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

Chapter 396: The Tragedy of London! Are we going to meet Churchill?
1930 12 Month 16 Day.

The Savoy Hotel.

Located on the banks of the Thames, it is an iconic historical building in London.

It was also one of the most famous hotels in London at that time.

More than 30 years ago, the literary prince Oscar Wilde had a private meeting with his comrades here, laying the "philosophical" foundation of the city of London;

More than 20 years ago, French Impressionist painter Claude Monet stayed here and painted a view of the Thames outside the window;

More than a decade later, Princess Elizabeth made her first public appearance here with her newlywed husband, Prince Philip.

It can be said that there are too many reasons to choose this hotel, and its cultural heritage is the most important one.

The itinerary of Bao Guowei and the other two in London was basically arranged by Arnold and Shaw.

To be honest, Bao Guowei felt a little embarrassed to get free stuff from these two masters.

After all, the Savoy Hotel is not cheap.

But think about it, these two gentlemen are also very well-off financially. Arnold is now a professor of international history research at the London School of Economics, and although Shaw did not hold a position in this school, he was one of the founders of the London School of Economics.

So it is not surprising that these two gentlemen are so familiar with each other that they can even joke around a little.

As for money, given the two gentlemen's current status, it is naturally impossible for them to lack it.

However, Bao Guowei is not someone who can feel at ease getting something for free. Besides, he is not short of money nowadays, and the income from his royalties is already considerable.

Therefore, he only asked the two gentlemen to pay for their ferry and hotel fees. As for Zhang Nianyue and Cao Yanhai's share, he would naturally pay for it himself.

This is also what it should be.

Afterwards, he also invited the two gentlemen to come to China for exchanges, and he also wanted to fulfill his role as host.

That morning, Bao Guowei opened the curtains in the room and saw the Thames in the early morning through the window.

The mist on the river surface is like a veil, creating a vague filter. The dark brown and dark gray buildings stand vaguely in the mist, giving people a feeling of both reality and illusion.

The red and orange colors intertwined with the light and shadow of the river surface further enhance the charm of the city of London.

"What a beautiful view! Open the window and take a look!"

Zhang Nianyue's sighing voice came from behind. She came behind Bao Guowei in her pajamas and stuck her head out to admire the scenery outside the window.

"Although the scenery is beautiful, the windows must not be opened!"

Bao Guowei pressed the window and said meaningfully.

"Why?" Zhang Nianyue was a little confused. Wouldn't the view be better with the windows open?

"You don't know this, do you?" Bao Guowei said. "London is also known as the Fog City because of its extremely serious air pollution. The air pollution is the worst in the early morning. Opening the window at this time is like breathing in poisonous gas."

"Isn't that so?" Zhang Nianyue frowned in disappointment, and then became confused. "Isn't London one of the most prosperous cities in the world? How can there be air pollution?"

People of this era do not have a concrete concept of environmental pollution, so it is normal that Zhang Nianyue does not understand.

Bao Guowei continued to explain, "It's true that London is an international city, and it can even be said to be the most historic modern city. But don't forget that it is also the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. Countless coals were burned, and countless industrial waste gases were emitted into the sky. The wealthy and decent lives of London gentlemen are built on the health of the lower-class workers and ordinary people."

Air pollution in London has a long history. According to news reports, on March 1930, 3, thick dust accumulated on the roof of the Cannon Street station building in London.

Even decades later, the problem had not been alleviated. The famous London smog incident in 1952 caused the deaths of thousands of people in just a few days.

If there was an evil god in this era, it would have been born long ago.

"But even so, the industrial development of the British is still beyond our reach."

Because of Bao Guowei, Zhang Nianyue still has some understanding of the domestic industrial development.

Even pollution is out of reach for China today.

This sentence was so heartbreaking that Bao Guowei couldn't help but sigh. An idea came to his mind, but he didn't say it out loud.

Bao Guowei put his arm around Zhang Nianyue's shoulders, comforted her and said, "Let's stay at the hotel in the morning. We'll go out in the afternoon and buy two sets of clothes."

"I'm fine. I've been to a lot of places these days. It's okay to rest for a day or two. Don't you have your own things to do?"

In this regard, Zhang Nianyue has always been understanding.

In the past few days, under the leadership of Arnold and Shaw, they have visited many London landmarks, such as the Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, etc.

Of course, the most outstanding attraction in London is the British Museum.

In 1930, you could see precious looted cultural relics such as the Rosetta Stone from ancient Egypt and the Parthenon sculptures from ancient Greece in the British Museum.

However, in the end, Bao Guowei and others did not choose to go in. Zhang Nianyue did not forget Bao Guowei's somewhat low words at that time.

"I won't go in. It's infuriating to see my own things here."

Even George Bernard Shaw was impressed.

"The foreign cultural relics looted by England are not a symbol of their glory. As long as the cultural relics are not returned, people will never forget the bloody and violent acts committed by England. This will be England's eternal pillar of shame."

Coming back to her senses from her memories, Zhang Nianyue heard the key points in Bao Guowei's words.

"clothing?"

"Yes." Bao Guowei smiled and said, "There will be a banquet in two days. Many London politicians and academics will attend the banquet. I have received an invitation from Mr. Shi Zhaoji. I will meet many important people at that time."

Shi Zhaoji is now the Republic of China's ambassador to the United Kingdom. The moment he learned that Bao Guowei had arrived in London, he sent him an invitation to meet.

However, I couldn't make it in the past few days, so I just invited Bao Guowei to attend the banquet.

In London, banquets have always been a way for the upper class to socialize.

Zhang Nianyue thought for a moment and asked, "Did Mr. Arnold and Mr. Shaw go?"

"They accepted the invitation, but they don't like this kind of occasion involving certain politics."

Bao Guowei spread his hands and said.

"You didn't like this kind of occasions in the past, right? Why did you want to go there this time in London?" Zhang Nianyue said with some confusion.

"I am different from them," Bao Guowei said with a sigh. "Because I have a motherland behind me that needs my efforts."

Zhang Nianyue felt something stuck in her throat.

She instantly understood Bao Guowei's intention. Only at this kind of banquet could Bao Guowei make a name for himself in London and meet more powerful people. As a scholar without guns or cannons, the best choice was to enhance his influence and then fight for the interests of the country internationally.

From the perspective of his fiancée, Zhang Nianyue did not want Bao Guowei to participate, because if he wanted to gain fame, he would inevitably take risks.

But she knew that she couldn't stop the other party. In this era, family and country are always more important than anything else.

She exhaled and said, "Okay, let's go and take a look together this afternoon."

Zhang Nianyue made herself think positively, smiled and said, "I just want to try out the Miss London look!"

In the morning, Bao Guowei met George Bernard Shaw in the reception room of the hotel.

Not long after he got up, he saw Shaw coming to him in a hurry.

In high-end hotels, dedicated reception rooms are standard.

Bao Guowei ordered a pot of coffee and poured it for Shaw.

"Sir, you seem to be in a hurry. Do you want to join me for the banquet in the evening?"

"Banquet?" Shaw seemed to be disgusted with the word. He shook his gray beard and said mercilessly.

“How good is it to talk about how bad politics is with those hypocritical politicians and their loyal artists?”

Bao Guowei knew that Shaw didn't like this kind of banquet, but he didn't expect the other party to be so ruthless.

As expected of George Bernard Shaw, who is known as a master of language, his complaints sound like they are stabbing with a knife.

But then I heard Bernard Shaw remind me, "I advise you not to go. This kind of banquet is meaningless."

Bao Guowei smiled implicitly and said, "I have reasons why I have to go."

He heard that Churchill might even come this time, so there was no way Bao Guowei would not attend the banquet.

Besides, this was also an opportunity to make a name for himself in England, and to Shaw, such fame was of no value at all.

But it is crucial to Bao Guowei.

How can the influence of words be as shocking as that of face-to-face performance?

Shaw did not try to persuade him much. He just sighed and said nothing more on the topic.

Then he mentioned the real purpose of his visit today.

"I watched The Shawshank Redemption again, and I have to say, Bao you are really a genius."

After chatting about artistic expression that day, Shaw decided to watch The Shawshank Redemption again.

He can be said to have devoted all his energy to drama and would not allow any carelessness.

"This play has become a huge hit in London's West End. It will be a play that goes down in history as the first play written by an Oriental to appear at the Theatre Royal Curie Lane."

The West End of London was the concentration of theaters in the city at that time. If local British people wanted to enjoy the highest quality dramas and operas, they would go to the West End.

Speaking of this, George Bernard Shaw couldn't help but say with some emotion.

"The Royal Currie Lane Theatre was built in 1663. In its -year history, this is the first time that a brand-new play like The Shawshank Redemption has been sold out there."

He then looked at Bao Guowei and said meaningfully.

"Compared to your previous topic, the British obviously prefer the form of expression of drama. In the past month, The Shawshank Redemption has become a hot topic of discussion among people on the streets."

"You," said Shaw solemnly. "You have changed my understanding of dialogue."

The fact that such a master could give such a high evaluation is enough to show the success of "The Shawshank Redemption".

Shaw might not change his concept of "critical" art because of a work, but from his words, we can see that subtle changes have taken place.

Bao Guowei smiled and said, "In fact, from the audience's perspective, perfecting the story's expression form and techniques is also a kind of 'art for art's sake', isn't it?"

He paused and continued to utter a meaningful sentence.

“In fact, when you tell a good story based on reality, isn’t that real realism?”

George Bernard Shaw stared at Bao Guowei closely, as if he was a teacher seeing an excellent student.

I have always kept these words in my heart.

Next, the two talked about some topics related to drama.

George Bernard Shaw really wanted Bao Guowei to write another play and have it staged in London.

However, due to time constraints, Bao Guowei refused.

It's not that he didn't give Shaw face, but his time was really limited. He would have to attend lectures at Oxford University and London School of Economics, as well as various invited literary gatherings.

Of course, the most important thing is that in more than a week, he will go to France to participate in the selection of the Goncourt Prize.

After all, the latter is the main purpose of coming to Europe.

When Shaw was about to leave, Bao Guowei seemed to remember something and slapped his head.

He took out a manuscript, handed it to Shaw and said.

"Mr. Shaw, during my trip to Europe, I wrote a science fiction novel in my spare time. But as you know, I'm new in London and I don't know which magazine to submit it to. I hope you can help me find some advice."

As one of the birthplaces of modern newspapers and magazines, London published its first periodical as early as 1621. With the advancement of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the middle class, the related newspaper industry flourished.

In today's London, there are a wide variety of relevant newspapers and magazines, and some newspaper media have even become an important force influencing British politics.

In the bloody London newspaper industry, Bao Guowei wanted to find a reliable submission agency, so he decided to ask George Bernard Shaw, a local.

"Science fiction?" Shaw was a little surprised, but he still took the manuscript and started reading it. He said as he read. "Speaking of science fiction newspapers, there are no famous ones in the UK.

If I must say, the Strand Magazine is one, which is famous for serializing Sherlock Holmes stories. You know Mr. Conan Doyle? He is an arrogant man, but his novels are fun to write."

The conversation suddenly stopped here. It was not that Shaw had nothing to say, but that his eyes suddenly widened so much that no words came out of his throat.

Shaw slowly raised his head and asked, "Bao, are you sure this is a science fiction novel? I think it should be a very good oriental rural short story. It is inappropriate to submit it to a science fiction magazine."

Bao Guowei laughed in silence and just gestured to the other party to continue reading.

Shaw looked doubtful, and the more he looked, the more shocked he became.

(End of this chapter)