Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 76 The Poetry Gathering Causes Trouble (Please Read Further)
On Sunday afternoon, the May Fourth Literary Society's poetry recital began at 3 p.m. The four dormitory students changed into clean clothes and went to the large classroom where the poetry recital was being held. It was Liu Yimin's first time attending, but he knew the general procedure.

A group of artistic young people talk about poetry and literature, and if they get into it, they might recite a few poems. Once everyone has had their turn to perform, it's about time to end the discussion.

Liu Yimin followed behind Liu Zhenyun and the other two. They had been here several times and had become familiar with the place. The Chinese literature students didn't recognize him but had come over to see him. Only many students from outside the school and those outside the department had never seen Liu Yimin before.

However, when Liu Zhenyun loudly proclaimed that he was Liu Yimin, everyone came over to shake his hand.

"Jiang Ming'an, Class of '77, Department of Law!"

"Guo Xiaocong, Class of '77, Chinese Literature Department!"

Liu Yimin greeted everyone one by one, but there were so many people that some people forgot about him as soon as he greeted them.

The four of them found a place to sit down. Liu Zhenyun glanced at the crowd and said regretfully, "No one's here!"

He didn't come? I wanted to see him. Liu Yimin had no choice but to accept his fate.

Today's poetry gathering is special than usual, as we've invited Zou Huofan from the poetry journal to give a lecture, mainly on poetry writing. Who among us can say they haven't submitted a piece to the journal? Very few have had their work accepted, and everyone is eagerly anticipating it, notebooks in hand.

Led by Chen Jiangong, Zou Huofan entered the classroom and immediately spotted Liu Yimin lurking in the corner. He nodded to him as a greeting. Chen Jiangong raised an eyebrow; he was quite surprised that his junior brother had come.

I still owe "Weiming Lake" a manuscript!

Zou Huofan gave a lecture at the poetry gathering, and afterwards he received a large bag of submissions. Liu Zhenyun and a few others also pulled out crumpled submissions from their pockets.

"Jiangong, you guys continue. I'll listen from the side and feel the energy and creative enthusiasm of the young people!" Zou Huofan said to Chen Jiangong, then walked over to Liu Yimin.

The publication of "Today" magazine undoubtedly ignited the creative enthusiasm of many students. Everyone began to talk about the poems published in "Today," and some of the poems gave them the feeling that they could do the same.

"Baseness is the passport of the base, nobility is the epitaph of the noble!" A student whose name Liu Yimin had forgotten after his introduction recited Bei Dao's "Answer" loudly at the poetry gathering.

"Comrade Zou Huofan is coming towards us! Could it be that my poem has passed his discerning eye?" Li Xueqin excitedly tugged at Liu Yimin's arm as Zou Huofan approached.

As they drew closer, the three of them grew nervous, wondering how they should respond when Zou Huofan spoke to them.

Zou Huofan and the three others extended their hands at the same time. Seeing this, Zou Huofan was taken aback, but he still shook hands with them very naturally. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he fixed his gaze on Liu Yimin: "Where is your manuscript?"

"Comrade Zou, please spare me. I have two pockets, the left one is empty and the right one is empty too."

"Just kidding, you joined the literary society too?" Zou Huofan asked.

Liu Yimin found a seat for Zou Huofan and said to him with a smile, "I had nothing to do, so I came to visit. I didn't expect you to come today. If I had known, I would have come earlier."

Zou Huofan chuckled and patted Liu Yimin's forearm: "You, you write well with this hand and you speak well with this mouth. When you came, Lao Ma told me that he would drink with you when you were free."

"I'll go see Lao Ma again in a while; it's too cold!"

The three people next to them watched the two of them chatting and laughing, feeling incredibly envious. They thought, "They can even drink with the editor?"
"What do you think of the magazine 'Today' that Bei Dao and his team have put together?"

"Some of them are pretty good."

"Yes, some are quite good. Your words have come true. Their inaugural issue even specifically pointed out and criticized the older generation of poets. Bei Dao is arrogant, but which older generation poet didn't start out young? Take Mr. Ai Qing, for example. In his youth, he was also passionate in his writing, calling for the salvation of the country. Zang Kejia's 'Some People' is a masterpiece that has been passed down through the ages."

Liu Yimin understood what Zou Huofan meant. Arrogance is not a flaw for literati; in fact, it can be a source of amusement. But are the older generation of poets really outdated?
"Liu Yimin, could you talk about 'Today' magazine? As a representative of the new generation of young poets, what are your thoughts on the inaugural address of 'Today'?"

As the two were chatting, a sudden voice interrupted their conversation. Looking up, they couldn't find who had spoken. The entire poetry gathering fell silent because of this one sentence, and everyone's eyes were focused on Liu Yimin.

Before he could even speak, thunderous applause erupted. Zou Huofan smiled smugly and whispered in Liu Yimin's ear, "Now he has no choice but to speak!"

"Do you have any sense of seniority?" Liu Yimin sneered.

"Young comrade, I've long considered you a close friend despite our age difference!"

"Tell us about it, you're our representative from Yanda University," someone urged impatiently.

A few girls who arrived late were standing on tiptoe to look at Liu Yimin. They were so late that they couldn't even squeeze into the classroom and could only stand on tiptoe at the door.

“I saw it, I saw it, it looks very young.”

"Let me take a look, let me take a look, lift me up a bit."

"Oh dear, I can't see him! The old man's face is blocking the view!"

"Oh, this old comrade..."

Liu Yimin took a step forward and said with a smile, "Who asked that question just now? It was a very pointed question, and you could easily get scolded if you weren't careful."

A girl across from him raised her hand and gave him a shy smile: "Liu Yimin, I'm a journalism major. What do you think about the idea of ​​a new era in poetry?"

"You have the potential to be a journalist."

"Hahaha!"

"I think the essence of poetry lies in using concise language to express the poet's feelings at this moment or the events happening around them. If it has substance and emotion and can be understood and recognized by the reader, then it is good poetry. It has nothing to do with whether it is old or new. Bai Juyi said that poetry is written for the times and events. Different times and different backgrounds result in different poems. I like the poems of the older generation, but that doesn't stop me from liking Bei Dao's 'Answer'."

"Who do you think represents the new generation of poets, you or Bei Dao?"

"Intentionally stirring up trouble, huh?" Liu Yimin looked at the female journalism student, already having grasped quite a bit of the essence of the traffic-obsessed mentality of later generations.

“If you say that, everyone in the room will disagree. We are gathered here because we love poetry. We are all poets. There is no distinction between big and small poets. Even if we are not now, we will be in the future. As for who is the representative, it is not up to me to decide, but up to the readers.”

The girl who asked the question blushed and lowered her head, and applause erupted in the classroom again.

"Well said! We've gathered here because we love poetry!"

"It doesn't matter if a poet is a great poet or a small poet!"

Liu Yimin's words were especially helpful to those who struggled to get their poems accepted. After all, what they were fighting so hard for was nothing more than a sense of identity. You could tell just by looking at the expressions on the faces of the three people in the dorm.

From now on, if anyone says they can't publish poetry and therefore aren't a poet, just quote Comrade Liu Yimin to refute them: "As long as I love it, then I am a poet!"
"Slippery!" Zou Huofan clapped his hands and pouted at Liu Yimin. Liu Yimin never offended anyone when he spoke.

At the classroom door, eight girls were standing on tiptoe, their legs almost cramping. Chu Hong excitedly said to the girls behind her, "Listen to this! Liu Yimin is absolutely right!"

"What did they say? I didn't hear clearly, I just heard applause."

The commotion of the eight people made the students in front turn around and look, saying impatiently, "Why don't you go in?"

"Okay, thank you so much, classmate! All of you students at Yanda University are amazing!"

(End of this chapter)