Mr. Zhang Boling, the founder of Nankai University, was giving a speech in French on the stage: "There is huge resistance to China's ideological and cultural reform. As for wearing suits, I am very surprised by the modern Western-style dress of Filipinos. They
Wearing the most fashionable European clothes, I looked very comfortable. Compared with them, the Chinese were far behind, and there were many people wearing long robes and mandarin jackets. I was shocked, and after thinking for a long time, I suddenly realized. The thing is actually very simple: in the past, Filipinos did not
Without clothes, they all walked around naked. If someone gave them clothes to wear, they would wear them naturally..."
"Hahahaha..." The French guys in the audience burst into laughter.
Zhang Boling continued: "The Chinese are different. Since ancient times, the Chinese have tailored their clothes according to their own methods, convenience and temperament. In this way, clothes always conform to the Chinese people and suit the Chinese people. Once they wear Western clothes,
, I feel very awkward and not as comfortable as the Japanese and Filipinos. The same is true for culture and thought. Even in the modernization issues directly influenced by the West, the Chinese have maintained their own traditions and habits... learn from foreign cultures.
It can help us handle international relations well and maintain China's due international status, but we must also pay attention to the many limitations of foreign culture, and we must not let foreign culture become the soul of the national spirit... For this reason, Chinese youth must not forget their roots and only fully
Only by understanding the history of one's country can one love the history of one's country, and only then can one be involved in the trend of national development and bring beneficial innovations instead of damaging national culture!"
"Pah, pah, pah!"
There was thunderous applause, and the French and Chinese students present clapped their hands enthusiastically.
When Zhang Boling finished his speech, Ducard, the president of the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, shook hands with him enthusiastically and said: "Mr. Zhang, your speech was very humorous and vivid, and I admire your patriotic sentiment very much!"
"You are so polite," Zhang Boling said, "I would also like to thank your school for taking care of Chinese students."
Dukar smiled and said: "Chinese students are very hardworking, they are the best students in the world."
During the Republic of China, especially in the 1920s, there were very many Chinese students studying in France, second only to the United States.
Because many schools in France are free of tuition, and the French population dropped sharply after World War I, a large number of cheap workers are 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 shipping 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 are pouring into France like crazy. The youngest is only 10 years old and the oldest is 54 years old (female). Their learning environment is extremely difficult, they do the cheapest and hardest work, and they have to work in
I work hard to learn knowledge.
Many leaders of our party have experience of work-study studies in France. I won’t mention their specific names.
Why was Li Shizeng so influential in the educational circles of the Republic of China?
It is because he played an important role in studying in France. He not only organized activities for studying in France with Cai Yuanpei and others, but also opened a tofu shop in France to create jobs for international students.
As for Zhang Boling's trip to Europe this time, he mainly came to raise funds for Nankai University and also attended the Geneva International Education Conference as a representative of China.
After chatting with Chinese students for a while, Dukar suddenly asked: "Mr. Zhang, do you know Mr. Zhou Hexuan? He is a famous Chinese thinker."
"Of course we do, my student happens to be cooperating with the radio station he founded." Zhang Boling said with a smile.
Zhang Boling's trip to raise funds for running a school started in the Northeast. He cheated Zhang Xueliang out of 200,000 yuan. Then he followed the Siberian Railway to the Soviet Union, then went south from the Soviet Union through Germany, and then came to France. He was also planning to visit Spain.
Since arriving in France, no matter who Zhang Boling dealt with, the other party would always ask about Zhou Hexuan, which surprised him.
Zhang Boling only learned after reading the newspaper that Zhou Hexuan's novels and academic works were popular throughout France during this period and had become the most familiar Chinese to French people.
Zhang Boling wrote in his travel notes about Europe that he sent back to China a few days ago: "I am surprised by Mr. Zhou's popularity in France. Regardless of popular newspapers or academic journals, anyone who talks about China must talk about Zhou Hexuan. For the French,
In other words, Mr. Zhou is to China what Rabindranath Tagore is to India, representing the country and the nation. Chinese students studying in France also regard Mr. Zhou as their idol, and their pride is beyond words..."
Zhang Boling completed academic exchanges at the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris and met some local international students before continuing south to Spain.
On the train, while Zhang Boling was reading the newspaper, he saw several articles mentioning Zhou Hexuan.
However, another piece of news attracted Zhang Boling's attention even more, titled "At the League of Nations meeting, I heard Chinese for the first time!"
The League of Nations is the predecessor of the United Nations, and international conferences are held only in English and French.
Just two days ago, China's Minister to Germany and Austria, Jiang Zuobin, insisted on speaking in Chinese at the League of Nations meeting, which surprised many participants.
Even after the meeting ended, the Japanese representative went to Jiang Zuobin and said respectfully: "I admire your courage very much for being able to speak in your own language in the League of Nations. We in Japan will also learn from it in the future."
Sure enough, when a Japanese representative meets in London next year, he will speak in Japanese for the first time.
Jiang Zuobin, who pioneered the use of Chinese to speak out internationally, is also a rare sober person. Now that the Soviet Union has severed diplomatic relations with China, many people think that the Soviet Union is China's strong enemy. However, Jiang Zuobin loudly declared: China's most dangerous enemy is Japan.
The whole country must unite and keep its guns pointed at the outside world.
After reading the report, Zhang Boling happily wrote in his diary: "The Chinese language can speak in the League of Nations, and the Chinese are respected in France. This is a sign of China's strength. We should continue our efforts, work hard, and constantly strive for self-improvement!"
At this moment, the Nobel Prize for Literature jury in Sweden is receiving a nomination form for Zhou Hexuan.
Candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature, only several major specialized institutions and former Nobel Prize winners are eligible for nomination, and complete information must be submitted by each other.
Zhou Hexuan had no knowledge of this matter. He was nominated as a candidate by the American writer Sinclair Lewis. The person who helped Zhou Hexuan prepare the nomination materials was the American publishing house responsible for publishing "The Rise of the Great Powers" and "The Goddess".
The deadline for nomination of candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature every year is February 1. When Zhou Hexuan’s nomination information was sent to the Swedish Academy, it was already mid-January, less than half a month before it expired.
