Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 554 Literary Youth
It must be said that the secretary He Qingsheng arranged for Chen Fan was quite good. She never said anything unnecessary. If you wanted to do something, just give her an order, tell her the required results and standards, and she would execute it quickly.

Although these tasks are not difficult, just transmitting information and tracking processes, such high efficiency is already quite good for a newcomer.

With Bian Huifang's tireless efforts and the busy work of relevant departments of the Writers' Association, a week later, everything was ready and the east wind was blowing!

……

On the vast grassland, rows of yurts resemble white clouds resting on the grass, while in the distance, herds of cattle and sheep graze slowly.

In one of the largest yurts, Ning Jingmin held a textbook in his hands and read aloud to his students, word by word.

This is a "horseback primary school".

Since ancient times, herders on the vast grasslands have lived a nomadic life, rarely having a fixed place to live. Under such circumstances, the requirement from higher authorities to "popularize primary education and eliminate illiteracy" has become a major challenge.

Especially in winter, the grasslands are covered in heavy snow, making travel very inconvenient.

In the winter of 46, KSKTQ was blocked by heavy snow, and students couldn't even leave their homes, let alone go to school.

In order not to delay the children's studies, the teachers at KSKTQ came up with a solution: each teacher would take on a settlement and then ride horses to the students' homes to teach.

After this teaching method was quietly implemented locally for more than a decade, it finally gained local attention and was subsequently reported to higher authorities for promotion. This is how the "Horseback Elementary School" came to be.

By the mid-to-late 60s, these "horseback schools" or "tent schools" were becoming increasingly common, covering most pastoral areas, from Inner Mongolia to Qinghai and then to Xinjiang and Tibet.

In the summer, the production team's yurts were set up in areas where herders lived in concentrated numbers, serving as temporary school buildings.

For the children of herders who live scattered due to migration, teachers ride horses to the students' homes to teach, or group the students into groups and entrust others to manage and tutor them, while teachers travel around to teach them face-to-face.

The duration of the mobile teaching trip depends on the living conditions of the herders, and it can generally be done once every 7 to 8 days.

During the spring, autumn, and winter seasons, the herders live scattered and there are no fixed school buildings. The teachers rely entirely on riding horses to teach. When they arrive at a teaching point, they blow a conch shell. When the students nearby hear the conch shell, they gather together to attend class. Each class usually lasts for 3 to 4 hours.

Ning Jingmin was a teacher on horseback.

Originally from Shanghai, he went to the countryside in Inner Mongolia ten years ago as part of the wave of rural education. With his high school diploma, he successfully became a primary school teacher and was responsible for teaching students in the area.

After that, they got married, had children, and naturally settled down on the grasslands.

Here, he had no summer or winter vacations, only repeated migrations on horseback, like an old herdsman on the grassland, watching the children grow up little by little.

However, having loved literature since childhood, he always harbored a literary dream.

He took the college entrance exam last year and felt he did fairly well, but reality dealt him a heavy blow. To this day, he still hasn't received a university acceptance letter…not even a junior college.

He could only suppress his restless heart, continuing to ride his horse and teach with his textbook during the day, and burying himself in his studies at home at night, hoping to take the exam again this year and see if he could pass.

Even if it's just to get into a vocational school, I'd be happy to learn more about literature.

After reading a passage, I called on a few students for a spot check and found that they had almost mastered the material, so I switched to a different math textbook.

It's not easy to teach a class at Mabei Primary School, and he hopes to make the most of his time to teach more.

Just then, a faint shout came from outside.

Ning Jingmin listened intently; it sounded like his wife.
Why is she here?

He immediately put down his textbook, instructed the students to read the text again, and then lifted the curtain and went out.

As soon as I stepped out of the tent, I saw my wife riding a horse galloping towards me, and she seemed to be holding a newspaper in her hand.
Ning Jingmin unconsciously took a few quick steps forward, and the horse quickly ran up to him.

Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, his wife jumped down and excitedly handed him the newspaper. "The Jiangnan Writers Association is going to run a 'Literary Creation Correspondence Course' and is recruiting students nationwide. There are no other requirements except that you must be interested in literature, have a certain level of writing skills, and pay a 10 yuan registration fee to be admitted directly."

Ning Jingmin was taken aback at first, but quickly realized what was happening and grabbed the newspaper.

This is a copy of Wenhui Daily. As a former Shanghai educated youth, reading Wenhui Daily has become a part of his daily life.

But at this moment, his mind was not on the news and literary works he usually cared about. He grabbed the newspaper and quickly flipped through it. In just two or three seconds, his gaze was fixed on a square.

"The Jiangnan Writers Association has launched a correspondence course in literary creation to help literature enthusiasts realize their creative dreams!"

Ning Jingmin held the newspaper and read it carefully. When he saw the admissions brochure, his lips unconsciously curled into a smile. "He, He Qingsheng, Tan Yong, Guo Daorong... they are all famous writers in Jiangnan who often publish articles in 'Jiangnan Literature and Art'. They are actually teaching classes themselves?"

He suddenly looked up, his eyes shining as he looked at his wife, "It's true! No exam needed, you can just apply and get accepted! I can study literature too?!"

Looking at him, his wife felt a pang of sadness. She covered her mouth with her hand, took a breath, and smiled, "With these great writers teaching you, you'll definitely become a writer too!"

Ning Jingmin grinned and laughed heartily, "Whether I can become a writer or not is uncertain, I just want to fulfill a dream."

After laughing for a while, he suddenly realized something, looked down at the newspaper, and exclaimed, "Oh no, they're only hiring 2000 people?!"

His face was full of anxiety. "It takes at least ten days to send a letter from Inner Mongolia to Jiangnan. Their correspondence courses definitely select students based on the date the letter is received. What should we do? What should we do?"

Unable to think of a solution for a moment, he paced anxiously in circles.

The wife quickly said, "I've already thought about it on the way here. I'll go to the post office later to send a telegram to register, explain the situation, and then send the registration fee. That should save us time."

Ning Jingmin nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, we'll do it your way."

At this point, the expensive telegram fees were no longer a concern; securing a spot was the most important thing.

He gritted his teeth and glanced back at the yurt classroom. "I have class to attend and don't have time to go there. You should go and register me right away."

His wife smiled and said, "I'll take care of it."

After saying that, he mounted his horse, waved to him, turned his horse around, and galloped away.

Ning Jingmin held the newspaper in his hands, watching his wife's departing figure, his eyes filled with longing.

At the same time, countless applications were sent from all over the country to the provincial capital of Jiangnan.

……

Why does it say the limit is 2000 people?

He Qingsheng was puzzled and asked, holding the newspaper, "Didn't you say you were going to recruit 20000 people?"

Chen Fan had already led them through a simulation of the process.

This kind of correspondence education requires almost no effort. After a student registers, the correspondence center will mail them a set of learning materials, which are also the "textbooks" that students use regularly.

The textbook contains a wealth of practical information, including writing techniques, analysis of common problems for beginners, and adjustments to the writing mindset.

These were compiled by veteran writers and magazine editors, many of which were based on their own mistakes and pitfalls. Now, when summarized, they can solve 99% of the students' problems.

With this textbook full of practical information, a normal "literature enthusiast" with a high school education could very well write a formulaic article.

Although it is a standardized format, it meets the inclusion standards of county-level or regional publications. If someone is talented, they might be able to challenge themselves for provincial-level publications.

In addition, each student will have one or two face-to-face instruction opportunities.

The reason it's only once or twice is to divide it into stages.

The admission brochure states that there is only one opportunity, and every student can attend.

After the first face-to-face session, there will be a "final exam" from which a small number of outstanding students will be selected for a second face-to-face session, which can be considered an "extra" reward.

These outstanding students will naturally become a living advertisement for the correspondence course, laying a solid foundation for the next round of enrollment.

Moreover, face-to-face instruction is not too troublesome. Take the auditorium of the provincial capital's cultural palace as an example. It can accommodate two thousand people at a time, and ten large classes can cover the basic courses for all students, not to mention that there are several regional branch schools that can share the workload.

Therefore, after considering all factors, Chen Fan decided on a total enrollment of 2 students.

Even the Wenzhou-based "Literary Youth" magazine can attract 10,000 people at once. With such a large amount of resources poured into it, how could the Jiangnan Writers Association not be able to teach 20,000?
In Chen Fan's plan, the 20,000 students were just the beginning. After the first phase of teaching, they would summarize the lessons learned, optimize the teaching process, and increase the number of students to be enrolled in the future.

As for why the enrollment brochure only lists 2000 students?
Holding a general history of China, Chen Fan said without looking up, "Of course, we need to create a sense of urgency for those who want to apply. If you write that you're recruiting 20000 people, how many people will be in a hurry to apply?"

He Qingsheng glanced at him and couldn't help but click his tongue, "Cunning as a fox!"

Chen Fan still didn't look up. "That's called using strategies appropriately."

As soon as he finished speaking, he finally raised his head and held up the book in his hand, saying, "I learned all of this from our ancestors."

Tan Yong sat to the side, legs crossed, smoking, and asked curiously, "These things aren't in the general history, are they?"

Chen Fan sighed softly, "The teacher said that we can't just skim through history. We have to understand it thoroughly. So when reading general history, we also have to read related historical books and materials. Otherwise, it's a waste of time."

Even without Professor Xu's instructions, he had read many classical Chinese texts before, and this kind of use of wisdom was just something he did casually and was not worth mentioning.

Tan Yong watched Chen Fan reading intently and couldn't help but grin, "Old Xu is so meticulous!"

He paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "Where are you looking?"

Chen Fan continued reading intently. "This is just the beginning. First, I need to read the general history of China, and at the same time, I need to consult relevant historical materials. After that, there's the history of the Chinese language, the history of literature, phonology, and so much more."

He Qingsheng exclaimed from the side, "Old Xu is really trying to groom you into a great Confucian scholar!"

Chen Fan looked up at him, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Why does it sound a bit like gloating?

Then I continued to bury myself in my book.

These books may seem dry, but if you can get into them, they can be quite fascinating.

He preferred reading more than doing experiments in science and engineering.

At least you don't have to move. If there's nothing else to do, you can find a place to lie down for a day.

From this perspective, it basically meets his life requirement: to lie flat.

He Qingsheng put down the newspaper, lit another cigarette, stood up and walked a few steps. "Guess how many people will sign up?"

Tan Yong lay motionless on the sofa. "How could anyone have guessed? What we're doing now is truly unprecedented."

He flicked his cigarette ash, turned to look at Chen Fan, and smiled, "Back in the Republican era, many universities offered night school classes and correspondence courses, but most of them were only for local people and did not cross regions."

Previously, correspondence courses offered by universities across the country primarily recruited students from within their respective provinces. This time, however, we are recruiting nationwide. Even if each province only sends three to five hundred students, that still amounts to over ten thousand people.

As he spoke, he turned to look at Tan Yong, "Judging from the current circulation of literary journals in various provinces, you can't possibly believe that a province doesn't even have three or five hundred literature enthusiasts, can you?!"

He Qingsheng pursed his lips and nodded gently, "That makes sense."

He then looked up and smiled, "If the enrollment really meets expectations, even if only one percent of the 20000 students succeed, that's still 200 people."

If we could really train two hundred qualified writers, how many more manuscripts could we produce?!

Upon hearing this, Tan Yong couldn't help but laugh and said, "You're so afraid of being an editor-in-chief that you're afraid of not receiving suitable manuscripts."

He Qingsheng laughed heartily, "Who isn't? Apart from our Jiangnan Literature and Art magazine, which newspaper or magazine isn't worried about getting submissions?"

He walked to the sofa and sat down, then sighed with a smile, "To be honest, I receive quite a few submissions, but unfortunately, I'd be grateful if I could find even one out of hundreds that doesn't require much editing."

Tan Yong turned to Chen Fan and smiled, "Did you hear that? That's why Lao He favors you so much. So far, among all the new authors, only your manuscript doesn't need any revisions and can be proofread and published directly."

He paused slightly after speaking, then looked at Chen Fan and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Chen Fan was engrossed in his book when he heard the question. He slowly raised his head, looked at the two of them, and said, "Uncle He's words just now reminded me."

He Qingsheng blinked. "What did you say?"

Chen Fan put down his book, picked up a cigarette from in front of him, lit it, and said, "Is that so? The current situation is that various magazines are lacking suitable manuscripts, right?"

Seeing that He Qingsheng and Tan Yong were both nodding, he continued, "But this situation is caused by history. With the resumption of the college entrance examination, college students entering the campus, and our correspondence literary education center starting to enroll students, it is entirely foreseeable that, whether it is the 'academics' who come out of the university or the 'enthusiasts' who participate in correspondence training, there will be more and more authors who can write articles and write good articles."

He Qingsheng nodded slightly and smiled at Tan Yong, "That's how it is. In that case, it probably won't be long before we have enough manuscripts."

Tan Yong laughed heartily, "Back then, not only was there no shortage of manuscripts, but there were so many good ones that it was dazzling to choose from."

He Qingsheng seemed to see that day in his mind, his eyes shining, "When that time comes, it can be considered a revival of literature, right?!"

Chen Fan watched the two men getting happier and happier as they talked, and couldn't help but feel speechless. "I say, leaders, don't you have any other thoughts?"

The two women turned to look at him simultaneously, their eyes filled with confusion. "What are you thinking?"

Chen Fan gestured with both hands, "With so many manuscripts, you were overwhelmed by the choices, and then you selected the best of the best to publish. And then what?"

He looked at the two of them and said, "If there really comes a day when there are more and more literary authors and more and more manuscripts, will those articles that are left over but meet the publication standards just be wasted for nothing?"

At this moment, He Qingsheng finally realized what was happening and slapped his thigh, "We can start another publication!"

Tan Yong nodded in agreement, "I think it's a good idea."

Normally, each provincial writers' association branch would have one or more magazines under its jurisdiction. Generally speaking, the more popular a place is in terms of literary style, the more magazines it would have.

For example, the Shanghai Writers Association has publications such as "Sprout", "Harvest" and "Shanghai Literature and Art". Currently, apart from "Shanghai Literature and Art" which has officially resumed publication, the other two are also in the process of being prepared.

Since they can have multiple magazines, then the Jiangnan Writers Association certainly can too.

Having his secret exposed by Chen Fan, He Qingsheng immediately came to his senses and said while thinking, "A magazine should generally have a clear positioning. Jiangnan Literature and Art is an internal publication of the Writers Association, mainly for publishing members' articles and discovering new talents in the literary world."

As for the two magazines that had previously ceased publication, each had its own reasons. Given the current situation, resuming publication would be of little significance.

Tan Yong nodded and said, "Instead of resuming those two magazines, why not take the opportunity of the correspondence center to launch a new magazine?"

He Qingsheng tapped his head. "Select some outstanding works from the correspondence center students' articles and publish them in this new magazine. This magazine can be directly affiliated with the Writers Association, so it can be considered a provincial-level publication."

For these trainees, having their articles printed and published in provincial journals was undoubtedly a tremendous honor and source of encouragement.

Tan Yong threw away his cigarette butt. "The students' articles have a place to go. Our Writers Association has another publication, including 'Jiangnan Literature and Art,' which has many more manuscripts to choose from."

He looked up at Chen Fan and He Qingsheng, his face full of smiles, "The higher-ups can also earn more income. This is beneficial to everyone and is entirely feasible!"

He Qingsheng sat down next to Chen Fan, gently patted his shoulder, nodded with satisfaction, and smiled, "Not bad, not bad. Our Writers' Association needs talents like you. Suggest your ideas in the future, and I'll give you credit."

Chen Fan curled his lip, "It would be better to give us a few more bottles of good wine."

He Qingsheng immediately coughed and said seriously, "Now there is one last question. What do you think would be a good name for this new magazine?"

Tan Yong blinked and looked at Chen Fan.

Chen Fan picked up the book again, lowered his head and said, "Most of the students at the correspondence center are literary youths, so let's just call this magazine 'Literary Youth'."

He Qingsheng and Tan Yong exchanged a glance, silently repeated it twice in their minds, and nodded almost simultaneously, "I think it's okay."

(End of this chapter)