Back to 80: My literary life.

Chapter 587: Regional Cultural Characteristics in Sino-American Border Literature

Fang Minghua was a little amused and helpless when he received the invitation letter.

Frontier literature?

I haven’t written any literary works about the frontier?
Besides, Qin Province is not on the border, right?
He originally wanted to refuse, but Wei Qilin, then chairman of the Guangxi Writers Association, personally called the Qin Province Writers Association compound. Fang Minghua was not there at the time, so he told him through the staff.

Frontier literature is not limited to the frontier. What’s more, I am very interested in your theory of novels and essays. Can you teach us young writers from Guangxi Province?

Now that things have come to this, what else does Fang Minghua have to say?

Fortunately, there was still some time before the final selection of the first World Chinese Literature Award, so I decided to go.

Fang Minghua came to Guangxi Province once in 81. At that time, he arrived here with a writers' field trip group organized by the Chinese Writers Association. He only stayed in Green City for one night before rushing to a place called Ningming on the southern border of Xinjiang.

There was still a war in southern Xinjiang at that time. Fang Minghua stayed there for two months and even went to the front line with the Southern Xinjiang Art Troupe.

His wife Song Tangtang was still a member of the art troupe. It was during that time that he and Song Tangtang gradually developed feelings for each other.

Now, when Song Tangtang heard that Fang Minghua was going to Green City for a meeting, he said, "Minghua, when you go to Green City, if you have the chance, go to Ningming. I haven't been back since I left the Southern Xinjiang Art Troupe, and I don't know what it's like there now. Also, go to Ningming and lay a bouquet of flowers at Yang Xiaohong's grave. It's been ten years."

Yang Xiaohong was also a female soldier of the Southern Xinjiang Art Troupe. On her way back from a performance at the front line, she encountered enemy troops and unfortunately died heroically. Her body was buried at the foot of Mount Fakaka.

On that occasion, Fang Minghua happened to go to the front line with the art troupe and witnessed everything.

Now hearing Song Tangtang say this, seeing his wife's face was a little sad, Fang Minghua hurriedly comforted her: "Don't worry, I will definitely go."

The next day, Fang Minghua got off the train south with her travel bag.

Just like the trip to southern Xinjiang ten years ago, I walked and took a train over the Qinling Mountains and the Bashan Mountains to the Chengdu Plain, and then crossed the mountains and ridges again.

The train took two days and two nights to reach Green City, the capital of Guangxi Province. Fang Minghua followed the passengers out of the station and saw someone holding a sign with a few big words on it.

"Welcome Comrade Fang Minghua, Vice Chairman of the Qin Province Writers Association"

Looking at the man holding the sign again, Fang Minghua smiled. It turned out to be Liao Runbo, who was wearing glasses and had long hair.

Liao Runbo attended a writers' class at Northwestern University for three years and graduated last summer. As he had said, he returned to his hometown in Guangxi Province.

Liao Runbo also saw Fang Minghua and quickly walked up to him and took the travel bag from him: "Teacher Fang, welcome."

"Runbo, doesn't it say in the meeting notice that your Writers Association will not pick up writers from all over the country who come to the meeting? You are violating the rules by asking them to go to the hotel by themselves," Fang Minghua asked.

"Others can choose not to pick you up, but how can you not pick me up when you come? If Yu Hua and the others knew about this, they would definitely scold me to death."

"Okay, thank you for the hard work."

Fang Minghua followed Liao Runbo to the parking lot. Liao Runbo told him that he was now a professional writer of the Guangxi Writers Association. He had moved his family to Nanning and bought a house.

"Teacher Fang, I have to thank you for publishing three volumes of Ghost Blows Out the Light and making some money. My wife is unemployed and is at home taking care of the children. Without my current salary and royalties, I would have a hard time buying a house in Nanning."

"But you don't plan to continue writing Ghost Blows Out the Light."

"Haha, the royalties from the three books are about 60 yuan, which I think is enough. When the children grow up and my wife finds a job, the whole family can make a living. My interest is still in serious literature."

"Alright."

When Liao Runbo finished writing the third part of Ghost Blowing Light, he told Fang Minghua that he wanted to continue his serious literary writing after solving the problem of survival. Fang Minghua respected his idea very much. Personal interests are different. Some people write to realize the meaning and value of life, and understand the essence and purpose of life, like Liao Runbo.

Some people write to make money, such as Tian Yanning, the author of the Xue Mili series, who is still writing one book after another in this series.

Although I vowed at the beginning that I would continue to engage in the serious literary creation that I love after earning some money, it seems that I have forgotten all this now.

However, Fang Minghua respects personal ideas and never interferes.

I followed Liao Runbo into a Santana. Of course, this time we did not stay at the military guesthouse on Gucheng Road, but stayed at the Yongjiang Hotel.

This time, I met several old acquaintances at the meeting.

Wang Meng, vice chairman of the Writers Association, has been rooted in Xinjiang for decades and has written a series of novels including "Pale Gray Eyes - In Yili" and "Hello, Xinjiang". She is certainly qualified to attend such a conference and also congratulated the conference on behalf of the China Writers Association.

In addition, Fang Minghua met an unexpected girl - Chi Zijian!

"Zijian, how did you get here?" Fang Minghao couldn't help but ask.

"By train, I took a train from Harbin to Yanjing, then took a train from Yanjing to Chengdu, and finally to Greentown. It took me almost half a month on the road." The girl replied.

Oh my God
Across China!
"It must have been a hard journey?"

"It's not that hard. Nowadays, the conditions are good and we can sit in hard sleepers. When I went to Xida to attend the writers' class, I took the train from Daxing'anling. The seats were hard all the way and my butt was sore."

"However, taking a train is also very interesting. You can see the scenery along the way. I like it very much."

She is indeed an optimistic girl.

Fang Minghua sighed secretly.

"Teacher Fang, I read your recent novel 'The Textile Girl'. It's really well written." The girl suddenly changed the subject and said, "In fact, it's not just Xijing. There are also many laid-off female workers in our Northeast, especially in Bingcheng and Fengtian."

Fang Minghua nodded and said, "The Northeast is a heavy industrial base with many state-owned enterprises, so this kind of situation is common."

"Yes. Their current living conditions are worth writing about." Chi Zijian said with emotion: "But I am used to writing about rural themes and cannot write urban novels. Teacher Fang, you should write more!"

"Okay, I promise you." Fang Minghua said with a smile.

The conference mainly focused on expressing opinions on the multicultural integration of frontier literature, its strong national characteristics, and its close integration with the times.

Fang Minghua came up with the unique topic of "Regional Cultural Characteristics in Sino-US Frontier Literature Works".

From the perspectives of Chinese and American western novels, explore their common aesthetic essence and basic laws.

Regional Cultural Characteristics of Sino-American Frontier Literature
National Spirit in Frontier Literature
Finally, he pointed out that whether it is China's Northwest literature or America's Western literature, their writers have discovered the common cultural and psychological traditions of the people in the region through observation, feeling, reflection and integration of the unique regional culture, in order to promote the literary spirit with regional cultural characteristics.

Received warm applause.

In addition to the meeting, we also organized everyone to climb Qingxiu Mountain, visit Nanhu Lake, and try Laoyoufen and Suanye.
The sour stuff is really too sour.

The meeting lasted seven days in Nanning, and then the delegates dispersed.

However, Fang Minghua did not return to Xijing. He agreed to his wife's request and went to Ningming, where his wife had fought and lived.

(End of this chapter)