it is difficult for purely literary publications to survive. This is an old problem, and it will not change much because of the attention of the literary world.
However, the birth of "Xiangjiang Literature" undoubtedly injected a boost into the sluggish Xiangjiang literary journal industry.
This publication does not continue the traditional thinking of friends and foes as was the case with the purely literary journals in Hong Kong in the early years. Instead, it is inclusive and unites writers from all walks of life.
In the opening words of the first issue of "Hong Kong Literature", Liu Yichang first emphasized that Xiangjiang Literature is an integral part of Chinese literature.
Then he said that "Hong Kong Literature" does not represent a certain position or faction, but represents the entire Hong Kong, emphasizing that Hong Kong Literature can play a special role in bridging China and the West, and connecting Chinese literature.
Liu Yichang not only said this, but also did it.
In the first issue of "Hong Kong Literature", there are not only works by ZY writers, but also works by YY and modernist writers such as Li Kuang, Huang Ya, Li Yinghao, Yang Jiguang, etc. This is incredible for a publication funded by the mainland.
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Such a broad pattern has established the development direction and momentum of "Hong Kong Literature". As soon as the magazine was released, it received a lot of praise from the cultural circles in Hong Kong, making everyone seem to see the hope of Hong Kong Literature.
In this issue of a publication that has been highly praised by the Hong Kong literary circle, there happens to be a book review written by the Hong Kong poet Li Kuang for "Crossing the Guandong".
It is titled "Flowing Alone - Cheering for "Crossing Guandong"".
The article reads:
The publication of "Crossing Guandong" in the Mainland made the critics cheer and the press marvel. Readers rushed to buy it. For a while, "paper was expensive in Luoyang".
Amidst the overwhelming praise, I still can't help praising it.
"Crossing Guandong" was written by a mainland writer, but it is the pride of all Chinese people. Because it allows us to see more possibilities in Chinese literature, and also see the vigorous creativity and vitality rooted in national culture.
Its solemnity and solemnity are extremely rare in Chinese literature. It shows the unpredictable changes of life and the ruthless vicissitudes of history, which is full of artistic appeal.
Its birth raised the height of Chinese literature in the world literary world and set a new peak for Chinese literature.
Li Kuang was not well-known in later generations, but he was indeed a figure that must be mentioned in the Xiangjiang literary world in the second half of the twentieth century.
As early as the 1950s, Li Kuang was a very popular poet in Hong Kong. His poems were very popular in the literary world and were almost the memory of a generation in Hong Kong at that time.
Later, he edited two literary journals, "Ren Humanities" and "Hailan", which were widely welcomed by readers and had unparalleled momentum. He was like a leader in the literary world.
It is a pity that he bid farewell to the Hong Kong literary scene after 58 years, settled in Singapore, and has not been heard from since.
Now, after twenty-seven years, Li Kuang's writings have appeared again in "Hong Kong Literature", which has naturally aroused strong attention in the Hong Kong literary world.
Of course, in addition to this article, he published a serious article in this issue of the magazine, which seemed to be a novel titled "Twilight in the Soviet House".
"Going Alone—Cheering for "Crossing the Guandong"" was published in the first issue of "Hong Kong Literature" and caused quite a stir.
No one expected that the first text he published after his return to the literary world would be to sing praises for "Crossing Guandong".
And although during this period of time, the literary circles in Hong Kong have praised "Crossing the Guandong" a lot, there are still few who sing its praises as loudly as Li Kuang.
His high evaluation of "Crossing Guandong" has also been recognized by many people in Hong Kong's literary circles, boosting the popularity of this novel in Hong Kong.
After learning about the views of "Crossing the Guandong" in Hong Kong's literary circles and the media, Lin Chaoyang collected these publications.
A few days later, time quietly came to the twelfth lunar month.
This year's Spring Festival is extremely late, and it has to be celebrated on February 20th. Therefore, it is already late January, and we have entered the twelfth lunar month.
Yesterday, Lin Chaoyang had a sudden idea. He made several brick molds using the waste wood leftover from the renovation of the east courtyard, covered the outside with soil, and then poured water inside.
After such freezing, an ice brick is ready.
Early this morning, Lin Chaoyang worked hard to repeat yesterday's operation, and then used these ice bricks to build a uniform downward slide. Water was poured between the seams of the ice bricks as an adhesive.
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The highest point of the slide is about 1.2 meters high and about 4 meters long. The width is just enough to accommodate a little kid like Xiaodongdong.
When Liu Xinwu brought Tian Geng in, he saw Lin Chaoyang working hard to shovel the handrails on both sides of the slide with a small shovel. The edges of the ice cubes were sharp and they had to be shoveled into an arc.
"Chaoyang, what are you doing?" Liu Xinwu asked.
At this moment, Lin Chaoyang was working with white steam coming out of his head, as if he had reached the state of three flowers gathering on top. He turned around and saw Liu Xinwu and Tian Geng, and greeted them with a smile.
"Make a slide for my son. Just wait for me and it will be ready soon."
While talking, Lin Chaoyang continued to be busy. Liu Xinwu and Tian Geng stood in the courtyard and watched Lin Chaoyang work with interest.
Twenty minutes later, Lin Chaoyang finally finished the slide. Xiao Dongdong, who had been waiting at the side eager to try it out, couldn't wait to climb up the slide regardless of Tao Yumo's obstruction.
As a result, before reaching the top, I fell hard and screamed!
When Tao Yumo helped him up, he grabbed Tao Yumo's hand without giving up. With his aunt's help on the horse, he could finally experience the slide.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute!"
Lin Chaoyang took out the aluminum washbasin at home. He placed the washbasin at the top of the slide, then carried Xiaodongdong into the washbasin and pushed it gently with his hand.
The friction coefficient between metal and ice was very low. The washing tub carried Xiao Dongdong and slid down briskly, and then slid a long distance on the flat ground. Lin Chaoyang also sprinkled some water on the ground, which formed ice.
Xiaodongdong burst into laughter with excitement and clapped her hands excitedly. After stopping, she could drag the washtub back to the starting point without Lin Chaoyang's instruction.
"Auntie! Hug!"
The slide was too high and he couldn't get up, so he had to ask Tao Yumo for help.
Seeing his son's happy look, Lin Chaoyang had a smile on his face, and his two days of hard work were not in vain.
"Let's go into the house." Lin Chaoyang led Liu Xinwu and Tian Geng into the main room.
In fact, Lin Chaoyang could guess their purpose of coming today. "The Master of Chess" has been published for several years, and the publishing contract is about to expire. At this time, it is obvious what Tian Geng and Liu Xinwu are doing.
After drinking a few sips of tea and chatting for a while, Liu Xinwu got to the point first.
"Chaoyang, I came here with the editor-in-chief this time to talk to you about the contract issue of "Chess Master"..."
Yanjing Publishing House has undergone personnel changes in recent years, and Tian Geng has become the editor-in-chief.
Liu Xinwu started, and Tian Geng continued what he said. He just said how pleasant the previous cooperation between the two parties was and hoped to continue the cooperation. Then he took the initiative to mention the royalties.
"Chaoyang, I heard that you received more than 100,000 yuan in royalties from the publication of "Crossing Guandong"?"
Lin Chaoyang asked curiously: "Who did you hear this number from?"
"Everyone says this, are there really so many of them?"
When Tian Geng asked this question, Liu Xinwu on the side shot a gossipy look.
"Be conservative."
Lin Chaoyang spoke concisely and to the point, Liu Xinwu's eyes widened, "Is this conservative? How about two or three hundred thousand?"
Lin Chaoyang said nothing.
"Four hundred thousand?"
Lin Chaoyang said nothing again.
"Five million?"
Lin Chaoyang still didn't speak.
After guessing this, Liu Xinwu no longer dared to guess any more, because this number was beyond his acceptable range.
There was even a chill in his heart. You must know that Liu Shaotang suffered a lot because of the high royalties.
At this time, Tian Geng didn't know what to say. The two of them stared at each other. Tian Geng finally asked Lin Chaoyang blankly:
"Chaoyang, can the contract for "Chess Master" be renewed?"
Even if he couldn't afford it for 500,000 yuan, how much money did Huacheng Publishing House give Lin Chaoyang? He had no hope of renewing the contract.
"Yes, as long as the price is right." Lin Chaoyang said happily.
Tian Geng's eyes immediately lit up, but then he became cautious again.
That’s hundreds of thousands!
Speaking of the royalty contract, Tian Geng and President Lu Yuanchi had a special discussion before coming.
Both of them believed that since Huacheng Publishing House had set a precedent, Yanjing Publishing House would not be able to continue cooperating with Lin Chaoyang without taking this path.
So after discussing it, they decided that it was not impossible to sign a copyright contract.
Anyway, if the sky falls, there will be tall men to hold it up, and Huacheng Publishing House will charge forward. Even if the trend changes in the future, they, Yanjing Publishing House, will only be able to make some gains.
But when he actually met Lin Chaoyang and heard from him the amount of royalties paid by Huacheng Publishing House, Tian Geng still flinched a little.
A book has a royalties of at least 500,000 yuan. If this was put on the line, he and Lu Yuanchi would probably be blamed.
"You mean royalty payment?" Tian Geng asked thoughtfully.
Lin Chaoyang nodded and said: "Yes. I signed a royalty contract with Huacheng Publishing House. If nothing else, if the contract for "Chess Master" expires, it will be given to them, unless there is a publishing house willing to pay more than them.
price.”
"Ah!" Tian Geng let out a short cry.
Chapter completed!