It was winter again, and Chen Qiang also resumed his daily training and study.

The North China Games have completely ended, and next year there will be only one large-scale competition between the National Games. For Chen Qiang, the competition task that only once a year is indeed too easy.

Chen Qiang was a little envious of the athletes in later generations who continued to compete throughout the year. International athletes had international competitions, national athletes had national competitions, and even provincial and municipal athletes had many competitions to participate in.

For example, track and field sports, at the beginning of each year, the Athletics Association announced the year's competition plan, various grand prixes, championships, trial competitions, and even many special events. For example, throwing events, long-distance running events, race walking events, and competitions organized specifically by the entire city.

Ordinary people may not notice that China will hold so many sports competitions a year, but Chen Qiang, a professor at the University of Sports, has a very good understanding of this aspect. He also has a certain status in the domestic sports industry and has never been able to participate in national competitions, so he will be invited to be a member.

During the Republic of China period, as an athlete, it would be nice to have one game a year.

As athletes, there is no one who doesn’t want to compete. Most athletes are eager to participate in more competitions and can show themselves through competitions. Therefore, the days without competitions are also very difficult for Chen Qiang.

"In this era, there are only many games in the United States. Now the economic situation in the United States should have improved. Otherwise, I will find an opportunity to go to the United States again?"

Chen Qiang was thinking about it when a voice sounded from beside him.

"Chen Qiang, the principal asked you to go to his office." Chen Qiang looked up and saw that the person who spoke was Yan Renying.

Yan Renying is a celebrity from Nankai University. Chen Qiang had a deep impression of him. At the North China Games not long ago, Yan Renying's "not forgetting the national humiliation" made Chen Qiang feel even more touched. Since then, Chen Qiang has had an admiration for Yan Renying.

Chen Qiang thanked Yan Renying and then went to Zhang Boling's office.

When he pushed open the door of the principal's office, Zhang Boling was waiting inside. In addition to Zhang Boling, there was also a middle-aged man in his forties sitting on the sofa.

"Professor Zhang, you are here too!" Chen Qiang quickly greeted the middle-aged man.

"Xiao Chen, come and sit down!" The middle-aged man was not surprised and asked Chen Qiang to sit next to him.

This middle-aged man is Zhang Boling's younger brother Zhang Pengchun.

Zhang Pengchun is also a famous educator in modern times. The European and American drama performance system was introduced to China by Zhang Fengchun. Similarly, China's director system was also pioneered by Zhang Pengchun. In addition, he also held positions in the United Nations and participated in the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In short, Zhang Pengchun is also the founder of Chinese drama. He also made great contributions to China's cultural development and education cause. However, because Zhang Boling's reputation was too great, it covered up Zhang Pengchun's deeds, which made him not very familiar with later generations.

Zhang Pengchun graduated from Columbia University in the United States and served as the provost of Tsinghua University. Later, he went to the University of Chicago in the United States to teach. Now he has returned to China and is a professor at Nankai University.

Chen Qiang came to Zhang Pengchun and sat down. Zhang Pengchun said, "Xiao Chen, our school has just received a telegram from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nanjing, which said that the Soviets were planning to invite you to visit."

"The Soviets invited me?" Chen Qiang asked in surprise. He did not expect his fame to spread to the Soviet Union.

"Of course it's not to invite you alone. To be precise, it's to invite well-known figures from our Chinese cultural and sports industry." Zhang Boling said in anger.

"Who else besides me?" Chen Qiang continued.

"In the sports industry, besides you, only Li Huitang from Hong Kong was invited. There are more people in the cultural industry, such as Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang, the movie star Wudie... Peng Chun is also going with you." Zhang Boling pointed to his younger brother.

Zhang Pengchun and Mei Lanfang have a close personal relationship, and Chen Qiang knew this. When Mei Lanfang performed in the United States, Zhang Pengchun was Mei Lanfang's artistic director. The various activities that Mei Lanfang participated in in the United States were also organized by Zhang Pengchun.

Zhang Pengchun then introduced: "This time we go to the Soviet Union, we don't have to worry about the cost. The Soviets said in the telegram that they included all the fees, and even the round-trip tickets were ready. We just need to take the people there."

"When will we set off?" Chen Qiang asked.

"After the Spring Festival, February! You have to walk for a month on the road and you will have to arrive in the Soviet Union in March." Zhang Pengchun replied.

"The Soviet Union should still be very cold in March, right? I have to go to the fur shop to buy a marten!" Chen Qiang replied with a smile.

...

Historically, the Soviet Union also invited the Chinese literary and artistic circles to visit the Soviet Union at this time. Of course, the most important thing was to invite Mr. Mei Lanfang. The others were the foil because Mr. Mei Lanfang was quite famous in the drama industry all over the world.

Nowadays, in addition to Mei Lanfang, there is another famous figure in China, so the Soviet Union invited Chen Qiang together. Anyway, the Soviet Union has a great family and a great career, so it is not bad to invite this person.

Of course, the Soviet Union did not invite Mei Lanfang and Chen Qiang to visit for no reason.

Since its establishment, the Soviet Union has been isolated by the world due to ideological reasons. However, in the early 1930s, the rise of Germany's top ranks paniced Britain, France and Europe, so they threw an olive branch to the Soviet Union, and used the Soviet Union to fight against Germany.

The Soviet Union also hoped to get rid of the situation of being isolated by the West, and accepted the kindness of Britain, France and other countries with pleasure, and the two sides hit it off. In September 1934, the Soviet Union joined the "League of Nations", which also marked a ease in the relationship between the Soviet Union and Western countries.

The Soviet Union, which had just entered the "League of Nations", was also eager to integrate into the international community. However, the Soviet Union had different ideologies from Britain and the United States. If it started from a military or political perspective, it might cause uneasiness and rebound in Britain and the United States. So the Soviet Union started from the aspects of literature and art and sports and invited some celebrities from the literary and sports circles to visit the Soviet Union.

In addition to Mei Lanfang, the Soviet Union at that time also invited many musicians and painters, such as the famous artist Picasso, who visited the Soviet Union many times in that era.

...

In mid-February, Chen Qiang arrived in Shanghai and met Mr. Mei Lanfang, whom he had long known for.

In the 1930s, it was already very difficult to listen to a show by Mr. Mei. After returning from the US tour, Mr. Mei's appearance fee had increased to ten gold bars, which was not something that ordinary theaters could afford. Moreover, such master-level figures could not be performed every day. Mr. Mei's performance was like a concert held by a superstar in later generations. It was not easy to perform a few shows a year. And Mr. Mei's performance was naturally hard to get a ticket for every performance.

In Shanghai, Chen Qiang did not see Mr. Mei's performance, but Chen Qiang was not in a hurry. This time he visited the Soviet Union, Mr. Mei would perform a total of six performances. Chen Qiang had the opportunity to appreciate Mr. Mei's heroic posture on the stage.

On February 21, the visiting delegation boarded the "North" ship, headed to the Far East of the Soviet Union, and then reached a train, passing through Siberia, and headed to Moscow.

Taking a train is much easier than taking a boat. The train is not as bumpy as a ship, and you can enjoy the scenery of Siberia along the way. Moreover, the Soviet Union booked special train rooms for the visiting tour group, and the food was of the highest standard. After a ten-day trip, the visiting tour group gained several pounds.

On March 12, the train arrived in Moscow. The Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent Bao Lewei, deputy director of the Oriental Department, to greet him. The Chinese Embassy in the Soviet Union also sent an agent to the train station.

Chen Qiang and his group were arranged to stay in the hotel, and then Chen Qiang also got his itinerary for the next few days.

Mr. Mei's performance starts from March 23 to March 28, and will perform one show every day. So before that, his main itinerary was to visit, attend welcome banquets, and prepare for performances.

Chen Qiang doesn't have to perform at night, so Chen Qiang's schedule is to visit and attend the welcome banquet.

The itinerary shows that at noon tomorrow, the Soviet Foreign Exchange Association will hold a welcome lunch to welcome the Chinese visiting group. The itinerary list lists a large list of the names of the banquet participants.

These large list of names are all well-known figures in the Soviet literary and artistic circles, but none of them are known to Chen Qiang. The several major figures in the Soviet political circles that Chen Qiang is familiar with are not on the list.

Suddenly, a familiar name finally fell into Chen Qiang's eyes.

Konstantin Stanislavsky!

Chen Qiang's familiarity with Stanislavsky is because of the book "Actor's Self-cultivation". This book will be very popular in the future. Although few people have read this book, there are many jokes that this book has caused. Chen Qiang also learned about Stanislavsky by reading various jokes.

Chen Qiang is not from a film and television professional, and he does not know Stanislavsky's contribution to drama, but since he is a celebrity, Chen Qiang certainly cannot miss it.

So Chen Qiang found a hotel waiter, gave him some money, and asked him to buy a Russian version of "Actors' Self-cultivation".

...

At the welcome lunch of the Soviet Foreign Exchange Association, Chen Qiang met Stanislavsky.

"Mr. Stanislavsky, I'm honored to have lunch with you. Can you sign me with an autograph?" Chen Qiang said, taking out the book "Actor's Self-cultivation".

However, Stanislavsky had a surprised expression. When he was young, he was also a drama actor. He was also popular at that time. However, it was the first time that Stanislavsky met him with a book "Actor's Self-cultivation".

What's more, the other party is still a Chinese, and an athlete, not a person who is engaged in the drama career.

Mei Lanfang also looked at Chen Qiang in confusion. He didn't expect that in addition to pulling people to take photos, Chen Qiang also liked to sign autographs on books.

When he was in the United States, Chen Qiang bought a portable camera himself, which was specially used to take photos with celebrities. On the train to Moscow, Chen Qiang took Mei Lanfang to take photos every day, almost without blind spots, and probably several of them were used to hand over the papers.

Stanislavsky took over the book "Actor's Self-cultivation" with a smile, signed it and handed it back to Chen Qiang.

Chen Qiang took over this book "Actors' Self-cultivation" with joy, and thought in his heart that if it was put in the future, the book "Actors' Self-cultivation" signed by Stanislavsky would be sold to those traffic stars who have poor acting skills and like to show off, which would definitely be a very high price.

Stanislavsky next to him said, "Mr. Chen, you make me feel like a famous writer. You remind me of a friend of mine. He is a very great writer. He has a pseudonym, Maxim Gorky!"

"Gorky!" The name shocked Chen Qiang, and he immediately asked, "Is Mr. Gorky also in Moscow now?"

"Yes, he lives in Moscow now," replied Stanislavsky.

"I don't know if I have this honor, so I can visit Mr. Gorky." Chen Qiang said immediately. He had already made up his mind to buy a few Gorky's works and sign him.

"Are you interested in his works?" Stanislavsky asked.

"Yes, every time I read Mr. Gorky's "Haiyan" I feel excited!" Chen Qiang answered.

In fact, except for "Haiyan", Chen Qiang has never read other works of Gorky, and "Haiyan" is still learned from textbooks.

When he heard that Chen Qiang could really tell Gorky's works, Stanislavsky felt that Chen Qiang was really a reader of Gorky. Considering that Chen Qiang was the "world's number one athlete", there was nothing wrong with introducing him to Gorky.

So Stanislavsky nodded: "Okay, I can help you make an appointment with Gorky for a while. I think he will definitely look forward to your visit."

...

In the next few days, Chen Qiang began to visit the Soviet sports industry.

Due to isolation, the Soviet Union did not participate in the recent Olympic Games. Even if the Soviet Union wanted to go, those Western countries would not want the Soviet Union to appear in the international arena.

The Soviets were also tough. If you don’t let me participate in the Olympics, then I will hold a sports meeting myself, that is, the All-Soviet Sports Meeting.

In terms of competition scale, the All-Soviet Games are no less than the Olympics, and even better than the Olympics. In some strong events of the Soviets, the level of competitions is even better than that of the Olympics.

For example, on August 12, 1928, the Soviet Union held the first All-Soviet Games on Red Square in Moscow, with more than 7,000 athletes participating. Interestingly, only 3,014 athletes participated in the 9th Olympic Games held in Amsterdam, Netherlands on the same day. The Soviet Union was obviously fighting the Olympic Games.

However, the All-Soviet Games are held in the summer, so Chen Qiang was not able to witness the grand occasion of the All-Soviet Games with his own eyes. He could only learn about the real situation of the All-Soviet Games through some images and pictures.

For Chen Qiang, these images and picture materials are also extremely precious, and many of them have not been preserved.

During the Battle of Moscow during World War II, the Kremlin could already be seen in the German telescopes. In that case, Moscow was about to be lost, so naturally no one would protect such images and picture materials. Even if they could be preserved, they would be damaged to a certain extent when the Soviet Union collapsed.

Chen Qiang felt that as a sportsman in later generations, it was a great honor to be able to see these precious information.

Then Chen Qiang felt the Labor and Health System of Soviet Sports personally.

The Soviet Union was the founder of the "Lao-Hard System". They began to implement the Lao-Hard System in 1931. The full name of the Lao-Hard System is "Preparation and Defense of the Motherland Sports System", which is to promote the active participation of the people in various sports through the level test of sports events to improve the physical strength, endurance, speed, agility and other qualities of the body. Simply put, it is a plan for the whole people to participate in sports.

Those who meet the standards in the "Lao-Habitat System" test will be awarded medals or certificates. This was an honor that everyone yearned for in the Soviet Union at that time, especially under the planned economic system, which is much more important than money. It is also for this reason that whenever we get off work, the first thing the Moscow workers do is not to go home, but to go to the playground to exercise.

The standards of the Soviet Union's labor and health system were actually quite high. In modern times, most people could not meet the standards. Not to mention anything else, if they carried a weight within the specified time, they would not be able to do it. Many people were afraid that they could not even run down 10,000 meters in a complete manner. Therefore, those who could meet the labor and health system standards at that time basically had the physical fitness of athletes.

In the late 1930s, more than six million people received the Medal of the Labor and Health System in the Soviet Union, which was six million people with the physical fitness of athletes! After a little training, they would be six million strong elite soldiers. This is also true. The Soviet Union experienced the losses of millions of soldiers in the early days of World War II, but the Soviet Union's soldiers were still more violent.

By the early 1960s, after thirty years of implementation of the Lao-Hao system, more than 30 million people had won the Lao-Hao system medal in the Soviet Union. So the entire Western Europe was trembling under the gaze of the Soviet Union. The United States was also worried that the Soviet Union's steel torrent would suddenly rush across the Berlin Wall and conquer the entire Europe. Imagine that in that era, the Soviet Union could have thirty million soldiers at any time. It would be abnormal if Western Europe and the United States were not worried and scared!

From this aspect, we can also see that the population of the war in that era was extremely important. If a country is insufficient, it may not even be able to guarantee national defense. For example, Iceland and Norway where birds do not shit, it is okay. If there is a powerful neighbor around you and you don’t have any tricks, you will definitely be bullied or even annexed.
To be continued...