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

Chapter 382 "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" opens up a new field of history?

Arnold Joseph Toynbee.

This middle-aged British man was later hailed as one of the greatest historians in modern times.

The book "Historical Research" has an extraordinary position in modern historiography.

Later generations compared him with world-renowned masters such as Einstein, Schweitzer and Russell.

It can be said that Arnold has an extremely high status in the historical community.

However, on this timeline, he had just become a professor of international history research at the London School of Economics.

Last year, Arnold visited China out of great curiosity.

In Bao Guowei's impression, this gentleman has an extremely positive evaluation of China's history and culture.

This was also one of the reasons why he did not drive the man opposite him out at this moment.

At this moment, Bao Guowei was in a house in the International Settlement, and the two of them were sitting opposite each other on the sofa.

He drank the hot tea in his hand sip by sip, but when he saw that Mr. Arnold had no intention of leaving, a tired expression suddenly appeared on his face.

Who could have imagined that a future master of history would act like a rogue in his own home?
Bao Guowei sighed helplessly and said, "Mr. Arnold, this is already the third time we have met. I think my meaning is clear. I will most likely go to Peking to study. I am afraid that the exchange program in London will have to be postponed."

In fact, Bao Guowei feels that it is a bit too early to go to London, or even to Europe and the United States.

Even though he had achieved great reputation in his country, he was still unable to visit other countries as a scholar due to his age.

This adds a lot of variables to the journey.

Of course, the most important thing is that he still has a lot of things to do in the country, and he plans to go abroad after studying in Peking.

Arnold was wearing an old brown suit. His deep eyes were covered with wrinkles. Although he was forty-one years old, he already had some white hair.

However, unlike the aging shown in his appearance, Arnold's spirit and energy far exceeds that of an average middle-aged man.

Even his energetic appearance made Bao Guowei feel from time to time that he was a 20-year-old boy.

He clasped his hands together, not feeling the slightest bit of embarrassment at being rejected. Instead, he became even more persistent.

"Mr. Bao, I won't give up. If you can visit Oxford University, it will be a great thing for both England and you!

Including the previous two times, this is my third visit to you. The first time you were not at home, and the second time you delayed my proposal due to urgent matters. This time I hope to get a satisfactory answer.

You Chinese have a historical event, Zhuge Liang visited Zhuge Liang’s thatched cottage three times, and I unknowingly followed his example.”

Bao Guowei sighed helplessly, feeling a little amused and helpless.

But he had to admit that the Chinese of the Englishman in front of him was the best he had ever encountered!
You know, he has only been in the country for less than a year, which is enough to show Arnold's talent in languages.

Bao Guowei couldn't help but spread his hands and asked.

"Mr. Arnold, can I ask you a question? What makes you so persistent? I have already received an invitation from two scientists, Qian En, but I think I should reconsider going to London."

After hearing this, Arnold's expression immediately became serious and he said seriously.

"Mr. Bao, you may not know that you are now a spiritual totem in Europe. You are a mysterious young man from the East, and you have attracted too much curiosity from the gentlemen in Europe. People want to know your thoughts and appreciate your style.

The most important thing is.”

Arnold paused, and recalled the instructions given to him by several good friends in the history field in Europe in response to their letters.

"The most important thing is that you are now the core figure of the New History School. I believe that this trip to Europe will be a grand event for history. It is not only important for the Chinese history community, but also for the advancement of historical research in the world as a whole."

"Of course." Arnold rubbed his cane a little embarrassedly, and then said, "I am about to leave China, a country that fascinates me. Although I am reluctant to leave, the itinerary forces me to make plans early.

Before that, I would like to take you to Europe as a guide for this trip."

After saying this, Arnold performed a ceremony very seriously and said.

"Mr. Bao, please accept the sincere invitation from our European friends."

For a moment, Bao Guowei was a little confused.

What the hell? How did I become a core figure in the new historiography?

When did this happen?

I do not know how?
Hearing Bao Guowei's doubts, Arnold naturally did not hesitate to explain. He introduced.

"Mr. Bao, you may not know that Lucien Febvre and Marc Bloch, two history professors from France and founders of the journal Annales de l'Economico-Sociale, have written an article in the newspaper. In the article, they defined your new work The Chrysanthemum and the Sword as the masterpiece of new historiography, while Guns, Germs, and Steel is hailed as the pioneering work of new historiography."

For a moment, Bao Guowei didn't know what to say.

It feels as absurd as if you wrote a book and suddenly a world-famous religious sect took it over and adopted it as their doctrine, and then crowned you as the Pope.

As for these two historians, Bao Guowei naturally had no reason not to know them. In historical research, the famous Annales School originated from these two people.

But what I didn't expect was that although I just wanted to copy famous works, I inadvertently greatly promoted the progress of historical research of the "Annals School".

These two works, in particular, are the pioneering works of the Annales School.

This was something Bao Guowei had never expected. He felt a little embarrassed and said with his signature smile on his face.

"This is the first time I've heard of this. Thanks to the two professors for their kindness. I have also been influenced by some of their theories."

"I knew it!" Arnold slapped his thigh excitedly. "The emergence of every perfect theory requires the efforts and research of countless people. Even though you are far away in the East, you are all excellent historians, and you have also obtained the views of the new historical school. This proves that the new historical school is the general trend!"

Arnold did not make it clear that he was a scholar of the "Annales School". His communication, correction and learning with the other two French historians went hand in hand.

But he is a true "new historiography" school, and as long as he can see the progress of historiography, that is his ultimate goal.

Suddenly, Arnold seemed to open up a chatterbox and began to list all the recent international reviews of Bao Guowei's work "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword".

Bao Guowei did not expect that this authoritative historian from the UK was nothing like the stereotype of old London.

Arrogant and arrogant.

On the contrary, he was very enthusiastic and delighted with Bao Guowei's appearance, and said frankly that Bao Guowei would be the hope of international history in the future. He almost said that he would take Bao Guowei as his own disciple.

Especially when talking about the evaluation of Bao Guowei's works by various historians in the world today, Arnold knows them all like the back of his hand.

He said.

"I read Mr. John King Fairbank's review of The Chrysanthemum and the Sword in the journal American Historical Review. You know, this newspaper, founded more than 30 years ago, has now become an important platform for American historians to publish historical research results and conduct academic discussions. Mr. John is also a thorough China expert, a promising doctoral student at Harvard University, and he has done in-depth research on Eastern history.

Even he wrote in his article that The Chrysanthemum and the Sword is a historical work with guiding significance, taking into account both interest and academic value.

"John King Fairbank?" Bao Guowei frowned, he felt that the name was very familiar.

Then I remembered that this American was also a famous scholar in history, and perhaps no one knew his English name.

But if you mention his Chinese name, it must be very impressive.

Fairbank, this name was given to John by Liang Sicheng when he was teaching at Tsinghua University.

In his subsequent research, the former gradually became an outstanding Sinologist and was called the "number one China expert" in modern times.

In particular, he made outstanding contributions to the mutual understanding between China and the United States, and published countless books on the study of Chinese history throughout his life.

The fact that I was praised by the other party is enough to show the importance of the book "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword".

But this is not the end, Arnold continued to introduce.

"Mr. James Harvey Robinson is the founder and advocate of the new American historiography and also my good friend. He wrote an article in The Atlantic Monthly a few days ago and commented:

The knowledge and ability displayed in the book "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" is amazing. I heard that the author Mr. Bao has never been to Japan, but he was able to express the spiritual life and the whole picture of the Japanese culture so profoundly by combining it with history.

It has to be said that the appearance of Mr. Oriental Magic Bag is changing the future of the world in a crazy way! "

"And Mr. Frederick Jackson Turner, a leading member of the Frontier School, wrote in The Journal of American History"

"Of course, we cannot forget Mr. Charles Beard, who is as famous as Mr. Dewey. He is the vice president of the American Historical Association and also wrote an article to praise him."

Like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube, Arnold told Bao Guowei all the masters' comments one by one, with an expression of admiration on his face that was beyond words.

Bao Guowei had never imagined that his book "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" would cause such a huge response in today's international history circles.

It can even be said that he completely underestimated the true influence of "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword".

"The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" seems to have inadvertently opened up a whole new field of historical research.

This achievement, which only raised an eyebrow at the time of "Guns, Germs, and Steel", was recognized by the Pulitzer Prize.

After the publication of "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword", it was fully recognized by the Western world!
"Mr. Bao?" Arnold was surprised to see Bao Guowei looking confused. He continued, "The above are the comments of some American scholars. If you want to listen to European scholars, I can still talk about it."

"No no no!"

The sweat on Bao Guowei’s head!
It seems that the gentleman in front of me has learned Chinese culture too quickly and for too short a time, and he seems to be having some difficulty adapting to the local environment.

After combining the direct enthusiasm of the Western world with the delicate enthusiasm of the Chinese people, Mr. Arnold seems to be overly enthusiastic.

Finally, Mr. Arnold stopped introducing the contents of the newspaper.

Being able to remember these is not an easy thing.

After thinking about it, Bao Guowei nodded and said.

"Thanks to Mr. Arnold for the introduction. I just learned today that I have so many great supporters both in the United States and Europe. I am a little flattered by all this."

To be honest, even if he read the newspaper frequently, he could not always understand the developments in other countries.

In this era, the efficiency of information dissemination is still low after all.

He originally knew that his works were quite popular in Western countries, but he didn't know to what extent.

After all, it is difficult to understand the true picture through just a few reports.

Only by listening to Europeans and Americans like Arnold’s personal experiences can we know the truth.

Of course, another way is to actually go to Europe and see for yourself.

"Of course, for me personally, in terms of history, I like Guns, Germs, and Steel, and in terms of literature, I like The Old Man and the Sea even more. These are all excellent works. Bao, I don't even know how to rank your works."

Arnold spread his hands and said.

I have to say that foreigners are quite good at praising others.

Bao Guowei was about to speak when he heard the other party dissuade him.

"I have to mention, Bao, that with your ability and talent, you are already qualified to be a university professor, or at least a graduate student. Undergraduate teaching is totally unsuitable for you. It is not a wise thing for you to go to Peking."

The next morning, Bao Guowei left the Shanghai Stock Exchange as scheduled.

He did not agree to the trip to London, but he did not refuse it either, which was a bit of a relentless move.

"I think I need to ask a very important person. She is very important to my future schedule."

Return to Suzhou and listen to the opinions of Zhang Taiyan and Zhang Nianyue.

The most important thing, of course, is Zhang Nianyue's opinion. After all, Bao Guowei promised her that he would take her to Europe to have a look, or in other words, this was a trip before marriage.
But when he returned to Zhang's house and opened the door, Bao Guowei was confused by the scene inside.

All the people in the mansion, including Zhang Taiyan, Tang Guoli, Zhang Nianyue and a group of old Zhang's disciples, gathered here, with unique smiles on their faces.

What's the good news?
Bao Guowei walked in with a confused look on his face.

Unexpectedly, after seeing Bao Guowei, Zhang Nianyue's face immediately showed joy, and she jumped into his arms and said.

"Congratulations, our great writer, you've won another award!"

Bao Guowei: "???"

(End of this chapter)