Chapter 42: The Long-awaited Banquet
“Mr. Lin, may I invite you to have lunch together?”
After the interview ended, Deng Huixin took the initiative to invite him, her eyes staring intently at Lin Ran.
Lin Ran firmly refused: “No, I still need to return to school to prepare lessons.”
“Alright.” Deng Huixin had no choice but to look for another opportunity.
After the interview that day ended, letters from Hong Kong citizens flooded Hong Kong Radio like scraps of paper.
Among them, the most numerous requests were to replay the Bystander, with lyrics and music by Lin Ran and sung by Gu Zhengqiu.
“Professor Lin wrote it so well, please play it a few more times on your station.”
Besides that, there were great praises for Lin Ran:
“Professor Lin truly has talent, hope Professor Lin can come to Hong Kong more often.”
“Can Hong Kong University invite Professor Lin to become a permanent professor at Hong Kong University?”
The second most numerous requests were hoping Lin Ran would stay at Hong Kong University to teach.
At the same time, Gu Zhengqiu, who had already withdrawn from Liyuan Opera performances for many years and had come to Hong Kong this time only to accompany her husband on a business trip, was warmly welcomed by local Hong Kong theaters and Liyuan Opera groups due to singing Bystander, and they offered high prices hoping to invite her to perform.
Major Hong Kong newspapers also competed to report on this exclusive interview.
However, newspapers with different stances reported it in almost completely different ways.
“July 18, 1960, Ta Kung Pao front page
Scholar bridging East and West, heartfelt song expresses wanderer’s feelings for the motherland’s rivers and mountains
Professor Lin Ran on radio discusses family and country matters, composes one Ci Poem that moves Hong Kong
Our reporter (Wen Yanzhai) Yesterday afternoon at three o’clock, world-renowned mathematician living in America Professor Lin Ran was invited to the exclusive interview program on Hong Kong Radio to talk freely about the mysteries of mathematics and express his feelings for family and country. During it, Professor Lin first proposed the concept of ‘Cultural Chinese Person,’ expressing his attachment and sense of belonging to the homeland’s rivers and mountains, Chinese culture, and history, and personally composed the Ci Poem Bystander, sung by Treasure Island famous performer Madam Gu Zhengqiu.
As soon as the program aired, Hong Kong Island was shaken, voices in the streets and alleys endlessly wanting to hear Bystander again.”
Ta Kung Pao’s attention was entirely on the concept of Cultural Chinese Person. This achievement, which in the future would take decades of constant integration of cultural identity, being proposed today was undoubtedly a bolt from the blue for the complex situation in the current Chinese World.
Cultural blood ties connect, and it is the most useful weapon.
Ta Kung Pao’s stance was obvious, but newspapers on the other side, on the concept of Cultural China, actually took a stance similar to Ta Kung Pao.
Instead, on this matter, English Newspapers would vehemently criticize Professor Lin’s thoughts and concepts as outdated. Despite outstanding achievements in science, his thoughts were still the ancient China set.
This was perfectly normal; the more people in Hong Kong identified as Cultural Chinese Persons, the more difficult it would be for England’s management.
More tabloids found that Lin Ran’s deeds had been pretty much excavated, and major papers were talking about the Cultural China concept. To attract readers, they turned their attention to the song Bystander itself.
Like the newly founded Ming Pao, which had Cha Liangyong personally write an article:
“The program’s climax was the premiere of Bystander. This piece uses erhuang melody as its backbone, fused with Western symphony orchestration. Madam Gu Zhengqiu’s voice is melodious. Before the piece ended, this newspaper interviewed Causeway Bay public, who said: Hearing the line ‘the bold and vivid strokes of the entire Tang, in an instant lifelike shadows flicker with palace reflections, mistakenly asking what year it is tonight,’ seven or eight guests in the hall all covered their faces.
Elder Mr. He Jitao struck the table and sighed: Professor Lin’s this piece is three degrees more poignant than Wang Guowei’s Human Realm Ci Poems.”
In a short time, Lin Ran, the Cultural China concept, and the fame of Bystander shook all of Hong Kong.
In the Mid-Levels Villa of the Li Family on Hong Kong Island, with the Li Family’s conditions, it was enough for Hong Kong Radio to copy a recording tape of the song, then play it slowly at home.
In just Li Huiling’s room, there was the current most expensive German Grundig radio with recording function, Gu Zhengqiu’s voice echoing in the room.
Li Huiling’s fair feet dangled on the bed, sitting across from her was Li Shaoyuan who was reluctantly dragged in. He had finally gotten summer vacation, and he was rushing to go on a date with a female classmate.
“What is it again, Helen? Haven’t I told you many times what kind of person Professor Lin is!
Dashing and elegant, remarkably talented, erudite with vast knowledge, bridging China and the West.” Li Shaoyuan picked all the good things to say.
Li Huiling got up and held her brother’s hand, waving it back and forth: “That’s not what I mean, what I mean is, can you go back to his seminar?”
Li Shaoyuan shook his head repeatedly: “How is that possible? Have you ever heard of someone who dropped out being able to re-enroll?”
Li Huiling pouted her mouth, her eyes turned and she had an idea:
“No, it’s still possible!
If you kneel at the classroom door and beg Professor Lin to let you go back to class, he will definitely feel embarrassed, not want to lose face, and let you continue attending class!”
Li Shaoyuan’s face changed drastically, his eyes rolling to the sky: “Professor Lin won’t lose face, but I will, right? Impossible! I said impossible means impossible.”
A hint of threat appeared in Li Huiling’s eyes: “Bro, then I won’t be able to keep your thing of dating three girls at the same time a secret!”
Li Shaoyuan pleaded: “You’re my sister, I’m not your brother, just say it, what do you want?”
Li Huiling turned Li Shaoyuan’s body around and helped beat his back from behind: “I don’t want anything, I just want you to help invite Professor Lin to come home as a guest for a meal, so we can get to know each other.”
Li Shaoyuan shook his head repeatedly: “You should know that Professor Lin in Hong Kong hasn’t entered anyone’s door. People have written Bystander to express his aspirations.
How could he possibly want to get involved with these Hong Kong families.
These big and small families in Hong Kong all have more or less backgrounds from England, China, Germany, or other places behind them.
Professor Lin won’t come.”
He immediately lowered his voice: “It’s said that the Hong Kong side has Senior Inspector Thomas personally providing security protection for Professor Lin. Invitations like these were all blocked by Thomas.
But if you really want to go, there is actually one way.”
Li Shaoyuan drew out his voice, waiting for his sister to beg him.
Li Huiling indeed fell for it, she hurriedly pleaded: “Bro, just tell me, I know you treat me the best.”
Only then did Li Shaoyuan explain in detail: “This Saturday evening, the Governor will host Professor Lin at the Governor’s Mansion. Father will definitely receive an invitation, you can beg Father to bring you along too.
This is definitely much more likely than me inviting Professor Lin to our home.”
The reason the Governor’s banquet for Lin Ran was delayed until July 20 was because they had to wait for the Medal of Honor from the Queen in England to arrive for Lin Ran, including the time needed to transport the medal from London to Hong Kong.
The conferral had to be personally done by the Queen in London, but the awarding at that time could be done by the Governor on her behalf.
Lin Ran was also looking forward to it; he looked forward to seeing 48-year-old Dong Haoyun and 79-year-old Xu Aizhou at the dinner.
em still begging for monthly votes, additionally the last two names if everyone is interested you can look up who they are, you can guess what I want to write
