bayedsolid Chapter 521
Chapter 521
Sun Zhichao led the photographer to show his credentials and passed through the security guards at the Peking University gate, thus entering this century-old institution.
It's not usually this strict; today is just a special case.
Not only Peking University, but this year's Sino-foreign cultural exchange activities are larger in scale than in previous years. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took the lead in organizing a number of domestic cultural institutions to conduct long-term exchanges and mutual learning with European countries.
For example, the Palace Museum and the Palace of Versailles—an exhibition on Sino-French cultural exchange in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Huaxia Art Museum and the National Museum of Rome, Italy—an artistic dialogue on sculpture.
The Spanish National Art Dance Company has been invited to perform "Don Quixote" at the upcoming Shanghai International Arts Festival...
These activities will continue throughout the coming year.
The interaction between Peking University and Cambridge is not of a very high level, so Sun Zhichao thought there wouldn't be many media outlets coming this time, but he soon realized he was wrong.
"Zhi Chao".
As soon as I entered the gate, I heard shouts from behind me.
"Senior brother."
Turning around, he saw a tall man, about 1.9 meters tall, leading two people through the checkpoint. It was Zhang Qiming, his senior from Huaxia Communication University, who was currently working at Xinghua Society.
"It's been so long since we last saw each other. You look like you've gained weight. Are you still playing basketball?"
After inspecting the reporter, Zhang Qiming quickly walked up to him and punched him in the shoulder.
This senior was two years ahead of him. They often played basketball together in their dorms when they were in school, so they had a good relationship.
After we started working, we were both journalists. Sometimes when we had interview assignments in each other's cities, we would get together or exchange information, so we never became estranged.
"It's been about half a year. I was planning to contact you after things were settled here, but I didn't expect you to come here too."
Xinghua News Agency has an official status and the core functions of a national news agency, and its administrative level is incomparable to that of local media such as the Pioneer Youth Daily to which it belongs.
He didn't expect his senior classmate to attend the press conference held by Peking University.
“The last list attracted a lot of attention, so the higher-ups also attached great importance to it and asked us to report on it more.”
Zhang Qiming said
Sun Zhichao suddenly realized.
These kinds of activities have never really gained much popularity, but this time, because of Lu, the list of participants for the exchange was announced some time ago, which sparked a lot of discussion.
The authorities probably also hope that the campaign will generate some buzz, so they have allocated some media resources to it.
While the two were talking, another interview team arrived. The two knew each other; it was Hu Lili from Renming.com, who was very well-known online because of her good looks.
They met, chatted for a while, and then went to the Peking University Auditorium together.
When they arrived, they found that there were quite a few people there. CCTV and Yanjing TV had both sent camera crews. The auditorium was more than half full, and the press conference had not yet started.
Some were exchanging ideas, some were adjusting equipment, and some were reporters standing in front of the camera introducing the press conference.
The three of them quickly separated and got busy.
At 9:00 a.m. sharp, the press conference began on time. The team participating in this cultural exchange entered the venue, and the sound of camera shutters clicking was constant.
Sun Zhichao had done his research before coming and knew that the team leader was Chen Jiahong, a professor in the Department of Literature at Peking University, and the deputy team leader was Cao Dongxu, a professor of Western Literature.
Inheritors of intangible cultural heritage such as Beijing embroidery, Kunqu opera, and Guqin culture.
Then there were the students from Peking University. Sun Zhichao saw Lu Qingfeng enter by blending in. Although he was very low-key, his presence alone was dazzling enough.
It's hard not to notice.
He asked the photographer to take a snapshot.
The press conference began with a speech from the president of Peking University, who summarized the achievements of past exchange activities with Cambridge University, then looked forward to the upcoming event, and finally wished the team success.
What followed was a detailed explanation of the event's content by team leader Professor Chen Jiahong. For such an official event, there's nothing to hide.
Next was the Q&A session, hosted by a female staff member from Peking University's Media Convergence Center who maintained order and guided the questions.
The first two questions touched on Xinghua Society, where Zhang Qiming works, and Renming.com, where Hu Lili works. The questions from both of them were also directed at Professor Chen, mainly focusing on the theme of this exchange activity.
There's not much to say about this; it's just an unspoken rule.
Next, the issues raised by CCTV and China Daily began to escalate externally, and the questions were also passed on to other people.
"Please welcome this reporter from Beijing Television."
The host then invited the next reporter to speak.
A very beautiful woman stood up. Sun Zhichao recognized her; he had seen Lu's performance on the show "Crossover Singer," and she had appeared on the show.
She is a host on Yanjing TV, named Qu Ruoyun.
"I'd like to ask Lu Qingfeng a question."
The TV presenter, dressed in a professional suit, smiled and appeared poised and confident during the location shoot.
"As the youngest member of this exchange team, what are your goals?"
The boy sitting on the side picked up the microphone.
"I'm mainly here to learn, because it's my first time participating in such an important event, so I have high expectations. At the same time, I'm also aware of my shortcomings. I'll learn more and observe more; that's my goal for myself."
In this situation, Lu Qingfeng prioritized stability.
"We know that as a writer, you have achieved certain success in promoting Chinese culture overseas. With this background, how do you view this cultural exchange?"
Another reporter then posed a question to him.
Sun Zhichao, who was below, seemed to have figured it out. It seemed that the focus of this press conference was on Lu.
Since the matter itself didn't have many appealing aspects, he seemed thoughtful about trying to capture public interest by focusing on key personnel.
On stage, Lu Qingfeng, who had just put down the topic, picked it up again, and after a moment of thought, he spoke.
“After being selected for this event, I did some research. In the 1970s and 80s, there was an Englishman named Michael Sheringham who taught at Peking University. After returning to England, he continued to teach Chinese at several universities.”
"His family owned a bookstore next to the British Museum that sold books from China. The bookstore opened in 1903 and was founded by Michael Sheringham's great-uncle."
"Sheringham himself read the Analects of Confucius, Bing Xin, and Lu Xun. His experiences made him very interested in Chinese civilization. He taught in China and after returning to England, he devoted himself to spreading Chinese culture."
"Seeing Sheringham's experience makes me feel that cultural exchange can transcend language barriers. When we communicate with our hearts, no one can stop the mutual attraction between two civilizations."