The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

   "Let's Go That Way" is the last article by Hu Shih against the Kuomintang. In his article, he put forward the "Theory of Five Ghosts Disrupting China" and shouted: (China) to eradicate and overthrow the five enemies of poverty, disease, ignorance, corruption and disturbance.

   Then, there is no then...

   "New Moon" poetry magazine was ordered to stop printing, the new moon bookstore was closed down, and Hu Shi went abroad for a "study tour".

   Fortunately, Hu Shi had a good personal relationship with Chang Kaishen and his wife, and the Kuomintang did not really order him to be arrested. After Hu Shi left China, Crescent Poetry and Crescent Bookstore also resumed normal operations.

   Originally, Hu Shi was going to go to Europe, but after receiving a telegram from his friends Zhang Pengchun and Mei Lanfang, he switched to the Pacific Ocean to head to the United States, and stayed in Japan for a few days on the way.

  Mei Lanfang's US tour is still not over, and the audience is crazy wherever he goes, and every day he receives invitations to perform from theaters in various states.

  Seattle, three old friends meet again.

   "Heming, Lao Jiu, I heard that you are doing well in America." Hu Shi smiled.

  Mei Lanfang thanked and said, "Thanks to Mr. Shizhi for his help."

  Mei Lanfang specially asked Hu Shi to plan before going to the United States, to help him introduce the customs of the United States, the appreciation habits of the American people, the layout of American theaters, etc. Hu Shi even participated in the selection of the performances.

  Hu Shi waved his hand and said, "I'll just say it casually, I really didn't expect you to do such a good job."

   "No matter how hard we try, Mr. Zhou won't be able to stand out," Zhang Pengchun said with a smile, taking out a newspaper, "please read it when appropriate."

Here's a New York Times piece with a full-page culture section on Titanic's pomp: "Titanic revives Broadway, slumped theaters thrive, and people compete A classic love story that took place on a big ship, and many theaters that were on the verge of bankruptcy were brought back to life."

   In addition to the performance evaluation of "Titanic", there are related small news below. For example, the great American national playwright O'Neill sued six Broadway theaters in one go, demanding a public apology and payment for the screenplay.

  Don't think that Yankees respect copyrights and patents, there are many cases of infringement these days. Among them, Broadway is the center of copyright disputes. Various literary and artistic works are arbitrarily adapted, and most of the time, they will not greet the original author at all.

Hu Shi quickly read all the news in this edition, he laughed and said: "Mingcheng is really amazing, everyone is gone, and the Yankees are still crazy about him. Is this "Titanic" his new work? I really want to go See for yourself at the theatre."

  Mei Lanfang said: "This play has not yet been staged here in Seattle, and we can only go to Broadway."

   "I'm about to go to New York," Zhang Pengchun said. "The China American Association can completely rehearse "Titanic"."

   "That's a good idea." Hu Shi praised. He and Zhang Pengchun are both founders of the New York Chinese Artists Association, which aims to enhance the cultural exchanges between China and the United States. "Titanic" is indeed a good tool.

  The matter was quickly agreed, and Hu Shi and Zhang Pengchun went to New York together. On the other hand, Mei Lanfang went to Japan after the performance in Seattle, and the Japanese side was already looking forward to him.

   Zhang Pengchun will not return to China in the past few years. He has accepted the invitation of the University of Chicago, and will be appointed as a professor in the summer.

   To tell the truth, Zhang Pengchun belongs to the master of the Republic of China who has been forgotten by later generations, and his deeds are enough to be famous. This gentleman is the younger brother of Zhang Boling, the founder of Nankai University. When he was the provost of Tsinghua University, he promoted the official upgrade of Tsinghua University to a university. He is also the teacher of the famous playwright Cao Yu. After Cao Yu's "Thunderstorm" was written, the first thing he did was to ask Zhang Pengchun for guidance and axe.

   Zhang Pengchun did not go to the United States for nothing. He helped Mei Lanfang to perform tours, and then went to the University of Chicago as a professor, and actively promoted cultural exchanges between China and the United States.

  In 1939, Zhang Pengchun set up the "Committee of Non-Participation in Japanese Aggression" in the United States, and successfully lobbied the US Congress to pass the "Economic Sanctions Case against Japan". After the victory of the Anti-Fascist War, the United Nations established the Human Rights Commission. The chairman of the Commission was Roosevelt's widow Eleanor (nominal), while Zhang Pengchun was the only vice-chairman (actual person in charge) of the United Nations Human Rights Commission, and led the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

   Knowing this, you will know why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights contains so many Confucian ideas.

   The word "conscience" that appears in its preface is actually the Confucian "benevolence", but unfortunately it was misinterpreted during the translation process. Another part about social and economic rights comes from the Datong thought of "the world is for the public".

   At that time in 1947, a Chinese person could actually be in charge of the UN Human Rights Commission and successfully coordinate the contradictions between the two major camps in the world. It is really unbelievable. Zhang Pengchun's contribution is fully qualified to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

   John Humphrey, the then director of the Human Rights Division of the United Nations, praised Zhang Pengchun as a "master of the art of compromise". Because the capitalist countries and the communist countries were fighting fiercely at that time, various contradictions made it difficult to carry out the work of the Human Rights Commission, but these difficulties were solved by Zhang Pengchun through coordination.

   At the end of April, Hu Shi and Zhang Pengchun came to New York.

  The two went to Broadway on the day they arrived, bought tickets and entered the Dutch Theater to watch the show.

   At the beginning, Hu Shi also lamented that Broadway was deserted, not as prosperous as it was a few years ago. But when they arrived at the Dutch Theater, they were stunned. They actually had to queue up to buy tickets.

  The auditorium was full, and Hu Shi and Zhang Pengchun managed to squeeze into their seats. The surrounding audience was discussing the wonderfulness of "Titanic" in a low voice.

   When the heroine came out, someone suddenly shouted "Rose", and there was a burst of warm applause from the audience.

  Hu Shi was surprised: "These audiences are too enthusiastic, and they don't care about the etiquette of appreciating the drama."

   "It can only be said that "Titanic" is too popular." Zhang Pengchun laughed.

  Hu Shi watched quietly, until the end of the performance, he couldn't help standing up and applauding enthusiastically.

   No audience left in advance, all waiting for the actors to come out for the curtain call. When the male and female protagonists appeared, the audience spontaneously stood up, and the applause was mixed with wild shouts and shouts.

   "Rose!"

   "Jack!"

   "You_jump, I_jump!"

"King of the world!"

  “…”

   This applause was even crazier than the first performance. It lasted for nearly 10 minutes. The actors were unable to leave after many curtain calls, and many audience members ran up to offer flowers and gifts.

   Zhang Pengchun is a drama master. He sighed: "It's no wonder that "Titanic" is so popular. This drama has been written so successfully. Whether it is the performance arrangement or the story, it is a world-class work."

  Hu Shi smiled and said, "With just one piece of "Titanic", Mingcheng can be called a great writer."