Chapter 672 671 We Live in a Huge Gap

The venue was quiet.

The female award presenter took a beautiful letter and gently opened it. A hint of surprise flashed across her face, but she quickly read out loud in Italian:

"The Strega Literary Award this year is "Skywalker". Please welcome the author Minghua!"

"Pa pa pa" the venue burst into warm applause.

"Brother-in-law, your novel won the award!" Li Li next to him couldn't help but say excitedly.

Although Fang Minghua didn't understand Italian, he still heard the Chinese pinyin of "Minghua" at the end.

He won the award himself?

He was a little excited.

However, this was not the first time his novel won a foreign award, so he was not excited. He adjusted his tie, stood up, and shook hands with James who took the initiative to extend his right hand behind him, accepted his congratulations, and then strode to the podium.

Of course, he was not alone, there was also Li Li.

Fang Minghua didn't know Italian, and didn't want to speak English. He was going to give his acceptance speech in Chinese, so he naturally needed a translator.

He took the medal and certificate handed over by the female award presenter, and before that, he leaned over and symbolically kissed the back of her finger.

Do as the Romans do.

Amid the sound of "clicking" cameras, Fang Minghua spoke to the microphone in Chinese:

"Here I would like to thank the members of the Strega Literature Award Jury for their hard work. At the same time, I would like to thank my family far away in China for their help. I would especially like to thank this beautiful lady next to me - Li Li, a professor at San Francisco State University in the United States. Without her wonderful translation, this book would not have been able to meet the vast number of Italian readers."

"Ten years ago, I wrote a science fiction novel called "Rural Teachers", which also wrote about rural basic education in our country. It is no secret that our country has made great progress, but the development is very unbalanced. We live in a huge The gap. "

"Children in big cities like Yanjing and Shanghai are now sitting in bright and clean classrooms. They have begun to use computers and know the Internet, but children in remote areas in the west are dreaming of having a brand new pencil case and a nice pen. "

"They all have dreams, although they are different. What supports their dreams is the teacher, whether it is the teacher who teaches them computers or the teacher who writes the simplest Arabic numerals on the blackboard with a small piece of chalk in the simple classroom. They are all great, but I think the latter is greater, which is the original intention of writing this book. "

"Thank you everyone!"

Thunderous applause from the audience.

The Strega Literary Award ceremony ended, and the guests and literature lovers gradually dispersed, waiting for next year's gathering.

The next morning, Fang Minghua and Li Li also left Benevento, but they did not immediately rush to Rome to embark on their return journey, but went to Venice.

Venice is in the northeast of Italy. To get there from Benevento, you have to cross the entire Apennine Peninsula. The fastest journey is to fly to Naples, 80 kilometers away from Benevento.

But Li Li wanted to take the train.

"Brother-in-law, there is no rush anyway, let's take the train. I like to travel by train the most in the United States."

Fang Minghua agreed, and it would be nice to enjoy the scenery of the Apennine Peninsula.

The train passed through the Apennine Mountains. Outside the window were towering mountains, deep canyons, and lush trees, which made people feel relaxed and happy.

The two bought high-end soft sleeper tickets, two people in a room, very quiet.

Fang Minghua sat on the bed and read a book, which was written by the British writer James "It's Too Late"

Before leaving Benevento, Johnson specially gave Fang Minghua an English version of "It's Too Late".

Fang Minghua did not bring his own novels when he left China, but Li Li brought one, which turned out to be "The Bridges of Madison County" written by Fang Minghua a long time ago.

As a return gift, Fang Minghua gave Li Li this yellowed book.

Fang Minghua was reading the novel seriously, while Li Li, who was sitting on the bed opposite, was looking at the scenery outside the window and humming a song.

Seeing Fang Minghua like this, Li Li said, "Okay, brother-in-law, don't read it. Wait until you return to China to read it slowly. Now, talk to me."

"What?"

Fang Minghua looked up at the other party.

"I think what you said in your acceptance speech is great. We live in a huge gap."

"Huh?"

"I live in San Francisco, where there is Silicon Valley, which has the most cutting-edge high-tech companies in the United States, but in the Tenderloin area of ​​the same city, there are drunks, drug addicts and homeless people everywhere." Li Li said.

Fang Minghua smiled, "Actually, it's the same in every country, but our country is developing too fast, and it will be even faster in the future, just like a train whizzing by. We will catch up with the 400-year history of the Western world in a short time."

"But not all people and all regions can board this fast train. Some will be abandoned halfway, and some will be forgotten. This is reality."

"Then how to make up for this gap?" Li Li asked.

I don't know. "Fang Minghua smiled: "I'm afraid no one knows."

Li Li pondered for a while, and suddenly said: "I remember, you have read Socrates's "Republic", right?"

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"In "Republic", Socrates describes a country that seems to be able to eliminate this gap."

"That is a utopia, which cannot be realized."

"Yeah, it's impossible." Li Li said, holding her cheeks with both hands and looking at the scenery outside.

Fang Minghua shook her head and read the book in her hand again.

The two took the train to Venice Railway Station, changed to the local gondola to enter the city, and it was an indescribable enjoyment to stand on the boat and admire the scenery of the Venice buildings. The buildings on both sides of the waterway are very exquisite Gothic and Renaissance buildings.

Finally, the two stayed in a hotel called Hotel Danieli, which is located in the heart of Venice and overlooks the Venice Lagoon.

The hotel has traces of the nobility of the last century. The doors, windows and corridors are carved with exquisite patterns. The rich retro features and the color matching full of Italian aesthetics make the whole hotel seem to travel through time and space.

In addition to watching the beautiful scenery of Venice, it is more important to participate in the Venice Film Festival.

And the Cannes Film Festival focuses on the balance between business and art, while the Berlin Film Festival is hovering between politics and art. The Venice Film Festival pays more attention to art, experimentation and innovation, which is particularly niche.

But this is also the favorite of Li Li and Fang Minghua.

What are you here to see? Commercial blockbusters?

I might as well go to Hollywood directly.

The Venice Film Festival is not held in the city, but on an 18-kilometer-long sandbar called Lido Island in the southeast of Venice. It takes 15 minutes to get there by public vaporetto from Venice.

And there are only a handful of screening halls to undertake the screening task of the entire film festival.

Each theater is unique, and the one that attracts Fang Minghua the most is the Sala Giardino screening hall with a bright red shape. Its large area of ​​bright red color forms a sharp contrast with the blue sky, and at the same time it is different from the solemnity and elegance of the white movie palace, which looks particularly lively and attractive.

Fang Minghua and Li Li set off from the hotel every morning and take the ferry to the island.

Compared with the tradition of the urban area of ​​Venice, this place is much more fashionable. In the historic city center, the canal is regarded as a road. You can't ride a bicycle along the alleys and paths, but you can ride away happily here.

The two of them rode a bicycle each, starting from San Nicolò at the westernmost end of the Lido, along the wide tree-lined road and the seaside to the Malamocco Bridge, admiring the Liberty and Art Deco villas and luxury hotels, and of course, they could also go to the cinema to watch a movie.

While the two were visiting Venice, Song Tangtang had already arrived in Shanghai.