Chapter 55 UFO 2

Last year, *People's Daily* published an article about UFOs in its literary supplement, officially introducing the term into the country and rapidly fostering a group of amateur science enthusiasts.

Eras are sometimes magical, capable of connecting two seemingly completely unrelated things. For example, Zhang Xueliang once listened to Jay Chou's songs, and Soong Mei-ling watched *Happy Camp*—though, of course, these remain unconfirmed.

However, the fact that Chinese people in 1979 were researching extraterrestrials is entirely true.

Their discussion quickly attracted a crowd. Jiang Shan pricked up her ears and asked with a puzzled expression, "Are UFOs flying saucers?"

"No, the term stands for unidentified flying objects. Regardless of what it actually is, as long as you don't recognize it, you can call it a UFO," Chen Qi said.

Just as he finished speaking, one of the young men chatting nearby suddenly turned his head and interjected, "Hey, comrade, I disagree with your view. A UFO clearly refers to a flying saucer!"

"Oh right, you're right!"

Chen Qi had no interest in arguing with him, but the other man pressed on, taking a few steps closer. "Comrade, UFOs have a rigorous scientific system. We speak through the lens of science, backed by clear and undeniable factual evidence..."

He suddenly assumed a very mysterious demeanor, glanced around at the surrounding crowd, and said, "I'm going to share something I probably shouldn't. Don't be too shocked, because this is the true reality of our world."

"Could it be that this world is ruled by the Great Old Ones?"

Chen Qi asked in shock.

"Gods? No, no, UFOs are not a form of feudal superstition."

The young man shook his head vigorously and began his performance with utter confidence: "Back in 1947, there was a place called Roswell in Utah..."

"Roswell is in New Mexico."

"Tsk! Do you know your stuff or do I? Do you know what I do for a living? I'm from the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics, and I have access to a lot of information you people don't know about. Anyway, on this particular night in Roswell, it was pouring rain..."

Spitting flying everywhere, the young man regaled the masses of 1979 with the famous Roswell Incident.

"In the end, this incident was covered up by the US military. They actually built a base right there to secretly research aliens. Why do you think the Yankee technology is so damn awesome? It's all from researching aliens!"

"Wow!"

As he delivered the climax of the story, everyone listened with gasps of astonishment, riding wave after wave of excitement.

"Those American imperialists are full of malicious tricks!"

"China and the US have established diplomatic relations now, don't talk like that."

"If aliens landed in the US, they must be capitalist aliens, and we should oppose them!"

"Does our country have any aliens? You mentioned that old rascal Nixon coming to China, but he didn't even bring a specimen or anything for us to check out."

"Exactly! I heard those American devils brought back hundreds of pounds of moon dirt when they landed on the moon, and they only gave us 1 gram when diplomatic relations were established—so stingy! When we go up there, we won't give them even a single gram!"

Splendid!

***

Chen Qi felt as though he were reading *Bizarre Happenings Eyewitnessed over Two Decades*. It was exceptionally interesting, so he asked, "So, you believe aliens exist?"

"Definitely! The universe is so vast; there must be planets with environments similar to Earth's, which means they can certainly nurture life!" the young man declared with absolute certainty.

"Let's have a friendly discussion..."

Chen Qi rubbed his nose and smiled. "First of all, the very definition of 'alien' is inaccurate. You've never seen one, so what gives you the right to define them as humanoid? How do you know they necessarily take human form?

Couldn't they be silicon-based life? Or a tree, a rock, a blob of liquid, a mass of formless spiritual consciousness, or even a squid? Pardon me, that borders on anti-Semitism...

Therefore, I think they shouldn't be called aliens; 'extraterrestrial life' is a much more fitting term.

Secondly, you just mentioned that gods are feudal superstition.

The ancient text *Shiyi Ji* records that in the thirtieth year of Emperor Yao's reign, a gigantic spacecraft appeared in the Western Sea, capable of emitting a soft, gentle light. People referred to it as the Moon-Crossing Raft.

This description closely mirrors what we call a flying saucer.

It's just that the ancients didn't understand it and regarded them as immortals. So let's look at it from another perspective: is there any possibility that the gods of legend are actually high-dimensional beings from the universe? Those entities that cannot be named?

Look at how vast the universe is, and how minuscule humanity is. We ought to hold a sense of reverence toward the universe. Remember this quote: weakness and ignorance are not barriers to survival, arrogance is!"

Hiss!

The young man shuddered all over, as if enlightened by the Trisolarans.

Immediately afterward, fanaticism bloomed across his face, his eyes glowing with excitement: "Comrade! What you said makes complete sense! I was so narrow-minded; I never imagined UFOs could be interpreted this way!"

"No, no, we're just casually exchanging thoughts."

"No, no, no! Your understanding of the mysteries of the universe is more than enough to be my teacher! Let me introduce myself, my name is Jiang Chao, from the Beijing Institute of Aeronautics. Several of my classmates and I are UFO enthusiasts.

We've set up a UFO interest group. Could you please leave your contact information so we can come and visit you?"

"That won't be necessary. My interest in UFOs isn't even as great as my interest in a plate of twice-cooked pork."

"You must leave it, otherwise I won't let you leave!"

Chen Qi looked at this fellow—in his early twenties, chubby, possessing the clear yet foolish innocence of university students from a later era, yet running some sort of UFO interest group.

What a headache!

However, upon second thought, once the 1980s arrived, two major fads would sweep across the land of China: one was the qigong/paranormal abilities craze, and the other was the UFO craze—even Zhang Yimou once claimed he had seen a UFO.

The qigong craze was sensitive and difficult to meddle with—if he could, he would genuinely love to play the role of a divine charlatan, but unfortunately, it would trigger censorship.

The UFO craze was fascinating. When expanded, it became science fiction. Although science fiction was like a stepchild in the domestic literary scene—oh wait, more like a daughter from a concubine—he didn't mind.

Let's treat it as making a friend. Who knows when it might come in handy later.

***

And so, Chen Qi left his contact information, Jiang Chao left his as well, and departed in high spirits.

...

"Everyone, be quiet! Keep it down!"

"Line up on both sides. Let the writers come through first, no shoving, no pushing! They've made a special trip to see you all, so let's not make things difficult for them. It would be terrible if they cancelled the meeting."

By afternoon, the entire book fair was buzzing with excitement.

People rushed to both sides of the entrance, jostling and squeezing to grab a spot, leaving a path open down the middle. Before long, applause suddenly erupted like a torrential rain, and various textbook literary pieces seemed to walk down the path toward them.

Ye Shengtao: *Harvesting Three or Five Bushels Less*
Zang Kejia: *Some people are alive even though they are dead; some people are dead even though they are alive.*
Bing Xin: *The Little Orange Lantern*
Liu Shaotang: *Elm Coin Porridge*

Ye Shengtao was already 85 years old. Seeing him in such high spirits and clearly articulating his greetings to everyone, the crowd felt an uncontrollable surge of applause.

They were all attending the National Congress of Writers and Artists and had dropped by the book fair to take a look, which was also a form of support for the literary and artistic endeavors. During the book fair back in '57, even Mao Dun had attended.

Zang Kejia was struck by a wave of poetic inspiration and composed a poem on the spot: "Looking at one warm smiling face after another, like the morning sun just rising over the mountains, even though some of us are already seventy or eighty years old, we still want to live another twenty years, and write for another twenty years..."

To be completely honest, the poem was quite plain.

Bing Xin was also 79 years old. She wrote an inscription for the book fair and said a few words.

Her public reputation wasn't particularly good, and many people criticized her; the specifics need not be discussed.

It was just that even after her passing, she wasn't left in peace. Her tombstone was splashed with paint by her own grandson, who painted eight prominent characters: "Failed to educate one's children, unworthy of being a role model for others." Rumor had it that it was because her son had an affair and triggered a messy divorce, and the grandson was seeking justice for his mother...

Liu Shaotang was 43, the youngest of the group. He had achieved fame far too early, entering the Writers Association in his teens, hailed as a prodigy, and along with Sun Li, he represented the Lotus Dike School of writers.

He had a son-in-law named Sima Bubei.

He also had a good friend who was a high-ranking leader.

As several famous masters made their appearances, Gong Xue, Liang Xiaosheng, and others looked just like fans meeting major superstars, eager to shake their hands, exchange a few words, and ideally get an autograph.

Chen Qi quite liked Wang Zengqi, but unfortunately, he hadn't come.

(End of chapter...)