Chapter 7 Quit the rivers and lakes

Jin Yong once said: "When I write editorials, it's a portrait, when I write a novel, it's about beauty, and Buddhism reveals the good. Truth, goodness and beauty are a complete spiritual pursuit." Jin Yong is an all-rounder, he has insight into all kinds of strange things in life, joys, sorrows and joys.He was able to quietly retire at the most glorious moment of his creation, announcing that he would no longer write martial arts.As early as the mid-1980s, he said that he would retire from Ming Pao. At the end of 1991, Jin Yong made an astonishing decision: to sell part of the shares he owned in "Ming Pao" and transfer the control of "Ming Pao".

In fact, Jin Yong had already had the idea of ​​selling Ming Pao. In 1985, he approached the world-renowned newspaper tycoon, the Australian Murdoch. At that time, Mohs was willing to pay HK$1.1 billion for the full acquisition of Ming Pao by the old Hong Kong English newspaper South China Morning Post under his own name. ".Later, the matter ended for some reason.Since then, newspaper groups have been negotiating with "Ming Pao" about mergers and acquisitions. Finally, on December 11, 1991, Jin Yong and the board of directors of Hong Kong Zhicai Group jointly announced that Zhicai’s plan to acquire Ming Pao was initially realized.

On January 1, 1994, Jin Yong retired completely. At the end of 1993, the board of directors of Ming Pao issued the following announcement: This notice not only announced the news of the retirement of a generation of newspaper tycoon Cha Liangyong, but also made a concise review and pertinent evaluation of the Ming Pao business he founded, full of the respect and love of Ming Pao colleagues for Jin Yong. Jin Yong retained about 25% of the shares in Ming Pao Group, and he planned to sell them in batches until the end of 1996.why is it like this?He replied: "I can't sell it all at once in the market. It will depress the stock price. It's bad for the company, myself, and intellectuals. Such an arrangement has absolutely nothing to do with politics. My house is being renovated and rebuilt. It costs a lot, and if I hadn't been optimistic about 1997, I certainly wouldn't have rebuilt my old house, it would be stupid to spend a lot of money on rebuilding."

Obviously, "Ming Pao" has invested in other sects.In this way, Jin Daxia is bound to become a lonely family. Does this mean that the great sect created by Daxia, which has shaken the world and been famous for decades, like Qiu Qianren's Iron Palm Gang in his writing, has since disappeared from the world? A real man acts with his true colors.Therefore, he can write martial arts, can describe the world, can create "Ming Pao", can seal his pen and go into seclusion, and can sell "Ming Pao". Jin Yong said affectionately: "Ming Pao is my lifelong career and reputation, and it is my responsibility to the society, to my friends, and to my colleagues."

So why did he sell Ming Pao?Let's listen to his own explanation. One is that I am old, so I have to make arrangements for the newspaper as soon as possible. On the 30th anniversary of the founding of Ming Pao in 1986, he announced that he would no longer be the president, and only visited the newspaper office once or twice a week. "My energy is gradually declining. If I continue to be in power, the company and newspapers will age." Jin Yong said: "I should make a long-term plan while my mind is still clear, so that the life of newspapers, weekly and monthly magazines will be longer than that of the newspapers. My personal life is much longer." It is not difficult to see that this is the old wise man speaking from the heart.

The second is to agree to St. Anthony's College, Oxford University, to be an honorary academician at the professor level and give lectures. At the end of 1992, Oxford University accepted Jin Yong as a visiting scholar, which made Jin Yong very happy.He said that he dreamed of going to Oxford or Cambridge to study when he was in middle school, but he didn't expect this wish to come true in his later years, and he went to give lectures!Although Jin Yong repeatedly told people that going to the UK was neither an immigrant, nor did he sell Ming Pao for this reason, but people can also see some connections from it.

The third is to introduce capital and management vitality to Ming Pao. As a listed company, "Ming Pao" has to take a lot of investment risks. Jin Yong is a steady person, and he will not take pleasure in betting like Wei Xiaobao. Yu Pinhai, the buyer of "Ming Pao", also repeatedly said: "Jin Yong is a cultural person, and he does not want to see "Ming Pao" take risks." In order to relieve the pressure on Ming Pao. The fourth is to pursue "being light without an official".When talking about losing control of "Ming Pao", Jin Yong said: "My desire for power is very indifferent. I think it is a great joy in life to be free and unattended." Jin Yong further explained this chic outlook on life: "The ones I admire the most are Fan Li and Zhang Liang, who retired after their achievements and drifted away. The male protagonists in my martial arts novels, Chen Jialuo, Yuan Chengzhi, Guo Jing, Yang Guo, Zhang Wuji, Linghu Chong, and Wei Xiaobao, are all masters. After making a lot of noise, he quietly retreated."

It seems that Jin Daxia's ambition to return to seclusion is by no means a child's play. Jin Yong made a careful challenge to the buyer of "Ming Pao". He was unwilling to acquire the company of "Ming Pao" purely out of business, rather than having a dedication and sense of responsibility to journalism.He has successively negotiated with eleven organizations, the famous ones are "South China Morning Post" under Murdoch's name, Maxwell's "Mirror" Group, Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" Group and Japan's "Tokyo Times" Group Waiting, but finally chose Zhicai Group.In addition to not being able to bear to sell "Ming Pao" to foreigners, it is also because Yu Pinhai, the head of Zhicai Group, has good personal conditions.

Yu Pinhai was less than 40 years old at the time and was born in Hong Kong. He went to Canada to study at university in 1976 and returned to Hong Kong in 1979. He worked as a translator and editor for "Financial Daily" under the name of "Ming Pao". In 1985, he founded Zhicai Company, which became a school of his own. Yu Pinhai admitted: "Ming Pao under the leadership of Jin Yong has the highest status in Hong Kong." He made it clear: "I can say with certainty that we will not interfere with the editorial policy of "Ming Pao." Talking about Jin Yong In Ming Pao's position, Yu Pinhai said: "Although I have done news, compared with someone who has been doing it for decades, I can't catch up with a horse." He also said: "We hope that he can continue to Policies dealing with the work of the newspaper, especially the editorial and reporting departments."

In the short term, Jin Yong probably still has influence on Ming Pao. However, the sale of "Ming Pao" was not an isolated event. It reflected the state of mind and encounters of Jin Yong, the "leader of martial arts" and "hero of the newspaper industry" in his later years, as well as his lifelong ideals and pursuits. Jin Yong claimed to be very old. "Lian Po is old, can he still eat?" At the age of seventy, Jin Yong could still go to England to give lectures, he could still go north to the capital to talk about the future of China with senior leaders of the Communist Party of China, he could still write editorials, and he could still publish an English book every year. Current affairs commentary collection, is it old?Jin Yong's sword is obviously not old. For example, Zhou Botong's kung fu in his later years is better than his early years.

As the founder of "Ming Pao", selling "Ming Pao" with his own hands, he can't help but feel a sense of desolation. Jin Yong replied to the reporter: "I can't bear it. I just looked at the old photos of Ming Pao, and my tears flowed. Some old colleagues have passed away. I really can't bear it. I have deep feelings for the old colleagues of "Ming Pao". When Mr. Yu Pinhai joined , I made it clear to him that the eight words of "tolerance is great, and no desire is strong" still apply to the policy of "Ming Pao" in the future. The goodwill of "Ming Pao" is the biggest asset of "Ming Pao". The editorial policy of "Ming Pao" must not be changed. Mr. Yu is a very smart person, he will not do this, so he can be trusted. You know it best, Mr. Yu did not interfere with the editorial policy of "Ming Pao". In fact, " Not only has Ming Pao’s sales volume set a record in the 34 years since it was founded, its advertising has set a record, and its stock price has also set a record. What else am I not satisfied with? Retirement is entirely a matter of age. If I were the same age as Mr. Yu, I will definitely not quit, and I will not sell the stake in Ming Pao if I am given ten times the price." What will Jin Yong do after retirement?Where will you go? He said that he has two plans, one is to write historical novels, and the other is to do some research work. For historical novels, he will draw materials from Wuyue in the Spring and Autumn Period and historical facts in the Han and Tang Dynasties.The Han and Tang Dynasties were the greatest periods in China, and the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods were the golden age of Chinese thought. The historical figures at that time were generous, bold, and open-minded.Jin Yong still has Chinese roots in his heart. Oxford University's St. Anthony (St. Anthony's College) and Maugdalen (Modanlun College) awarded him honorary academician and visiting scholar respectively.Peking University awarded him the honor of honorary professor and invited him to give lectures in April and May of 1994, mainly on Chinese history and novels.He is also hired as an adjunct professor at British Columbia University in Vancouver, where he occasionally lectures. Jin Yong is a man, he writes novels and articles, and he reveals his demeanor as a scholar everywhere.Perhaps, he is a scholar at heart.In the quiet twilight years, will he dedicate a few heavy academic works to readers, especially will he write down his years of studying Buddhist scriptures, so that readers can share that wisdom and feelings? Jin Yong grew up in the beautiful mountains and rivers and rich cultural environment of the Hangjiahu Plain. In his blood, the blood of Jiangnan culture flows.He has stated many times that after retirement he hopes to build a small house by the West Lake in Hangzhou to satisfy his attachment and longing for his hometown. His hometown, Haining, is close to Hangzhou, only one hour away by car, and historically belonged to the prefecture of Hangzhou.Jin Yong himself also went to middle school in this city and worked as a reporter. The beauty of Hangzhou was described by Liu Yong, a poet in the Song Dynasty: Jin Yong also described the West Lake in Hangzhou in his first martial arts novel: Jin Yong has been traveling for decades, how often does the scenery of the West Lake fall into his dreams?When I returned to the lake again, my temples were already gray, and I was successful and famous.I only sigh that time flies, and the boy's head turns white.The same beautiful scenery, two moods, one body and mind, two worlds.Good fortune tricks people, who can do nothing. The hometown welcomed the wanderer with great enthusiasm.The land in the West Lake Scenic Area is not allowed to build private houses. However, the Zhejiang Provincial Government and the Hangzhou Municipal Government made a special decision to grant Jin Yong four to five acres of land to build a small garden-style house.Jin Yong used it for leisure and book collection.He said that after his death, the house, together with the books, were handed over to the Hangzhou Municipal Government. The four or five mu of land is located in the "House of Tea People" by the Hongchun Bridge by the West Lake.From now on, Jin Yong can often return to the West Lake to appreciate the joy of life in the lake and mountains. From April 1 to 10, 1994, at the invitation of Wan Xueyuan, the governor of Zhejiang Province, Jin Yong and his wife returned to Zhejiang, accompanied by Zhang Junsheng, the vice president of the Hong Kong branch of Xinhua News Agency and his wife, which caused quite a stir.In Jin Yong's hometown, there are countless Jin Yong fans. Because of the extra layer of fellowship, they have a more intimate feeling for Jin Yong. The Jiaxing Library, which Jin Yong donated 3 million yuan, was completed on April 3.The Jiaxing Municipal Government awarded him the title of "Honorary Citizen" and hired him as a senior advisor to the Municipal People's Government.Hangzhou University awarded him the title of honorary professor.Jin Yong left a message in the Jiaxing Library: "Thanks to my hometown, I am bestowed with a good name, and I would like to do my best to help revitalize the culture." He also visited the former residence of Mao Dun in Wuzhen, Tongxiang, and wrote a poem titled "A generation of literary giants writes midnight, thousands of young people recite spring silkworms". At the Lanting Qushui Liujin scenic spot in Shaoxing, Jin Yong drank two cups of old Shaoxing wine in a fit of pride, and then said, "I don't know how to drink." When he walked to the "Lanting Tablet" written by Emperor Kangxi, he heard the commentator say When the "one" dictionary was old, the slightly drunk Jin Daxia immediately quoted a sentence from Zhong Wei Xiaobao: "Only the word 'one' is exactly the same." When he swam to Lu You's Shenyuan, he stared at a peach tree with red and white flowers and blurted out He recited a poem by Lu You: "Jinghongzhaoying". The most interesting thing is that in Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing and other places, many readers held his books and asked for their signatures, but almost all the books in front of Jin Yong were pirated books.In order not to disappoint the "gold fans", he signed one or two copies.The character seeker said humorously: "Except for the signature, everything else is fake." Jin Yong is quite chivalrous, he said: "If there were not so many pirated editions, my book would not have so many readers." At about 3 pm on April 4, Jin Yong returned to his alma mater, Jiaxing No. 1 Middle School.Facing the students of his grandchildren, he remembered that he was at the same age when he was studying here, and what kind of fate would the innocent children in front of him be at his present age after many years?He excitedly called these children "Little Junior Brothers and Junior Junior Sisters", which filled the audience with enthusiasm and a harmonious atmosphere, even his own eyes glistened with tears. Jin Yong also often referred to the accompanying reporters as "little junior brother" and "little junior sister", with the tone of a man in the world.A reporter asked him: "Which hero in your book resembles you the most, and which one do you resemble the most?" He replied very seriously: "I am definitely not Qiao Feng, nor Chen Jialuo, nor Wei Xiaobao,...because I do things It's more rigorous, it's impossible to be so chic, and besides, I don't know martial arts..." During this trip to Zhejiang, he also went to Mount Putuo and offered a petal of fragrance; in Beilun Port, he played in the waves against the waves; After returning to Hong Kong, he hurriedly set off again to visit or give speeches in Taiwan, Singapore and other places. Jin Yong, who has retired, looks like a hero who roams around.