Reborn Bao Guowei, I really didn’t want to be a great writer!

Chapter 325: Mei Guangdi of the Xueheng School? Complete Westernization is not advisable!

In 1912, Tatung University was founded in Shanghai.

It is the first private university in China after the Xinhai Revolution.

The name of the school comes from the "Book of Rites" which says "the world belongs to all, this is the great harmony."

It is also in line with Mr. Sun’s philosophy.

In its more than 40 years of operation, Tatung University has been a leader among private universities in the country.

It is known as "Kaishen in the North and Datong in the South".

After years of development, the Chinese Academy of Sciences has established offices all over the country.

Tatung University is one of the bases.

It also has the earliest modern advanced laboratory in the country, which is of great benefit to various research work.

After Bao Guowei arrived here, he thought there would be some trouble, but unexpectedly he found the location of the Chinese Science Society very smoothly.

There is no other reason, it’s just that the name Bao Guowei is too famous nowadays.

Ordinary people may not know Bao Guowei, but many big names in the academic world and university professors have already mentioned the name Bao Guowei to death.

After dinner, the topic of Bao Guowei, the young literary giant, is never ending.

So much so that as soon as Bao Guowei walked into the campus of Datong University, he was recognized by someone.

"Bingwen, your play The Shawshank Redemption is really touching. When I was studying in the United States, I often lamented that China did not have the exquisite dramas of the West. But after watching your play, I could not help but admire it. I hope you can go to Jinling someday to give lectures to my students."

Mei Guangdi, this gentleman is very outgoing.

At the age of forty, he is still full of energy. He wears a neat suit, has thick eyebrows and deep eyes. He has a Western look, but he is a real Chinese.

Bao Guowei bowed his hands and said modestly: "Sir, thank you for your praise. Bingwen is still a student and needs more help from teachers."

In front of this person, Bao Guowei didn't dare to show off.

In later generations, Mei Guangdi may not be well-known, but in the literary world of this era, Mei Guangdi is indeed a powerful figure.

He was the first Chinese to study in the United States and was also the founder of the Xueheng School.

Bao Guowei highly agrees with this gentleman's ideas on the development of literature.

While following the other person towards the office of the Chinese Science Society.

He said.

"Mr. Wang seems to know my work very well. I admire him a lot."

"Really? Then Bingwen, can you tell me what you think of me, Mei Guangdi?"

Mei Guangdi's eyes lit up, but he still had some doubts. Was Bao Guowei really not being polite? He had never met him before, so how could he understand him?

I don’t have any very popular literary works.

Unexpectedly, Bao Guowei spoke eloquently.

"Speaking of this, Mr. Mei has to mention the Xueheng School, which was derived from the Xueheng magazine."

"Bingwen also knows about the Xueheng School?"

Mei Guangdi narrowed his eyes. Just from this sentence, he knew that the other party might have done some "research" on him.

He didn't interrupt, waiting for the other party's comment.

Bao Guowei said: "Compared to Mr. Li's works, I like his literary theory more."

The words hit the nail on the head, and Mei Guangdi felt as if his heart skipped a beat.

It is common for people in academia to flatter each other. Which professor or master would not praise each other when they meet?
It's nothing more than the ways of the world.

But most people, when they meet, just praise Mei Guangdi's works. However, Mei Guangdi knows in his heart that his works are not better than those of Zhou Shuren and others.

Whenever I hear flattery, I feel a little disgusted.

Bao Guowei's words hit his soft spot.

Mei Guangdi's eyes were filled with growing anticipation as he looked forward to what the other party would say next.

"The conservative views of the Xueheng School are also my views on the development of literature." Bao Guowei recalled the theoretical basis of the Xueheng School in history and made his own evaluation based on historical development.

“There were many radical views in the New Culture Movement.”

When Bao Guowei recalled this history, he felt a little scared.

Because of the many humiliations in modern times, many overseas returnee scholars feel that they must destroy before they can build, and they completely abandon China's traditional culture.

For example, Hu Shi and Qian Xuantong once made some radical remarks.

"To abolish Confucianism, we must first abolish Chinese characters."

"If Chinese characters don't disappear, China will perish" and so on. In later generations, even if Chinese characters were preserved and traditional culture was greatly promoted, there were still so many "anti-traitors".

Bao Guowei couldn't imagine to what extent China's cultural circle would be infiltrated if the so-called Latinization of Chinese characters was realized in this era.

The many English words that remain in the Korean language in later generations of the Korean country and its various actions of licking the West are a lesson for us.

Therefore, Bao Guowei seriously commented: "Personally, I firmly oppose the so-called wholesale Westernization and agree with the cultural conservative theory proposed by Mr. Xueheng School."

He took a deep breath and continued.

"Chinese people need cultural confidence and responsibility. Our traditional culture has profound heritage and value, and should not be completely denied. Absolutely splitting traditional culture will have a huge impact on society. Vernacular Chinese should be promoted, but classical Chinese should also be preserved!"

"Good! Good! Good!"

Mei Guangdi's eyes lit up, he clapped and cheered, his face showing uncontrollable excitement, he spoke righteously.

"That's how it should be!"

Bao Guowei's view may be common in later generations, but it was a minority during the Republic of China period.

Even the views of the Xueheng School were not mainstream at the time and were not recognized by most cultural figures.

It is rare for a young literary giant like Bao Guowei, who is recognized by most of the public, to have such insights, which is why Mei Guangdi was excited.

Mei Guangdi couldn't help but stop and looked at Bao Guowei seriously.

“How does Bingwen understand Western culture?”

He was very serious about this question and really looked forward to getting an answer from Bao Guowei.

After a moment of silence, Bao Guowei replied.

“It is indisputable that Western culture has a first-mover advantage, and this is also the reason why they have been able to achieve advancement. However, we must be cautious about Western culture because Westerners have different historical development and national character from us. It is not realistic to blindly imitate and want to replicate the success of others.

Our purpose in seeking cultural innovation should not be to accept everything, but to create something better out of what we already have, not to create something out of nothing. Innovating on the basis of tradition is the right path.”

"What a great middle school student!"

Mei Guangdi praised again and again. Originally, he might have just admired Bao Guowei, but now he actually admired him and even felt a sense of mutual respect.

This kid's theory coincides with mine!
Mei Guangdi smiled and said, "Everyone says that I must have a conversation with Bao Bingwen in this life, otherwise my life on this earth would be in vain. Today I see that it is indeed true."

Of course, Mei Guangdi also had doubts, he finally said with his eyes narrowed.

"I agree with Bingwen's point of view. Today's radicals want to completely reject traditional culture. This is simply messing around. But the radicals also said that as the saying goes, there is no construction without destruction. The Qing Dynasty failed because of its incomplete reforms. What do you think?"

Are you one hundred thousand whys?

Why so many questions?
Bao Guowei couldn't help but complain in his heart, but this kind of question obviously didn't stump him.

"The saying 'no destruction, no construction' means that what should be destroyed is the system, the shackles that have been on ordinary people for thousands of years, and the weakness and compromise of those in power. What does this have to do with culture?"

Bao Guowei sneered and said, "The mistake of the Qing Dynasty was that the contradictions at the bottom had not been changed. When faced with things involving their own interests, those in power were already rotten from the root. But it was the Qing Dynasty that was rotten, and what was the fault with the thousand-year-old Chinese culture?"

He stressed that "culture is essentially just a tool. What really matters is how people use it. Chinese literature should be a combination of Chinese and Western cultures, with pragmatism as its purpose, avoiding blind worship and sticking to conventions."

After such an impassioned speech, Bao Guowei felt a little embarrassed and looked at Mei Guangdi with a reserved smile.

"This is my understanding of the future of Chinese literature. What do you think, sir?"

"Me, me." Mei Guangdi was completely convinced and speechless for a moment. He was a man of broad knowledge. He had served as a professor in many famous schools and had seen countless geniuses in the United States.

But this was the first time he had seen someone like Bao Guowei.

He was so shocked and surprised that he was at a loss as to what to do.

At this time, he looked up, as if he had found a way out of the predicament, and excitedly pointed out the office building in front of him.

"Here we are! Professor Zhu Kezhen is upstairs. You want to know about the Chinese Science Society? Come with me to meet him!"

As he spoke, he ran into the building.

Bao Guowei, who was following behind, touched his beard. He never expected the other party's reaction would be so big.

I just expressed the views that Mei Guangdi had expounded in my own words.

He looked up at the second floor. It was completely dark now, but the lights in one office were still on.

A thin figure is writing at a desk under the light. It must be Mr. Zhu Kezhen.

Without thinking too much, Bao Guowei took a step forward. The most important thing now was to seek help from the scientific community and advance the research on penicillin within a month.

But just as I reached the stairs, I heard Mei Guangdi's noisy voice.

"Professor Zhu! Director Zhu! Come out quickly and take a look. I have brought you an extraordinary person this time!"

Bao Guowei shook his head helplessly, an embarrassed expression on his face, climbed the stairs and pushed open the office door.

The room was a little stuffy and smelled like moldy book pages.

(End of this chapter)