On July 26, 1991, the supplement of Bay Island's "United Daily News" suddenly published a piece of news - "Mainland writer Xu Lingjun will visit Bay Island at the end of the month."

"According to our reporter, at the invitation of Ms. Lin Haiyin of Pure Literature Publishing House, mainland writer Xu Lingjun will arrive in Bay Island on the 29th of this month for a six-day visit and exchange trip-·-

The number of words in the message is not many, only about 200 words, but it is placed on the front page, which shows that the supplement of "United Daily News" attaches great importance to it.

After this news was published in the newspapers, it immediately aroused heated discussion in the cultural circles of Bay Island.

Since the mid-1980s, Lin Chaoyang's works have been widely circulated in the Bay Island.

Works such as "Enter Guandong", "Crossing the Boat" and "The Truman Show" have achieved impressive sales and have accumulated a large number of readers.

Especially in recent years, as cross-strait relations have continued to ease, Lin Chaoyang has lived in Hong Kong, and his creative horizons have continued to broaden. After his works were introduced to the Bay Island, there were many more readers than before.

The year before last, Lin Haiyin caused a big stir in order to invite him to visit and exchange with Bay Island, but he failed to achieve his wish.

Last year, the news that Lin Chaoyang won the Newstate International Literary Award in the United States spread to the Bay Island, "United Daily News"

The supplement's numerous reports directly shaped Lin Chaoyang into the image of a "literary generation" in the mainland literary world.

This has won him many loyal fans in the Bay Island. These people generally believe that Lin Chaoyang is the most likely writer in the Chinese literary world to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, and they all look forward to his early visit to the Bay Island.

It's a pity that the government refused to let go, and these supporters had no choice but to hope that one day cross-strait relations would become more harmonious and open, and that Lin Chaoyang could come to the island.

As time went by, a wave of hope arose in the cultural circles of Wandao to "look northward to Master Wang for another year."

This time, the "United Daily News" supplement published the news that Lin Chaoyang was about to visit Bay Island. Many of his loyal fans were relieved that their long-cherished wish had come true.

July 29, at noon.

Outside the passenger passage of Taipei Songshan Airport, there are seas of people and the scene is very lively.

"I didn't expect that so many readers would come!"

Zhengxian's face was filled with wonder.

‘Yeah, I didn’t expect that either.’ Lin Haiyin said.

Lin Chaoyang took off from Xiangjiang this morning and will arrive at Taipei Songshan Airport at noon.

He came by invitation, so Lin Haiyin naturally couldn't neglect it and informed the "United Daily News" a few days ago.

Through the report in the supplement of "United Daily News", the news that Lin Chaoyang will visit Bay Island has become the hottest news in the island's cultural circles these days.

Lin Haiyin also organized a welcome ceremony today, and those present included her and Xia Chengying, two editors from Pure Literature Publishing House, who are the editors of Lin Chaoyang's works in Wandao.

Zhengxian, Su Weizhen and others from the supplement of Lin Chaoyang's "United Daily News" are also here. Of course, these few people are here not only for welcome, but also for interviews.

There were also several writers who came. They all heard about Lin Chaoyang's visit and took the initiative to sign up with Lin Haiyin to come and welcome him at the airport.

Including Zhu Tianxin and his wife, Zhang Dachun, Chen Yingzhen, Bai Xianyong and others, these writers are the backbone of the Bay Island literary world today.

In addition to the power of the literary world to welcome Lin Chaoyang this time, the press also joined in the fun.

Not only did the "United Daily News" supplement bring reporters, but "China Times" and four or five other newspapers also sent reporters, forming a sizable team of reporters.

Behind the team of writers and reporters, there are also a large number of readers. The arrival of these readers is what surprises Lin Haiyin the most. It is estimated that these readers number at least hundreds of people.

In order to arrange Lin Chaoyang's visit and exchange itinerary, Lin Haiyin specifically contacted Zhongshan Girls' High School on the island.

National Chengchi University, Shuimu and many other universities have received enthusiastic responses from each school, expressing their sincere welcome to Lin Chaoyang to visit the school for exchanges.

For this reason, the school specially organized students to pick up the plane. These students all spontaneously signed up to participate after hearing the news about Lin Chaoyang's visit, and I heard that they had been selected.

As the landing time of Lin Chaoyang's plane got closer and closer, the students' faces were filled with anticipation.

Looking out through the floor-to-ceiling glass of the terminal building, the sky outside Songshan Airport is blue, and a plane streaks across the skyline and appears in people's field of vision.

Lin Haiyin glanced at the time and guessed that Lin Chaoyang should be on this plane.

At 11:19 noon, the plane landed slowly on the runway of Songshan Airport. Ten minutes later, passengers began to appear one after another at the entrance. Lin Haiyin spotted Lin Chaoyang walking among the crowd at a glance.

"Morning sun!"

She waved enthusiastically in Lin Chaoyang's direction, and Lin Chaoyang also noticed her.

It was impossible not to pay attention. There were several people around Lin Haiyin holding signs saying "Warmly welcome Xu Lingjun to visit Bay Island". Behind him stood a large force of hundreds of people, occupying most of the passageway, attracting the attention of passengers who had just gotten off the plane.

Endless.

Lin Chaoyang smiled and waved to where Lin Haiyin and others were. When he came out of the passage, he first hugged Lin Haiyin and his wife, and then shook hands with a group of writers after their introduction.

Then he waved to the readers who were waiting aside, and there was a burst of cheers. The media reporters who had been waiting aside flashed their lights one after another, like a celebrity pick-up scene.

While he was talking, another student who had been waiting aside came forward to lay flowers.

Lin Chaoyang took the flowers and thanked them, and said with a smile: "I didn't expect so many people to pick me up after working today. I'm really flattered!"

"Everyone has heard the news about your arrival and spontaneously signed up to pick you up at the airport. They are all your loyal readers!"

Lin Chaoyang bowed slightly to many writers, reporters and students in a very graceful manner to express his gratitude.

At this time, the reporters who had been waiting aside and eager to try finally got a chance.

"Mr. Lin, this is your first time visiting Bay Island. How did you feel when you got off the plane?"

"What are Mr. Lin's itinerary plans for this visit to Bay Island? Can you tell me about it?"

The reporters asked questions very enthusiastically and surrounded Lin Chaoyang for almost 20 minutes for interviews before letting him go.

But the students who were even more enthusiastic were the students who took the initiative to sign up to pick them up at the airport. They were all loyal readers of Lin Chaoyang, and they were extremely excited to see Lin Chaoyang himself.

Many people brought Lin Chaoyang's book with them today and begged Lin Chaoyang to sign it. Lin Chaoyang fulfilled everyone's requests one by one, which attracted bursts of cheers.

Finally, I took a photo with everyone before walking out of the airport.

We drove all the way to the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where Lin Haiyin arranged to stay at the hotel for Lin Chaoyang.

After a short rest, Lin Haiyin arranged a reception banquet in the restaurant of the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

In addition to Lin Haiyin and his wife and the editors of Pure Literature Publishing House, those who attended the reception banquet also included many writers who had just gone to pick him up at the airport.

It was the first time for Lin Chaoyang to meet most of the people present, but with Lin Haiyin here, there was no need to worry about being left alone. Apart from writing, what she was best at was communication.

"Chaoyang, why did you write a column for The New Yorker?" Lin Haiyin suddenly asked at the dinner table.

Lin Chaoyang explained his acquaintance with Robert Gottlieb and the opportunity to be invited to write a column.

Chen Yingzhen asked curiously: "Have those articles of yours been translated?"

"What I write is an English manuscript." Lin Chaoyang replied.

Chen Yingzhen exclaimed, "I'm still thinking about how the translation level of The New Yorker can be so high. It turns out you wrote it yourself."

He also praised: "Your English writing level is really not inferior to those writers who are native English speakers."

He is a well-known bronze medalist in the literary world of Bay Island. In his early years, he was sentenced by the Bay Island government for "organizing a gathering to read Marxism-Leninism, Communism, and Lu Xun's works." His temperament did not change after he was released from prison.

Last year, he even announced that he would be residing in Yanjing. This time, he returned to Wandao specifically for Lin Chaoyang’s visit.

Among those present today, besides him, Bai Xianyong also came back to Bay Island from the United States.

Lin Chaoyang and Chen Yingzhen exchanged polite words, and Bai Xianyong said: "I heard from friends in New York that Mr. Lin is still writing a novel in English, or is it based on real people and true events?"

Lin Chaoyang looked slightly surprised when he heard this. He didn't expect that even Bai Xianyong knew about his new novel.

Bai Xianyong came from a famous family, his father was Xiao Zhuge.

He entered the literary world in the late 1950s and was the most popular writer in the Bay Island literary world in the 1970s and 1980s. However, he did not stay in the Bay Island for long as an adult. After college, he went to study at the University of Iowa in the United States.

Later, he entered teaching at the University of California, Santa Barbara and has been living in the United States.

He also wrote a collection of short stories targeting international students, titled "The New Yorker."

Bai Xianyong has lived in the United States all year round, and it is not surprising that he has some friends in the American cultural circles.

"yes."

Listening to the conversation between the two, people around them couldn't help but be curious. Lin Chaoyang was actually writing in English?

In everyone's opinion, writing a novel in a non-native language is not on the same level of difficulty as writing a column.

Bai Xianyong showed admiration on his face. He teaches and lives in the United States and often writes in English.

I know how difficult it is for Chinese-speaking writers like them to write in English and gain recognition from Americans.

Moreover, he also learned from his friends that the content of Lin Chaoyang's novel this time was very bold, and it was actually based on the HIV virus that everyone is talking about today.

When it comes to HIV, Bai Xianyong feels a little emotional because he himself is gay.

The origin of the HIV virus is unknown, but it is an indisputable fact that it is prevalent among gay men. This originally marginalized group has been demonized in recent years, even in the United States, which has always been open and open.

Bai Xianyong was also one of the first people in the Bay Island to disclose his orientation. In his novel "Evil Son",

This matter has been openly discussed in works such as the essay "Tree Like This".

Later generations mentioned the LGBT community because moral kidnapping and ideological issues have become notorious among the public, but it can finally be discussed openly.

But at this time, especially in East Asian society, it is still a very sensitive topic.

Therefore, Bai Xianyong is full of admiration for Lin Chaoyang's new book, which dares to write in English and discusses such a sensitive topic.

After chatting for a few words, Lin Chaoyang noticed something was wrong. Bai Xianyong seemed to have some misunderstandings about the content of his new book.

I had no choice but to explain: "The focus of this novel is neither HIV nor homosexuality, but the attitude of human beings when facing the opponent disease. It is just a coincidence that these two elements are involved."
To be continued...