Half a century later, in 1979, Zhou Hexuan was invited to return to the mainland. At the end of the year, he attended the Fourth National Congress of Literature as a writer and poet. During the conference, he lived at Peking University and donated various publications collected in his early years, totaling 107 newspapers, 32 magazines, and 3 volumes of poetry magazines.

These publications were later displayed in the History Museum of Peking University, and were compiled into books, printed and published, called "Collection of the Principal".

In the 1980s, Zhou Hexuan went from a reactionary literati to a patriotic scholar, and a craze for research began to set off in China. "Harvest" magazine interviewed Chen Congwen and Ding Ling respectively. The two had turned against each other at this time, but their evaluation of Zhou Hexuan was surprisingly consistent.

"Harvest": Mr. Shen, when did you meet Principal Zhou?

Chen Congwen: I first met him through newspapers and magazines, but the first time I met was in November 1926. He delivered a speech on stage and I listened to it in the audience. The speech was unique, and he claimed to be a reactionary warlord lackey, and was despised by many students.

"Harvest": You don't seem to be a student of Peking University, why are you present at that time?

Chen Congwen: I worked as an attending student at Peking University, and I also pretended to be a formal student to take the exam, and got a 5 cent scholarship for the Triangle. At that time, I happened to live near Peking University. When I heard that Mr. Zhou was coming, I went with Hu Yepin and Ding Ling.

"Harvest": What's the matter with students scolding the principal?

Chen Congwen: Haha, that's interesting. At that time, Mr. Zhou was the principal appointed by Zhang Zuolin. As soon as he took office, he forbidden students from spreading progressive ideas. Of course, the students had to scold him. However, they were all pretending to show the warlords, and everyone respected Mr. Zhou in private.

"Harvest": Mr. Zhou seems to like to collect articles that scold him?

Chen Congwen: Yes, Mr. Zhou is very interesting, he has a habit of collecting. At that time, I was invited to follow Mr. Zhou to Tianjin and serve as the editor of the supplement of "Volkswagen". He has been with Mr. Zhou for more than a year. When he saw articles scolding himself, he would read them carefully and evaluate them. He laughed when he scolded him well, and shook his head and sighed. He also liked to collect famous calligraphy. I was just a little writer at the time, and he forced me to write a few calligraphy works.

"Harvest": What kind of person is Mr. Zhou in life?

Chen Congwen: He is not keen on material enjoyment. Although he likes the delicious food, he is also willing to enjoy simple food. He loves making friends, and all the people in the world can chat and laugh together, and is smooth and pragmatic, but sticks to the bottom line.

"Harvest": What impressed him the most?

Chen Congwen: His thoughts are unpredictable and he has extremely keen analytical skills in the current situation. I remember it was at the end of 1927, and when he was drinking, he predicted that Zhang Zuolin's death was not far away. Looking back now, I have to admire his insight. At that time, Zhang Zuolin had a deep conflict with the Japanese, and once he lost his power and returned to the Northeast, he would inevitably become the target of assassination.

"Harvest": Since Marquez won the Nobel Prize in Literature last year, Mr. Zhou, the founder of the magical realism school, has once again attracted widespread attention from the international literary world. Do you think he may win the Nobel Prize?

Chen Congwen: Haha, I can't say it. In 1938, Mr. Zhou was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. In the following decades, he was nominated 21 times, which is an unbreakable record.

"Harvest": This is true, so Mr. Zhou is hailed as the uncrowned king of the literary world. Why do you think Mr. Zhou has been nominated but has never won the award?

Chen Congwen: Because he is Chinese.

...

"Harvest": Ms. Ding Ling, what kind of person is Zhou Hexuan in your eyes?

Ding Ling: cunning, philanthropist, funny, profound, keen, weird, straightforward, courageous, responsible, childish, patriots rooted in the blood and bone marrow.

"Harvest": Do you put cunning first?

Ding Ling: He is one of the most cunning people I have ever seen. He can always protect himself in the complicated situations. You can never guess what he is thinking in his mind. In my opinion, his life philosophy is to bend and not to fall. Such people often live well and live for a long time.

"Harvest": But do you say he is bold and responsible?

Ding Ling: Kung-kang means that he can make a quick decision. For example, when the reactionary warlord Chu Yupu escaped, he died inexplicably in the wilderness, and the millions of silver dollars he took with him evaporated from the world. This was done by Zhou Hexuan.

"Harvest": Chu Yupu died at the hands of Mr. Zhou. Are you sure?

Ding Ling: I'm sure he admitted it himself.

"Harvest": It's incredible. If this matter is spread, it will definitely cause a sensation. Where is Mr. Zhou's responsibility?

Ding Ling: You can't guess what he does. Usually, he is as good as calculating as money, but he is particularly generous to his friends. If a down-and-out scholar asks him for help, he will definitely help him. I was arrested and placed under house arrest by the reactionaries in 1933. He actively worked hard for me. This friendship is precious. When the country was in trouble, Southwest Associated University had financial difficulties, and he also helped many teachers and students. At that time, many scholars gathered in Lizhuang and lived in shacks. Eating coarse grains was so poor that they were so poor. Liang Sicheng pawned all his clothes, sold gold pens and watches to replace them with two grass carp, and replenished the sick Lin Huiyin. Except for the fact that their children could wear cloth shoes in winter, they could only wear barefoot or straw sandals in other seasons. Mr. Zhou learned about these situations and transported three trucks of supplies to Zhouzhuang and distributed them to scholars there. You must know that at that time, the supplies were difficult and the prices soared, and the things he transported were huge sums.

"Harvest": Why were everyone poor at that time, including many celebrities, but Mr. Zhou was so rich?

Ding Ling: Haha, so he is cunning and philanthropist. Before the war, this man transferred his property, sold all the industries in Shanghai and Tianjin, and purchased a large amount of land and houses in the southwest region. I remember that there were two towns in Yibin at that time, and the entire street belonged to him. Just collecting rent was enough to eat for decades.

"Harvest": It seems that Mr. Zhou is very business-minded.

Ding Ling: He not only had a business acumen, but also had a keen eye for the situation. He knew that North China and East China could not defend, so the government would definitely move inland, so he purchased industries in the southwest at a low price in advance. At that time, the small counties and towns in the mainland could buy a good house with dozens of silver dollars. But after the war began, the value increased by a hundred times, because countless citizens fled to settle down.

"Harvest": Marquez just won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He is known as the culmination of magical realism. Mr. Zhou is the founder of the magical realism school. When do you think Mr. Zhou will win the Nobel Prize?

Ding Ling: I guess it will be difficult for me to see it alive.

"Harvest": Do you think he has no hope of winning the award?

Ding Ling: Of course there is hope. Do you believe it or not? If he is willing to immigrate to Europe and the United States, he will be able to win the award next year.

"Harvest": I believe it.

Ding Ling (laugh): But he only wants to be a Chinese in his life.
Chapter completed!