"Which Road We Take" is Hu Shi's last article against the Kuomintang. In the article, he proposed the "Five Ghosts Chaos Theory" and shouted: (China) must eradicate poverty, disease, ignorance, corruption and
Disrupt the five major enemies.
Then, there is no more...
The poetry magazine "Crescent Moon" was ordered to stop printing, the Crescent Moon Bookstore was closed down, and Hu Shi went abroad for "study tours" in despair.
Fortunately, Hu Shi had a good personal relationship with Chang Kaishen and his wife, so the Kuomintang did not actually order his arrest. After Hu Shi left China, the "Crescent" poetry magazine and the Crescent Bookstore also resumed normal operations.
Originally, Hu Shi was planning to go to Europe, but after receiving telegrams from his friends Zhang Pengchun and Mei Lanfang, he changed his route to the United States via the Pacific, staying in Japan for a few days on the way.
Mei Lanfang's US tour is still not over yet. Audiences are crazy about it wherever he goes, and he receives invitations to perform from theaters in various states every day.
In Seattle, three old friends meet again.
"Heming, Laojiu, I heard that you are doing very well in the United States." Hu Shi said with a smile.
Mei Lanfang thanked him and said, "Thanks to Mr. Shizhi for his help."
Before Mei Lanfang went to the United States, he specially asked Hu Shi to plan and help him introduce American customs and customs, the appreciation habits of American people, the layout and scenery of American theaters, etc. Hu Shi was even involved in the selection of performances.
Hu Shi waved his hand and said, "I just said casually, I didn't expect you guys to do such a good job."
"No matter how hard we try, Mr. Zhou won't be in the limelight," Zhang Pengchun said with a smile, taking out a newspaper, "please read it when you can."
This is a copy of the New York Times, in which the culture section reports a full-page report on the grand performance of "Titanic": ""Titanic" saved Broadway, and the depressed theaters became prosperous again because of this play, and people competed for it.
This is a classic love story that took place on a big ship, and many theaters on the verge of bankruptcy were brought back to life."
In addition to the performance evaluation of "Titanic", there are also related news below. For example, the great American national playwright O'Neill sued six Broadway theaters in one go, demanding a public apology and payment of screenwriting fees.
Don't think that Americans respect copyrights and patents. There are endless infringements these days. Broadway is a hot spot for copyright disputes, and various literary and artistic works are arbitrarily adapted. Most of the time, the original authors are not even acknowledged.
Hu Shi quickly read all the news on this page. He laughed and said: "Mingcheng is really awesome. Everyone has left, but the Americans are still crazy about him. Is this "Titanic" his new work? I really want to go
See it with your own eyes at the theater.”
Mei Lanfang said: "This play has not yet been staged here in Seattle. The only way to do it is to go to Broadway."
"I'm about to go to New York," Pengchun Chang said. "The Chinese American Association can definitely rehearse "Titanic"."
"This is a good idea." Hu Shi praised. He and Pengchun Chang are both founders of the Chinese American Association in New York, which aims to enhance folk cultural exchanges between China and China. "Titanic" is indeed a good tool.
The matter was quickly settled, and Hu Shi and Chang Pengchun went to New York together. Mei Lanfang went to Japan after his performance in Seattle, and Japan was already looking forward to him.
Pengchun Zhang will not return to China in the next few years. He has accepted an invitation from the University of Chicago and will be a professor in the summer.
To be honest, Zhang Pengchun is one of the masters of the Republic of China who has been forgotten by later generations. Any one of his deeds is enough to make him famous. This man is the younger brother of Zhang Boling, the founder of Nankai University. When he was the provost of Tsinghua University, he promoted Tsinghua University to be officially upgraded to a university.
.He was also the teacher of the famous playwright Cao Yu. After Cao Yu wrote "Thunderstorm", the first thing he did was to ask Zhang Pengchun for guidance and correction.
Pengchun Zhang did not go to the United States in vain. He helped Mei Lanfang conduct a tour, and then went to the University of Chicago to be a professor, and actively promoted cultural exchanges between China and the United States.
In 1939, Zhang Pengchun established the "Committee for Non-participation in Japanese Aggression" in the United States and successfully lobbied the U.S. Congress, prompting it to pass the "Economic Sanctions Against Japan". After the victory of the anti-fascist war, the United Nations established the Human Rights Commission, whose chairman was Roosevelt's widow, E.
Lenore (nominee), while Zhang Pengchun is the sole vice-chairman (actual person in charge) of the United Nations Human Rights Commission and led the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Knowing this, you will understand why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains so much Confucian thought.
The word "conscience" that appears in its preface is actually the Confucian "benevolence", but unfortunately it was misinterpreted during the translation process. There is also a part about social and economic rights, which comes from the great harmony thought of "the world is for the common good".
At that time in 1947, it was incredible that a Chinese could preside over the United Nations Human Rights Commission and also successfully coordinate the conflicts between the two major camps in the world. Zhang Pengchun was fully qualified to win the Nobel Peace Prize based on his contribution.
John Humphrey, then Director of the United Nations Human Rights Division, praised Pengchun Chang as a "master of the art of compromise." Because at that time, capitalist countries and communist countries were at odds with each other, and various contradictions made it difficult for the Human Rights Commission to carry out its work. However, these difficulties were overcome
Zhang Pengchun coordinated the solution.
At the end of April, Hu Shi and Zhang Pengchun came to New York.
On the day they arrived, they went to Broadway, bought tickets and entered the Holland Theater to watch a show.
At first, Hu Shi lamented that Broadway was deserted and was not as prosperous as it was a few years ago. But when they arrived at the Holland Theater, they were shocked that they actually had to queue up to buy tickets.
The auditorium was full, and Hu Shi and Chang Pengchun managed to squeeze into their seats. The audience around them were discussing the excitement of "Titanic" in low voices.
When the heroine appeared, someone suddenly shouted "Rose", and the audience burst into warm applause.
Hu Shi was surprised and said: "These audiences are so enthusiastic that they don't care about the etiquette of appreciating dramas."
"I can only say that "Titanic" is too popular." Zhang Pengchun said with a smile.
Hu Shi watched quietly. It was not until the performance was over that he couldn't help but stand up and applaud enthusiastically.
No audience left early, and they were all waiting for the actors to come out for the curtain call. When the male and female protagonists appeared, the audience spontaneously stood up, and the applause was mixed with wild shouts and shouts.
"Rose!"
"Jack!"
"you_jump, i_jump!"
"King of the world!"
"..."
The applause was even crazier than during the premiere, and actually lasted for nearly 10 minutes. The actors were unable to leave after multiple curtain calls, and many audience members ran up to present flowers and gifts.
Pengchun Chang is a master of drama. He lamented: "No wonder "Titanic" is so popular. This drama is so successful. Whether it is the performance arrangement or the story, it is a world-class work."
Hu Shi said with a smile: "With just one "Titanic", Mingcheng can be called a great writer."