Chapter 289 [Nobel Candidate]
Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris.
Mr. Zhang Boling, the founder of Nankai University, is giving a speech in French on the stage: "China's ideological and cultural reforms have huge resistance. Take suits as an example. I am very surprised by the modern Western-style dresses of Filipinos. They Wearing the most fashionable European clothes, I look very comfortable. Compared with them, the Chinese are far behind, and there are still many people wearing long gowns and mandarin jackets. I was shocked, and after thinking for a long time, I suddenly realized. The thing is actually very simple: Filipinos used to not Without clothes, they walk naked. Someone gives them clothes, and they wear them naturally..."
"Hahahaha..." The Frenchman in the audience burst into laughter.
Zhang Boling continued: "The Chinese are different. Since ancient times, the Chinese have been tailoring their clothes according to their own methods, according to their own convenience and temperament. In this way, the clothes always follow the Chinese and suit the Chinese. Once they wear Western clothes , I feel very awkward, not as comfortable as the Japanese and Filipinos. The same is true for culture and thought, even on the issue of modernization directly influenced by the West, the Chinese still maintain their own traditions and habits...Learn from foreign cultures It can help us handle international relations and maintain China's due international status, but we must also pay attention to the limitations of foreign cultures, and we must not let foreign cultures become the soul of the national spirit... For this reason, Chinese youth must not forget their origins, and only fully Only by understanding the history of the country can one love the history of the country, be in the trend of national development, and bring about beneficial innovations instead of damaging the national culture!"
"Crack clap clap!"
There was thunderous applause, and the French and Chinese students on the scene clapped their hands enthusiastically.
After Zhang Boling's speech was over, Ducal, the principal of Paris Normal University, shook hands with him warmly and said, "Mr. Zhang, your speech is very humorous and vivid, and I admire your patriotic sentiment very much!"
"You are too polite," Zhang Boling said, "I would also like to thank your school for taking care of Chinese students."
Ducal said with a smile: "Chinese students are very hardworking, and they are the best students in the world."
During the period of the Republic of China, especially in the 1920s, there were a large number of Chinese students studying in France, second only to the United States.
Because many schools in France exempted tuition fees, and the population of France dropped sharply after World War I, a large number of cheap workers were needed. In order to increase its influence in China and recruit more Chinese workers, the French government actively encourages Chinese to study in France.
In July 1919 alone, the French government donated 500 boat tickets to work-study students, and also provided scholarships to Chinese preparatory classes for studying in France.
As a result, countless poor Chinese children who pursue progress but have no money to study abroad have a rare opportunity to study abroad.
Poor students from all over the country flocked to France, the youngest was only 10 years old, and the oldest was 54 years old (female). Their learning environment is extremely difficult, they do the cheapest and hardest jobs, and they have to work hard to learn knowledge after work.
Many leaders of our party have the experience of working and studying in France, so I won’t mention the specific names.
Why was Li Shizeng so influential in the education circle of the Republic of China?
It is because he played an important role in the work of studying in France. He not only organized the activities of studying in France with Cai Yuanpei and others, but also opened a tofu shop in France to create jobs for overseas students.
As for Zhang Boling's trip to Europe this time, he mainly came to raise funds for Nankai University, and by the way participated in the Geneva International Education Conference as a representative of China.
After chatting with Chinese students for a while, Ducal suddenly asked: "Mr. Zhang, do you know Mr. Zhou Hexuan? He is a famous Chinese thinker."
"Of course I do. My student happens to cooperate with the radio station he founded." Zhang Boling laughed.
Zhang Boling's trip to raise funds for running the school started from the Northeast, and he cheated Zhang Xueliang with 200,000 oceans. Then he arrived in the Soviet Union along the Siberian Railway, then went south from the Soviet Union through Germany, and then came to France. He was also planning to visit Spain.
Ever since he came to France, Zhang Boling always asked about Zhou Hexuan no matter who he was dealing with, which surprised him greatly.
Only after reading the newspaper did Zhang Boling know that Zhou Hexuan's novels and academic works were popular in France during this period, and had become the most familiar Chinese to the French.
Zhang Boling wrote in his European travel notes sent back to China a few days ago: "Mr. Zhou's popularity in France surprised me. No matter whether it is a popular newspaper or an academic journal, anyone who talks about China must talk about Zhou Hexuan. For the French In other words, Mr. Zhou is to China, just like Tagore is to India, which has the meaning of representing the country and the nation. Chinese students studying in France also regard Mr. Zhou as an idol, and their pride is beyond words..."
Zhang Boling finished his academic exchange at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris and met with some local overseas students before continuing south to Spain.
On the train, while reading the newspaper, Zhang Boling saw several articles mentioning Zhou Hexuan.
However, another piece of news caught Zhang Boling's attention even more. The title was "At the meeting of the League of Nations, I heard Chinese for the first time!" "
The League of Nations was the predecessor of the United Nations, and only two languages, English and French, were used to hold international conferences.
And just two days ago, Jiang Zuobin, the Chinese Minister to Germany and Austria, insisted on speaking in Chinese at the League of Nations meeting, which surprised many participants.
Even after the meeting was adjourned, the Japanese representative approached Jiang Zuobin and said respectfully: "I admire your courage very much. You can speak in your own language in the League of Nations. We in Japan will also learn from it in the future."
Sure enough, when the Japanese representatives meet in London next year, they will also speak in Japanese for the first time.
Jiang Zuobin, who first advocated using Chinese to speak internationally, is also a rare sober person. Now that the Soviet Union has broken off diplomatic relations with China, many people think that the Soviet Union is China's formidable enemy. But Jiang Zuobin shouted loudly: China's most dangerous enemy is Japan, and the whole country must be united and open their guns.
After reading the report, Zhang Boling happily wrote in his diary: "The Chinese language can be spoken in the League of Nations, and the Chinese are also respected in France. This is a sign of China's strength. We should make persistent efforts, work hard, and strive for self-improvement!"
At this moment, the Nobel Prize jury in Sweden is receiving a nomination form for Zhou Hexuan.
Candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature are only eligible to nominate several major specialized institutions and former Nobel Prize winners, and they must submit complete information about the other party.
Zhou Hexuan had no knowledge of this matter, he was nominated by the American writer Sinclair Lewis. And it was the American Publishing House that published "The Rise of the Great Powers" and "The Goddess" that helped Zhou Hexuan prepare the nomination materials.
The annual nomination deadline for the Nobel Prize in Literature is February 1. When Zhou Hexuan’s nomination information reached the Swedish Academy, it was already mid-January, and the deadline was less than half a month away.