Chapter 26 Resend Little Reader Newsletter 9

Dear children: The "Newsletter 8" I sent to you was written in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and now I am writing to you from Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union.In the middle, I visited Wales in the south of England and several universities, and I went to Switzerland, and returned to my motherland in early June.At the beginning of October, I participated in the Chinese delegation of the Asian-African National Writers Conference and came to Tashkent, the capital of the Uzbek Republic in the Soviet Union.During the few days of the meeting in Tashkent, there were many exciting things that should be reported to the children. I think you will like to hear it.

The children know that the Chinese people had very close contacts with the people of Asia and Africa more than a thousand years ago.Merchants from the two continents trade exquisite goods with each other. We send out: silk, tea, porcelain, paper... What we receive: ivory, spices, jewelry... This traffic road across Asia, because A large amount of beautiful Chinese silk was transported, and it was called the Silk Road.On this Silk Road, for more than a thousand years, there have been endless carriages and horses, and a series of camels walking slowly.Amidst the sound of hooves of horses going back and forth, the sound of wheels, and the sound of bells of camels, people from various countries in Asia and Africa met on the road, drank tea and rested in the horse resting pavilion by the roadside, happily shook hands with each other, and asked each other questions. Exchanging news of all trade and culture in the two countries.

Among these people, there are also our scholars, believers, and experts in various industries. They have spread Chinese technologies such as compass manufacturing, gunpowder manufacturing, paper making, and printing to Asian and African countries, and they have also passed on the arithmetic and medical sciences of Asian and African countries. , astronomy, etc. were introduced to China.We also exchange fine varieties of animals and plants, such as horses, grapes, potatoes, cotton, etc. These frequent and extensive cultural exchanges have greatly promoted the development of our culture and the consolidation of our friendship.Therefore, we must not tolerate that in the past 100 years, the imperialists have used violent force to cut off our communication and destroy our culture!

Writers speak for the people, and write out the thoughts of the people for the people to read.It is a major event in the history of Asia and Africa that writers from various Asian and African countries represent the aspirations of the people and have a happy meeting in Tashkent, which has great influence and significance. The location of our meeting, the Uzbek Republic of the Soviet Union, is in Central Asia. Its capital, Tashkent, was originally a city on the Silk Road.We arrived at dusk on October 4th, just after it had rained.Looking down from the plane, we found a modern city with many tall buildings and factory chimneys standing among the dense forest.When we got off the plane, we were immediately introduced to a beautiful world like a fairy tale!At this time, the sun was already hidden behind the dark clouds, and thousands of lights of five colors were emitted on the boulevards of Tashkent. Some of these strings of lights were hung horizontally above the avenues, and some were lined up in the streets of various countries. Text - "Peace".On the square in the market, there are fountains illuminated by five-color electric lights, and various flowers are planted under the roadside trees. The fragrance of roses is even stronger in the fresh air.The people of Tashkent, with smiles on their faces, dressed in festive costumes and embroidered caps, clapped their hands to welcome guests from afar on the road and in front of the hotel.

The New Tashkent Hotel, where the delegates lived, was an eight-story building specially built for the Asian-African Writers Conference, and it was facing our venue - the Navay Theater.In front of these two gates, many people gather day and night, especially the children from Tashkent.They always come forward with a smile, ask us to sign with a small book, or give us a small gift. The delegates from Africa, dressed in bright costumes, are often surrounded by them. At this time, the dark faces of these delegates involuntarily send out loving smiles and joyful brilliance. The circumstances of the meeting cannot be detailed here.This meeting included more than 180 representatives from nearly 40 Asian and African countries and regions, as well as many observers from all over the world.The wishes of Asian and African writers are the same. On behalf of the people, they condemned the colonialists who were the root cause of the war, and called for a deeper mutual understanding and unity between the Asian and African people. work for a noble purpose.

On the opening day of the meeting, primary school students and young pioneers in Tashkent lined up to offer flowers to the representatives on the rostrum. They recited their congratulations and wishes on the stage. One sentence said: "I hope that the writers and uncles of all countries and Aunts, write us more stories, some good stories." They said the word "good" very loudly, and the writers on and off the stage laughed happily.Yes, we must write some stories, especially "good" ones, so as to help the enthusiastic children we desire to build a peaceful and happy new society with full energy.

This letter ends here, I wish the children happy progress!Your friend Bing Xin October 29, 1958, Moscow. A collection of essays and poems. ) Newsletter Ten Dear children: After the meeting of writers from Asian and African countries in Tashkent, we visited various parts of the Uzbek Republic.We visited three collective farms, an oil field, several factories—textile mills, tea packing factories, etc.; and several schools, from kindergartens to universities.No matter where we go, we are always very surprised and excited!This was originally the famous "hungry grassland". Before the socialist revolution, it was still a vast expanse of yellow sand with no grass or woods.In spring, the snow on the top of the mountain melts into a turbid torrent, rolling down along the cliffs of the Bald Mountain, submerged in the quicksand, and disappears after a while, when a gust of wind blows, the yellow sand under the scorching sun is flying in the sky again .Here, in the past, almost all illiterate people lived, living a life of slavery that was worse than cattle and horses.These tragic sights and stories hardly convince anyone.What a happy and beautiful picture we see now!

Our visits and trips in Uzbekistan are all by plane.The sky here is always clear. Looking up and down from the plane, what you can see is: between the hills and the yellow sand, there are clusters of green trees from time to time, and a large cotton field, a glistening river, in the cotton field meandering through.The villages and cities are halfway among the lush forests, and the streets and markets are as neat as a ruler.When the plane landed, we took the latest sleeper car and entered the city. Needless to say, the city of Tashkent, like Samarkand, Andijan, and Ferghana, is no less than the European cities I have seen. The building is built in an oasis, covered with dense tree shade, covering a wide asphalt road, and covering tall buildings, including public offices, bookstores, theaters, hotels, and department stores displaying exquisite goods .

There are all kinds of flowers planted in the middle of the road, the most common ones are roses of various colors floating with fragrance.Men, women and children in neat clothes walk on the road, those who go to work and school, all of them have happy smiles on their faces, and cast friendly eyes towards visitors from afar! This is the former "hungry grassland" and its backward and impoverished people. The gunfire of the October Revolution brought them the superior system of socialism, and they turned over completely! The people of Uzbekistan proudly told us: "In our place, the ground is covered with platinum - cotton, and the ground is covered with gold - oil." We have visited the automated oil wells in Andijan, with a daily output of 500 tons.The oil area is 12 kilometers long and 14 kilometers wide. The oil suction machines operated by the control room 700 meters away are scattered on the 250 wellheads on this vast hill. Stop operation.This "hungry steppe" not only obediently offered abundant oil to the brave working people of Uzbekistan, it also offered three million quintals of cotton per year (accounting for 60 percent of the total cotton production in the Soviet Union).When it comes to cotton, we see too much, not only in the endless cotton fields, but also in the city squares, and even on the roads, there is a thick layer of cotton like snow!This is the season for drying cotton, and the abundant output makes the vast cotton drying fields not enough. The happy farmers had to borrow flat and wide squares and roads, and our cars happily gave way to the roads. And galloping on dirt roads!

We are silently absorbing and envious of all this. We are not only happy for the happy life of the Uzbek people in front of us, but also feel infinite joy and encouragement for our own future happy life.Uzbekistan’s today is the future of our Northwest region, and it’s not too far away!Only under the superior system of socialism can the greatness of the working people's strength be revealed.Inspired by the creative enthusiasm of socialism, human beings have discovered their own greatness and dignity. They unite and stretch out millions of strong arms to seize their own happy life from the indifferent nature.

Here, I look to the south and salute our young men and women in Qaidam, Karamay, Sanmenxia, ​​Liujiaxia, Gansu, Xinjiang, and Qinghai... who are building farmland water conservancy and developing oil wells!Let's go all out and catch up! In Uzbekistan, what can be written is more than oil and cotton?They also have grapes and melons that are sweeter than honey.When it comes to melons and fruits, it really "leaves fragrance in the cheeks", so let's describe it together with the Andijan Grand Canal! Best wishes to you all! Your friend Bing Xin November 2, 1958, Moscow. A collection of essays and poems. )