Chapter 26 A deep bow to the Japanese youth in the rain

A high-speed train speeds across a spring field in Japan. Ba Jin sat at the window of the fast-moving train, browsing the foreign scenery that was both familiar and unfamiliar.After participating in a series of reader exchange activities in Tokyo, Ba Jin and members of the writer delegation took a high-speed train to Japan for a long journey from south to north and from east to west.Hiroshima is a symbol of the end of the Second World War. Ba Jin still has fresh memories of the war trauma left by the atomic bomb dropped by the United States.Both Kyoto and Nara gave Ba Jin a new insight, and he found that people here are no strangers to Chinese literature.

During his visit to Hiroshima, Ba Jin saw this Lu Xun poem written in Chinese by a Japanese in the study of a Japanese writer. It was a five-character poem written by Lu Xun in 1931 to his Japanese friend Uchiyama Kanzao’s sister-in-law Matsumo Katayama. Of course Ba Jin was extremely excited.He didn't expect that someone in Hiroshima would regard Lu Xun's poems as a model for his academic purpose and writing.The Lu Xun poem copied by the Japanese is: Big wild hooked spines, The sky is full of battle clouds. Several spring curls, Wan Lai was silent. Only Qin Zui goes down to earth,

The middle stream stops and chants. A mighty storm, The flowers and trees are already Xiaosen. Despite the language barrier, Ba Jin still found that Chinese characters can still jump into his eyes from time to time in various parts of Japan.This is a phenomenon he has never seen in any country in the world.Ba Jin found that the Japanese liked his works so much, which obviously has something to do with the Chinese characters that can be seen everywhere on the street.Chinese characters make him feel kind, and anti-war and peace have always been the basis of spiritual exchanges between the people of China and Japan.In Bajin, Kyoto, I gave another speech on "Literature and Me".He said frankly to Japanese readers: "Every article of mine is written for something, and I have never moaned without illness."

In Nara, Ba Jin talked about his journey from Yokohama to Tokyo.Several young Japanese held Ba Jin's "Self-Report" and asked for his signature.Everyone was amazed and admired by Ba Jin's activities in Japan in his early years. Ba Jin said in "Self-Report": "When I was writing "Ghost" in Yokohama, I made up my mind to leave the Takeda family and move to Tokyo. A friend from Guangdong who was studying in university reserved a room for me above the Chinese YMCA in Tokyo. I was supposed to live in Mr. Takeda’s house for a year or so, but I couldn’t stand the sound of his chanting. It can be said that gods and ghosts are united He drove me out of his house. My original plan to learn Japanese was also broken by the power of the unity of gods and ghosts. When I explained to my master that I was going to move to Tokyo, Takeda had earnestly expressed his desire to stay. However, thinking of I am really not reconciled to living in peace with gods and ghosts here. Even if someone told me that if I moved to Tokyo, within two months I would be "captured and sent to the generals", I would not change my mind." Ba Jin told the A Japanese youth who liked his "Self-Report" said: "I was just over 30 at the time, full of energy, without any worries, and not afraid of ghosts and gods. This kind of mental state is not in me later. I still miss those days that passed away today. I I found the shadow of myself forty-five years ago in the novel "Ghost". I am indeed old now...."

The ancient Nara is very similar to the Shaoxing in China that Ba Jin once visited.It's just that there is no river and small stone bridges in Nara.Ba Jin likes the ancient temples here, and he can think of his own motherland from the temples with flourishing incense.I will think of the monk Jianzhen who traveled across the ocean back then.For the aged Ba Jin, the past is a rare wealth.No matter how much his previous memories made him sad, the old man would never refuse the Japanese youth's concern for him. It seemed that the dormitory of the Chinese YMCA in Tokyo appeared before his eyes.When he talked about the past with Japanese youths, he said: "When I was in Tokyo, I lived in the dormitory of the Chinese YMCA. There were not many rooms upstairs, and there was a classroom on the other side. During the day, a teacher taught Japanese, and occasionally there were people at night. Borrow a place for meetings. There is a large auditorium downstairs, where lectures are always held twice a month. When I first came, someone was rehearsing Cao Yu’s "Thunderstorm" in the auditorium. They usually rehearse at night. I could hear the noise in the room. When I heard that someone translated Cao Yu’s script into Japanese, I was happy for Cao Yu. Because this is also a kind of cultural exchange.”

The Japanese youths in Nara were all excited by Ba Jin's arrival.They went around telling each other that so many people wanted to meet Ba Jin and were eager to hear the great Chinese writer talk about his early experiences in Japan.Ba Jin also wanted to look back on the past. He said to everyone: "I remember that the Chinese YMCA is in Kanda District, Tokyo. There are many old Western bookstores nearby. I go there three times a day. I know which store has what books. And I also bought a lot of old books and put them all in the big closet on the second floor. My life has completely changed. Only one Japanese person I met here can speak a few words of Chinese. I asked others about them Who are they? Someone told me that they are 'criminals', that is, plainclothes detectives and special police officers. On the one hand, I avoid them, and on the other hand, I observe them secretly. Went to the police station detention center."

Japanese youths were surprised by the experience of Ba Jin being arrested in Tokyo.Everyone asked in a hurry, but Ba Jin didn't want to talk more.Because he didn't want to cast a shadow over the hearts of Japanese youth.At night, when the members of the delegation fell asleep, Ba Jin was still reading his "Self-Report" under the lamp.He saw this record: "The interrogation began in the police station. The interrogation was simple. I couldn't catch the braids in my answer. The interrogation ended shortly after. They apologized to me and asked me to sleep with them overnight. , took me to the detention center below. From 2:00 am to 4:00 pm, I was locked up for 14 hours. From the time I opened my eyes in the middle of the night and saw them push the door in, to the time I walked out of the Kanda District Police Station with my head held high , I saw the setting sun from the corner of my eye, I have written in detail the short story "People", and there is no need to repeat it here. But I should mention that this is not the one I planned to write when I first came to Tokyo. A short story....It was written as an essay or memoir, originally titled "A Diary in a Tokyo Prison" and intended to be published in the extra large issue of "Literature" published in July 1935. Reminiscence as a novel , compiled in the collection of "Gods, Ghosts, People". The article has been preserved like this, and has been preserved until today. However, those who used force, violence, and power to prevent it from being published at that time have not even found the ashes. ..."

Outside the car window is a gorgeous spring scene. What emerged in Ba Jin's mind were the images of him meeting Japanese readers in various parts of Japan, as if exciting movie shots flashed before his eyes.He remembered that it was a rainy early spring morning, halfway on the train traveling from Tokyo to Kyoto for the delegation of Chinese writers, Ba Jin was thinking of a Japanese woman named Kyoko Torida.It seems that in the autumn of two years ago, a letter sent from Kyoto, Japan was delivered by the postman to the yard at No. 13 Wukang Road.Ba Jin read it, and there were lines of beautiful Chinese characters on it:

Dear Mr. Ba Jin: Hello, I am your Japanese reader named Kyoko Shimada.I am a graduate of the Chinese Department of Osaka University of Foreign Studies. I have been fond of Chinese literature for many years, especially my husband's early novels, such as,,, and so on.The first time I came into contact with your works was in 1977, when my husband bought me a copy of your work from Tokyo.I was just 29 years old this year, already a young woman in a family.I got married at the age of 22, and my family has a husband, mother-in-law and four daughters.My husband is remarried, so we already had two daughters when we got married, and we have two more daughters since then. I have been out of work and doing housework at home.

I feel very disappointed that a college student does housework, but when I saw what my husband wrote, I suddenly felt that my thoughts were naive.From Mr.'s novels, what I see is the change of society. No matter how many difficulties there are in life, society is still moving forward from the old to the new, from the humble to the progressive.That is to say, you wrote this novel with the strong belief that the society must move forward and bright, so you brought me something more positive than warmth, namely hope and courage. ... When Ba Jin read this, he felt that the other party was a Japanese woman who was infected by reading.He understood Kyoko Torida's mood, and knew that she must have discovered her own shadow from the characters in her works.Ba Jin got such an impression from her letter that Kyoko Shimada was in a very depressed mood, especially her life after marriage, which made her even more depressed.The husband and his ex-wife gave birth to two daughters, together with her and his daughter, it is a multi-person family, especially a Japanese woman who has no job, and is unwilling to remain unknown in housework forever, so it is difficult to have such a relationship No wonder.He saw that Kyoko Torida's letter was written naturally and fluently, as if he was talking with his elders. The Japanese woman said: "I was not used to their life at first, and I also felt sad. I thought that if I How good it is to be a big-hearted and kind-hearted person, so I will try to be that kind of person. The children are gentle and lovely, and treat me very well. My mother is strong and often helps with housework. My wife is still a little Capricious, but I love him. I am very happy, I calmly think about it, if I do not have love for him, then I cannot live happily for a day. My little experience is the same as that of cruel and unfortunate times. Of course, the protagonists of the novel are incomparable. The more I read it, the more bored I feel, but for my mother, Xuan and his wife, I can sympathize with and understand each of them. It has become one of my favorite books. …"

Although Ba Jin was very busy every day, he still carefully read the letter sent by a strange Japanese woman over and over again.He did not expect a Japanese woman far away in the suburbs of Kyoto to find resonance in her early works.This book has not been read in China for many years, and it was republished only after the "Gang of Four" was crushed.However, as far away as Fusang, there were people who would still read his works when he was under the "dictatorship", which moved Ba Jin greatly. Ba Jin decided to take the time to write a reply to Kyoko Torida.It is difficult for him to reply one by one to readers' letters over the years, because with the change of the environment, there are more and more letters from readers, and his body is getting weaker and weaker with age, and sometimes he stays at his desk all day long. He could only write a few hundred characters, and due to his illness, Ba Jin's writing became smaller and smaller.However, Ba Jin still wrote a short letter to Shimada Kyoko, whom he had never met before. He was deeply moved that Torida Kyoko was still reading his old works, A novel that is being criticized in China.It's an amazing feeling.In Ba Jin's view, there is nothing more valuable than such readers.The old man wrote: When I was persecuted by the "Gang of Four", you still bought my books to read. I am very grateful for your trust and understanding of me.I will continue to write until I am eighty, ninety years old! ... Even after that correspondence, Kyoko Torida wrote letters to Ba Jin from time to time, and Ba Jin tried his best to reply to every letter.No matter how heavy his writing task is and how frequent his social activities are, Ba Jin is never willing to neglect his readers.Especially for foreign readers who are far away in Kyoto like Kyoko Torida.He has been in correspondence with this Japanese woman who changed her negative attitude towards life after reading it. Just when Ba Jin decided to go to Kyoto this time, he didn't think that the train had just arrived at Kyoto Station. Among the chaotic welcome crowd on the platform, he found a middle-aged woman wearing glasses, holding a huge piece of gold in her hand. The red cloth banner, written "Welcome Chinese writer Ba Jin!".She is Kyoko Torida whom I have talked to in letters for many years.Now, she finally met the author Ba Jin who came from Shanghai. "Sir, Mr. Ba Jin!" Ba Jin saw Kyoko Torida and her husband, a reporter, coming up with their four children.Like welcoming their own loved ones. Ba Jin smiled when he saw the clusters of flowers surging on the platform.He did not expect that Japanese readers would give him such a warm welcome.During the more than ten days of his activities in Japan, Ba Jin has deeply felt that there are more than ten million readers like Kyoko Torida.He couldn't remember which part of the journey, when the train they took passed an unknown small station, suddenly, all the people on the car were attracted by a red banner on the platform.It was written in Chinese and Japanese: "Chinese writer Mr. Ba Jin, we welcome you!" It was raining heavily in spring outside at that time, and Ba Jin saw on the train that several young men and women holding the bright red banner had already been covered by drizzle. Got wet.Ba Jin was very sorry, he wanted to get off the train himself, and express a little gratitude to the Japanese youths who waited for his train in the rain, but the train did not stop at this unknown station.When Ba Jin saw those young people holding banners bowing solemnly to the carriage he was riding in, the old man couldn't help but shed tears.Ba Jin hurriedly stood up from his seat, and bowed solemnly and solemnly to the Japanese readers who were guarding the platform! In the drizzle, the young Japanese at the station were still shouting Ba Jin's name towards the train that was leaving! This time, during Ba Jin's two-day stay in Kyoto, the Torida couple accompanied Ba Jin to visit Kiyomizu Temple and Nijo Castle.Of course, the Torida couple also had a glimpse of the old imperial palace together with Ba Jin and others.Torida has been considering a bold writing project for a long time. By reading Ba Jin's works, she gradually found a shortcut for a housewife to enter the society.After all, she is a graduate of the Chinese Department of Osaka University, and she is determined to write Ba Jin's tortuous and brilliant literary experience into a monograph for Japanese readers to learn from.And decided to write a book "Ba Jin's Writing Experience".Ba Jin agreed to provide her with relevant information. After the news of Ba Jin's arrival in Nagasaki was announced in several Japanese media, the port city of Nagasaki was as lively as a festival. As early as 50 years ago, when Ba Jin came to Japan for the first time, he hoped to visit Nagasaki one day.However, it was a time of war, and he had no chance to realize his wish, so he left Japan angrily.From then on, Ba Jin always thought of Nagasaki in his heart.He remembered that when he sent a letter to China, the address on the envelope was Nagasaki.This is because Ba Jin liked this harbor city when he was young.Now when Ba Jin is 76 years old, he came here as he wished. In Nagasaki, Ba Jin accidentally discovered two Chinese books kept in the county library.Those were Ba Jin's early novels translated by Japanese writers in the 1940s.One is, and the other is "The Garden of Rest".Due to the passage of time, Ba Jin found that the pages of the two novels that had been read by many people had already turned brittle and turned yellow.Although the years of hard work have made the two books old and brittle, Ba Jin was still deeply moved.Although he had heard that Japanese translators had translated his works in Shanghai before, Ba Jin had never been able to see them with his own eyes.Now he is holding these two old books that have experienced war and history, and his blood is rushing in his chest.He didn't know that during the eight years of evil war, someone in Japan would pick up the pen of justice.Introduce these works that symbolize the warmth of the world from China, which is separated by a sea, to Japan.Moreover, Ba Jin can also see from the sweat-stained pages that it must have been read by countless readers who like it.Looking at it, the old man's eyes became moist. Ba Jin solemnly wrote his name on the title pages of the two old books in the Japanese edition!Since then, these two novels signed by the original authors have become valuable collections in the Nagasaki Prefectural Library!When Ba Jin delivered the two books with missing pages to the hands of the curator, there was a burst of thunderous applause in the solemn hall! "Mr. Ba Jin, we have a solemn request. I wonder if you can take it easy?" The person in charge of receiving Ba Jin and his party was Masao Shimizu from the Office of the Japanese Welcome Committee for the Chinese Writers Delegation. He had already flown from the delegation led by Ba Jin to Haneda Airport. Since then, he has been by the side of this silver-haired old writer.Masao Shimizu was in awe of Ba Jin, because he saw with his own eyes Ba Jin's unparalleled prestige in Japan during the ten-day event.Now he knows that Ba Jin and the delegation of Chinese writers are about to take off from Nagasaki and return to their homeland soon.Just when Ba Jin was about to bid farewell to Japan, Masao Shimizu had to spit out the hope that had been pent up in his heart for many days. Ba Jin cast a trusting look on the Japanese reception official. Masao Shimizu told Ba Jin through an interpreter: As early as when Ba Jin was preparing for the Asahi Lecture Hall at the New Otani Hotel in Tokyo, he had a strong interest in Ba Jin's speech "Fifty Years of Literary Life".Later, when Ba Jin gave another speech titled "Literature and Me" in Kyoto, Masao Shimizu was also deeply inspired by Ba Jin's frank and sincere speech.Therefore, when he knew that Ba Jin was about to leave Japan, he was eager to leave the original manuscripts of Ba Jin's two speeches in Tokyo and Kyoto to them.Of course, Masao Shimizu made it clear that he hoped to keep the two manuscripts of Ba Jin, not because he intended to collect them, but he hoped to treat these two speech manuscripts as Japan’s most precious literary historical materials and store them in the Japanese Cultural Museum as a A permanent collection. Ba Jin hesitated, pondering.He was pondering over Shimizu's request, and for a moment didn't know how to respond. Masao Shimizu was worried that Ba Jin would reject their request, so he simply poured out his urgency.He said: "Mr. Ba Jin's works are deeply loved by the Japanese people. If Ba Jin's manuscripts are displayed in the Japanese Cultural Museum, it is obviously of great significance to the friendship and cultural exchanges between the Chinese and Japanese people. This will tell the next generation of Japan. One generation, the great Chinese writer Mr. Ba Jin, when he was seventy-six years old, he came to Japan with his deep friendship for the Japanese people and gave speeches in Tokyo and Kyoto. What a meaningful thing this is things! . . . ” Ba Jin nodded in approval, and soon ordered the secretary to send two manuscripts written by him and revised many times to Masao Shimizu.Ba Jin said: "My manuscript is nothing. It can be given to you as a souvenir. But it is best not to be sent to the museum. If it can arouse people's good memories and make us cherish and develop friendship together, I will be happy Already!" "Thank you, thank you, Mr. Ba Jin!" Masao Shimizu was moved and bowed again and again. Ba Jin also exhorted emotionally: "The ten-year catastrophe is a major event in the history of mankind. If it did not happen in China, it will happen in other countries in the future. We have suffered misfortune, but friends in other countries have avoided the disaster. , at this point, we can also take it as comfort." In this way, Ba Jin bid farewell to the beautiful port city of Nagasaki. On the eve of his departure, when he came to the "Atomic Bomb Memorial Hall" in the city center again, Ba Jin calmly stared at the huge memorial hall, feeling excited.He saw a huge green lawn in front of the museum, and on the green grass was a tall bronze statue, which was a messenger of lasting peace for mankind.He is tall and stalwart, one hand of this bronze colossus is raising high towards the blue sky, and the other hand is flat on his chest, as if stroking his beating heart.The eyes of the colossus, which exude kindness and selflessness, seem to be looking at everything in front of him at the same time.Especially those white pigeons flying on the green field. Ba Jin cast a sympathetic look on this bronze statue that symbolized the peace of mankind. He knew that there had been a tragic disaster at the place where the colossal statue of the Messenger of Peace stood.Now those snow-white pigeons are flying carefreely looking for food at the feet of the giant statue.Ba Jin said secretly: "If the dove of peace is always there, the tragedy will never happen again!..."