British writer

Chapter 102 Professor Lu, it's really for Daying's sake...

The student fell silent.

They were all waiting to come up with an unconventional opinion when they landed.

Lu Shi said: "Someone just mentioned the issue of the continuation of civilization. Generally speaking, civilization should have three elements: writing, culture, and social organization. It is not equal to a region, a country, or even a bloodline or a race. "

Someone pointed out: "Professor Lu, this is going too far."

The others followed suit,

Didn't you just talk about the dispute between English and Chinese?

To answer, you should come one by one.

Lu Shi said with a serious face: "I heard some people say that 'Chinese civilization has long since ceased to last', and even thought that it is a stupid idea that Chinese is better than English. That's why I'm talking about this."

He corrected: "First of all, I just mentioned rhythm. I didn't say which one is better at the application level."

Then, he continued: "Secondly, Chinese civilization has not been broken down. As long as you are a normal and educated Chinese, the characters before Qin and Han may be difficult to recognize, but after Qin Shihuang unified the characters, there should be few people who don't know them." Character."

Cavendish asked: "When did Qin Shihuang live?"

There are many people present who know the history of China,

Natsume Soseki was the most proficient, and immediately gave the answer: "About 220 BC."

Cavendish froze on the spot,

"B.C?"

He looked at the professors around him and had an idea in his mind:

At the same time, Latin was used more in Europe, but can Europeans who only receive general education recognize Latin?

He didn't ask this question in the end.

Because the answer is absolutely no.

Lu Shi said, "So I want to answer the question just now."

He held up a finger,

"First, Chinese characters are inherited in one continuous line. From oracle bone inscriptions to the Chinese characters used today, we can see a clear line of development. In other words, characters may change, but this change is based on the original. rather than being covered by other text."

This is irrefutable.

But even though it is the truth, what Lu Shi said is quite heartbreaking,

In particular, the phrase "it is not covered by other words" will definitely give some Europeans the illusion that it means something.

Lu Shi held up two fingers,

"Second, Chinese culture is continuous."

After saying this sentence, the students in Cambridge immediately got excited.

Someone choked and said, "Isn't that right? The Qing Dynasty was... hum..."

Although the British do not understand Han culture,

However, they understand the Qing court.

Lu Shi said: "It seems that you also understand China."

Once upon a time, Dai Qing was also a "great power" in the eyes of the inappropriate Dai Ying,

However, along with the war, the Qing army suffered repeated defeats. In the end, Dai Qing was forced to sign various treaties, which led to a sharp decline in international status.

The person who asked the question just now nodded,

"Know a thing or two."

Lu Shi went on to reply to the other party: "It is indeed the level of 'knowing a little bit'. You just wanted to say that the Qing Dynasty was ruled by foreigners, right? Then, I would like to ask, in the era of foreign invasion, whether the Han people maintained What about your own culture?"

This question goes a little deeper.

No one answered.

On the contrary, politicians like Cavendish and Wodehouse are somewhat knowledgeable.

Wodehouse said: "This is true. China is amazing. Even if a foreign race becomes a ruler, in many cases, the foreign race must be deeply bound to the Han people to govern the country. Therefore, the foreign race must learn Han culture instead."

Bernard Shaw asked: "Wouldn't that be assimilated? Hey... In the end, will you not be able to distinguish your own blood, and not know where you came from?"

Wodehouse shook his head,

"I'm not too sure about this."

Bernard Shaw complained, "Then you just said so much."

"It's just a feeling," Wodehouse said.

He actually thought of those unequal treaties, many of which were signed by the Hanchens of the Qing court, which made him feel that foreigners must rely on the Han people to govern China.

Lu Shi said: "The ancestors of European civilization should be ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Isn't that a problem?"

The students looked at each other,

This default attitude is also an answer.

Lu Shi continued: "The relationship between modern China and ancient Chinese civilization is much closer than the relationship between modern Europe and ancient Greek civilization."

Someone said: "What about ancient Egypt?"

Britain has a large number of colonies in Africa,

Therefore, the first thing the students at the scene thought of was to cite that piece of land as an example to refute.

Lu Shi replied: "I just said that civilization is not equal to a region, a country, or even a bloodline or a race. Why do you say that ancient Egypt perished? It doesn't mean that the land of Egypt disappeared, nor did it grow on that land. The people on the land are extinct. The land is still there, and there will always be people living. However, people are different. What gods did ancient Egypt believe in and worship? What about today's Egypt? And ancient Egypt's ruling method is the integration of politics and religion , the current religion is completely different from that at that time, isn’t it equivalent to civilization being covered?”

These ideas are not very new, but they are hard to refute.

James nodded.

"That's right, Professor Lu does have research. It's just that Egyptians probably don't like to hear about it."

Cavendish said: "Would the Chinese be willing to listen to the saying that Chinese civilization has been cut off?"

Everyone was silent.

Lu Shi had the opportunity to refute those one-sided views one by one, or because he was qualified to speak on the podium,

The Egyptian wants to refute, is there that chance?

Some students said: "Didn't Professor Lu say just now, 'Many Chinese people think Chinese is a burden'. Will a civilization that gives up on itself really not be broken in the future?"

Lu Shi said: "That is the opinion of a small number of people."

students puzzled,

"But I said 'a lot of Chinese'."

Lu Shi spread his hands: "Let me tell you a number. The current population of China is 40 million, while the residents of London are only 2 million. Therefore, 'few people' and 'many' do not conflict, the key is to look at What are you using as a reference?"

In 1901, the Qing government would publish the national population statistics, which was 477 million,

But this is an approximate number. Therefore, 400 million is only a rough estimate and understanding of the total population of China at that time.

Lu Shi said: "China's failure and sinking are only temporary."

He held up three fingers,

"Third, our land must be revived."

After that, the fourth finger,

"Fourth, our people are still resilient. No matter what difficulties we face now, we still recognize ourselves as Chinese, which is the basis for the continuation of civilization."

The students looked at Lu Shi with admiration.

They have seen all kinds of political leaders, but no speech has been so impressive.

Gradually, applause appeared.

Human psychology is difficult to explain. Once you accept someone, you will often become tolerant in all aspects.

Lu Shi said: "When I talk about the inheritance of Chinese civilization, I don't want to affirm that Chinese has a long history, so it must be stronger than English. I just want to say that there are as many civilizations in the world as stars, and each language has its own advantages and disadvantages."

He intoned in a low voice:

"

Guan Guan Jujiu, in the continent of the river.

A fair lady, a gentleman loves you.

"

The recitation is in Chinese.

Lu Shi said: "This poem comes from the "Book of Songs". It is the beginning of ancient Chinese poetry and a collection of poems. It has been more than a thousand years. The Chinese have studied poetry for so long and have made great achievements in rhythm, so it should be understandable?"

The Cambridge students all smiled,

From the bottom of their hearts, they have accepted what Professor Lu said.

Lu Shi continued: "You are students of Cambridge, and you will achieve something in various fields in the future, so I hope you can treat everyone and every civilization more equally. I have a dream... Er... ..."

At this point in the speech, it was suddenly interrupted.

When everyone looked at Lu curiously,

What dreams do they have while waiting for Lu~

Lu Shi was embarrassed,

Because of his professional relationship, he can recite a lot of English speeches in full.

For example, Churchill's "We will fight to the end", "We will fight to the end, we will fight in France, we will fight on the ocean, we will fight with confidence in the air!", many people should have heard of it.

Another example is "I Have a Dream\

,"Just now Lu Shi talked about equality, so he almost diverted the conversation to Martin Luther King's famous speech.

He coughed lightly and said, "Let's continue talking about translation."

If you suddenly change the subject, the students will definitely not do it.

The bottom is fried into a pot of porridge,

"Why not continue?"

"Professor Lu, tell me about your dream."

"Yes, let's talk!"

...

Discussions came from all directions.

The students all want to know what Lu Shi's dream is.

Lu Shi had a headache.

He pondered for a moment and said:

"

Classmates, despite all the difficulties and setbacks, I do have a dream.

I dream that one day, in Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda, the sons of former slaves will be able to sit at the table with the sons of former slave owners and share their brotherhood;

I dream that one day even Rhodesia, where oppression prevails, will become an oasis of liberty and justice;

I dream that one day, in Burma and India, Asians and British people will be like brothers and sisters, hand in hand.

"

Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda in West Africa,

Rhodesia in South Africa,

Myanmar and India are in Asia.

These are British colonies around the world.

The corner of Wodehouse's mouth curled up, and he said in a low voice: "Hehe, I feel that Professor Lu's English speech is more provocative than his works."

It is inevitable,

Lu Shi's speech was adapted from "I Have a Dream", and the value of this speech cannot even have an accurate measure.

Bernard Shaw nodded and said, "Yes..."

"It's no wonder Winston thinks so highly of Professor Lu," Wodehouse said.

If Lu Shi heard this, he would definitely complain.

He's a Chinese, running around, calling for equality, that's all right,

Interest dictates it~

Churchill, a British man, ran around for this, and even gave up all kinds of rights in overseas colonies. Wouldn't he be a traitor?

And the most magical point is that Churchill did the same thing,

After he joined the Liberal Party, he was quickly appointed as the Deputy Minister of Colonial Affairs. The most important achievement during his tenure was to promote South Africa to achieve self-government status.

It is not an exaggeration to say that he is "the founding father of South Africa-Churchill".

Not to mention Churchill's painstaking efforts towards the United States later,

Well, very heroic indeed.

Lu Shi's speech continued:

"

I have a dream.

I dream that one day the valleys will rise, the mountains will descend, the rough and winding roads will become smooth, and the holy light will shine on the world.

No matter who we are, we can work together, pray together, and fight together.

If Britain is to be a great nation, this dream must come true:

Let the voice of equality ring from the rolling mountains of Nigeria!

Let the voice of equality resound from the mountain of corpses and blood on the Boer battlefield!

Let the voice of equality sound from the Gobi Desert of India!

...

"

There was deathly silence.

The expressions of the students are extremely wonderful, or surprised, or obsessed, or inspired, or tears,

Obviously, both were influenced by the speech.

But when Lu Shi looked at them, his expression was very indifferent,

His heart is like a mirror,

As the saying goes, "the ass determines the head", the British enjoy all the convenience brought by the colonial world, so how can they really treat others equally?

Ordinary citizens are so foolish, after watching "Yes! "Prime Minister", he will scold the cabinet a few words,

Elites are different,

Especially the students of Cambridge University, which is the cradle of politicians,

Here, there is an 80% probability of sending imperialists to the Palace of Westminster, and the other 20% are opportunists. They shout "Freedom!" and "Equality!" It's just a ballot;

And those who really believe often cannot enter the Palace of Westminster.

But even so, the effect of the speech is still very obvious,

Because the dream depicted in "I Have a Dream" is grand and beautiful, it can really beat people's blood.

After a long silence, the students talked a lot.

Lu Shi lowered his hands to signal silence,

The people in the front row noticed his movement and closed their mouths,

The people behind are still discussing.

Cavendish frowned,

"Quiet!"

For a moment, the entire lawn by the river fell silent.

Lu Shi bowed deeply to Cavendish,

"Thank you, Monsieur."

Later, he said to the students: "I know that my speech is just a dream, a daydream. Because it is impossible for Cambridge students to believe a word of it."

See through but not tell,

When Lu Shi said it directly, it was a slap in the face.

But no one could refute it.

Indeed, after the excitement just now, the students of Cambridge University have calmed down a lot.

Let the voice of equality ring from the rolling mountains of Nigeria?

forget it.

Students at UCL don't think so,

Someone took the lead and shouted: "Professor Lu, what you said is really good, can you say a few more words?"

As soon as this remark came out, the students of Cambridge University were disheartened.

Compared with the "young men" of the University of London Union, these people are like "old men" who have already half-stepped into the Palace of Westminster. They are depressed, as if everything is for profit.

Lu Shi smiled and waved his hands,

"No, that's all I have to say. Let's move on to the topic of this speech—translation."

After finishing speaking, he turned the topic back to "Xin, Da, Ya".

Watching Lu Shi talking eloquently on it, Cavendish fell into deep thought.

After a while, he asked the professors beside him: "You said, what Professor Lu said just now, such as 'If Britain is to become a great country, this dream must be realized' or something, did it come from the heart?"

The professors were silent.

After waiting for half a minute, seeing that he couldn't get an answer for a long time, Cavendish said in a low voice, "Professor Lu, it's really for the sake of Daying..."