Indeed, as Du Yuesheng said, no matter how powerful the leaders of the Youth Gang are, they cannot enter the cultural and fashion circles. The salon of the French Consul General in Shanghai did not invite any gang members, and even if they came, they could only watch the door from the outside.
Zhou Hexuan was startled when he walked into the living room. Damn, this salon is too big. There are nearly thirty people. Even the spacious living room seems crowded.
In addition to the wives of consuls from various countries and Western celebrities in Shanghai, Zhou Hexuan also saw several familiar faces. For example, Xu Zhimo, Lu Xiaoman and his wife, Liang Desu, the editor-in-chief of the "Liangyou" pictorial, the painter Zhang Daqian, and Xu Beihong's wife Jiang Biwei (Xu Beihong)
Didn't come, he was studying wood carving in Jiangxi).
There was also an American female journalist, Smollett, who attracted special attention from Zhou Hexuan. She came to China as a reporter for the German "Frankfurter Zeitung". In fact, she belonged to the International Communist Party. Later data showed that she was probably a Soviet spy.
Also sitting on the sofa was an ordinary-looking woman named Zheng Yuxiu. Her husband had just become the mayor of Nanjing. She herself was also a member of the Central Legislative Council, the director of the Shanghai Judicial Office, and a member of the Shanghai Party Committee of the Kuomintang. This was in a "conservative" atmosphere.
"It was extremely rare in the Republic of China. It didn't matter if a woman was a writer, poet, painter, or activist, but she became an important politician in her own right.
Zheng Yuxiu's most famous deed is the "Rose Branch Incident". At that time, she was just a student studying in France. Because she was proficient in English and French, she was specially hired as the interpreter for the Chinese delegation at the Paris Peace Conference.
During the Paris Peace Conference, Foreign Minister Lu Zhengxiang received instructions from the Beiyang government and prepared to sign the traitorous contract. Zheng Yuxiu was so anxious that he broke off a rose branch in the garden, hid it in his sleeve to resist Lu Zhengxiang, and threatened: "If you want to sign,
My gun will never let you go." Lu Zhengxiang was frightened and did not dare to go to the Palace of Versailles, thus missing the signing time and thereby preserving China's right to take back Shandong in the future.
The most dazzling woman in the living room is probably Soong Meiling. She is currently in Shanghai raising funds for Chang Kaishen and often attends various celebrity gatherings. This time she was also invited by the wife of the French Consul General in Shanghai.
All the forces involved in the Central Plains War were short of money, and the Central Army was certainly no exception.
Just last month, Chang Kaishen was short of money and asked Song Ziwen for military expenses many times. Song Ziwen said with both hands: he had no money.
Soong Meiling begged her brother hard, but Soong Ziwen still refused to pay military expenses. In desperation, Soong Meiling handed over all the properties in her name to her brother and sold them, so Soong Ziwen tried every means to raise money.
Sitting next to Soong Meiling is Soong Ziwen's girlfriend Tang Ying. Tang Ying's brother is Soong Ziwen's friend and secretary. The two have been flirting with each other for a long time, but Tang's father opposed his daughter's association with Soong Ziwen, so they have not been able to get married.
Yes, after Song Ziwen was robbed of Zhang Leyi by Zhou Hexuan, he did not go back to find Miss Sheng Qi who had been waiting for him for more than ten years. Instead, he found a new love, Tang Ying.
Historically, Song Ziwen and Tang Ying had an extramarital affair. Later, Tang Ying's brother died (assassinated) because of Song Ziwen. Out of guilt, he gave up the idea of continuing to associate with Tang Ying, otherwise he might have become an extramarital lover.
Tang Ying was just in her early 20s at this time, she was young and beautiful, and in a few years she would become one of the top socialites in Shanghai, and would be known as the "Southern Tang and Northern Lu" along with Lu Xiaoman.
As soon as Zhou Hexuan appeared in the living room, Mrs. Gangelin took the lead in applauding: "Welcome Mr. Zhou to our salon!"
After a burst of applause, Song Meiling stepped forward with a smile, shook hands and said, "Hello, Mr. Zhou, I have long admired your name."
"Hello, Ms. Song, nice to meet you." Zhou Hexuan said with a smile, but he was thinking about the gossip between Zhang Xueliang and Song Meiling.
Everyone met and greeted each other. Zhou Hexuan sat on the couch on the right. Lida, the daughter of the French consul, took the initiative to come and sit next to Zhou Hexuan.
At first, everyone was chatting about the novel experiences in Shanghai. Mrs. Ganglin started to lead the conversation and turned to talk about French literature, talking about Hugo, Flaubert, Balzac, Alexandre Dumas and Xiao Dumas. Then Gong Gong was mentioned.
Gur Literary Award, and by the way, we discussed Zhou Hexuan's "The Goddess".
Zhang Daqian knew nothing about it and smiled and said nothing during the whole process. Xu Zhimo, Lu Xiaoman, Jiang Biwei and others talked non-stop. This is a field they are familiar with, and they commented on France's many literary awards one by one.
Xu Zhimo made no secret of his admiration for Zhou Hexuan and praised: "Whether it is in terms of content, subject matter, or plot, Brother Mingcheng's "The Goddess" is a masterpiece, and can be compared with Balzac."
Zhou Hexuan said modestly: "Zhimo is so complimentary, but I dare not compare with Mr. Balzac."
A young man named Li Nianzu laughed and said: "Speaking of Mr. Zhou, I just came back from the United States last month. The most popular thing in the United States now is "Titanic". Dramas, stage plays, musicals... various forms
It’s all there, and I heard that there are people who want to adapt Titanic into an opera.”
"Is "Titanic" a masterpiece by a famous writer? Why haven't I heard of it?" Tang Ying suddenly interjected and asked.
"I know, I know," French Consul Qian Jinlida held up the English version of "Titanic." "This is Mr. Zhou's latest work, which is called the most classic love story of the early 20th century by American critics."
Song Meiling said with a smile: "It turns out that Mr. Zhou's works are so popular in the United States. I will definitely read this book when I come back."
"It's an honor." Zhou Hexuan said.
Song Meiling seemed to have heard her husband mention the relationship between Zhou Hexuan and Zhang Xueliang. She suddenly asked: "Mr. Zhou is knowledgeable about the past and present, and has a good understanding of both China and the West. What do you think of the current war situation?"
Zhou Hexuan asked with a smile: "Mrs. Jiang, do you want to hear the truth or lies?"
"Of course it's the truth." Song Meiling said.
"It's a complete mess." Zhou Hexuan said.
"What a mess?" Song Meiling asked again.
Seeing everyone watching him, Zhou Hexuan smiled helplessly: "This war was undoubtedly started by Commander-in-Chief Chiang. All forces are overdrawing China's national power and fighting the largest civil war since the late Qing Dynasty.
.The Central Army was beaten to a complete mess, and the local coalition forces were also beaten to a mess. If Feng Yuxiang's "great achievements in shaking the master" had not aroused Yan Xishan's fear, the Central Army would have been driven out of Henan and Shandong. Once the local coalition forces attacked Jiangsu and Anhui
, Commander-in-Chief Chiang’s only option was to electrify him and leave the field. Fortunately, Yan Xishan was short-sighted and had no magnanimity at all, and now the two sides have reached a deadlock."
Song Meiling asked: "Which side does Mr. Zhou think can win?"
Zhou Hexuan said: "I can only say that there are too many internal conflicts in the local coalition forces and there is no hope of victory."
"Mr. Zhou thinks the Central Military Army will win?" Song Meiling said happily.
"That's all." Zhou Hexuan shrugged.
Mrs. Gangelin suddenly interrupted: "Today we will not talk about politics, only art and literature."
Xu Zhimo said: "I like Brother Mingcheng's recent song "Far and Near" very much. You, look at me for a while, and look at the clouds for a while. I feel that when you look at me, I am far away, and when you look at the clouds, you are very close. Write
It’s so beautiful and thought-provoking.”
"It's not as good as Brother Zhimo's "Farewell Cambridge." Zhou Hexuan and Xu Zhimo praised each other.
Smollett suddenly said: "Mr. Zhou, Professor Toynbee has recently published two historical papers in succession. He said they were co-authored with you. Can you talk about this?"
"Of course," Zhou Hexuan said with a smile, "Mr. Toynbee calls this series of papers "Historical Research," and I prefer to call it "History of Human Civilization." There are hundreds of countries, large and small, in the world. We
It can be divided according to different civilizations. For example, East Asia belongs to the Ming Dynasty, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other countries, which are all branch civilizations of the Ming Dynasty. Each civilization has common laws of origin, growth, decline and disintegration. The existing major countries can be summarized
There are three models, namely the Greek model, the Chinese model and the Jewish model..."
Zhou Hexuan talked about human civilization, which was a relatively new concept to everyone. Since the audience was a novice in history, Zhou Hexuan tried his best to explain things in a simple and easy-to-understand way. He did not use jargon that was difficult to pronounce, but only cited interesting examples of various civilizations and put them into context.
Tell it as a historical story.
For example, the Greek city-states and the fall of the Roman Empire are of great interest to the foreigners here. If you throw in a few anecdotes about Plato and Socrates, you can immediately win the audience.
Salons, belonging to the upper class, are also the best way to become famous.
Zhou Hexuan completely became the protagonist of this salon. As soon as everyone who attended the party went back to spread the word, Zhou Hexuan's reputation was immediately resounding in Shanghai's marine and cultural circles.
Smollett later wrote in "Oriental Insights": "He (Zhou Hexuan) is the darling of the salon. He talks loudly about the most cutting-edge historical academic views, but he can make people who have no understanding of history listen with gusto.
.He has a kind of temperament, just like the sun is shining and heating, no one can ignore his existence..."
