[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-restarted-life-1992":3,"chapter-my-restarted-life-1992-my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-992":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","My Restarted Life: 1992",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2280542,4460,"Chapter 992: Powerful Culture","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-992",992,"\u003Cp>When the applause died down, Zhou Andong let out a light laugh and held up five fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our Chinese nation has five thousand years of civilization; for at least a thousand years, we were the world’s number one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of the world’s four thousand ethnic groups, we are the only one with an unbroken culture and civilization spanning five millennia.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the United States? They didn’t even establish their nation until 1776—how many years is that now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five thousand years—dare they match China in another five thousand? Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of the world’s ten great civilizations—ancient Egypt, ancient Babylon, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, ancient India, ancient Maya—who ever mentioned ancient China?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Those nine civilizations all collapsed and vanished, but China alone has endured to this day, despite occasional incursions by neighboring barbarian states into the Central Plains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They were quickly assimilated by our powerful culture—our culture’s advancement is unmatched by any other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll say something extreme: we won the eight-year War of Resistance. But if we’d lost, would you believe that in one or two hundred years, Japan would be just one of our provinces?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You come here, I assimilate you. We draw them in with our strengths, transform them; if they’re bad, we wear them down to death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughter and applause erupted again. Listening to Zhou Andong’s speech wasn’t just enjoyable—it felt deeply satisfying, exhilarating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the reporters—no matter whether Zhou Andong’s speech would be broadcast, they all felt today had been worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhuo Qihua’s face turned from dark to ashen, but whenever he sensed someone watching him, he immediately grinned and clapped a couple times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who but an idiot could claim the Chinese lack intelligence? If we lacked intelligence, how could our civilization have endured five thousand years?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From the moment we’re born, we’re steeped in Sun Tzu’s Art of War, Guiguzi, the Thirty-Six Stratagems—and the supreme strategy is to retreat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’re born thinking with our minds—how can foreigners possibly compete with us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think they’d even understand the Thirty-Six Stratagems, or that retreat is the best strategy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, though everyone knew who Zhou Andong was referring to, he’d been restrained, speaking only obliquely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, though he still didn’t name names, it was as good as pointing directly at Zhuo Qihua’s nose and cursing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many in the audience silently cheered: Zhou Andong is awesome—he’s the absolute model of our generation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some people become slaves to foreigners, bowing to foreign fathers—that’s their choice, fine, we don’t care. But to constantly claim the Chinese lack manners? How ignorant and ridiculous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is China really not a land of propriety? In the 18th century, great European thinkers—Britain’s Temple, France’s Voltaire, Germany’s Leibniz and Wolff—held Confucian teachings on propriety in the highest regard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Temple believed Confucianism was an ethics system covering political, economic, public, and private morality. Voltaire believed the propriety promoted by Confucius embodied noble, practical virtues.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He urged Europeans to respond to Chinese culture with three things: praise, shame, and imitation. Because of this clear scholarly orientation, they were called ‘European Confucians.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This proves their praise of China as a land of propriety was no exaggeration—it was genuine recognition of the high level our civilization had reached in spiritual culture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I urge some people: when you praise your foreign father, first learn his history properly. Don’t stand on this stage and spout nonsense when you know nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To ask a nation with five thousand years of civilization to learn the culture of a country with only a few hundred years? That only makes you look ignorant and foolish—you’ll become a laughingstock. If your American father found out, he might even be angry at you, his uneducated son.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All eyes turned to Zhuo Qihua. He clenched his fists tightly, face ashen, yet forced a smile to show his composure. If he stood up and left now, it would be slapping himself in the face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One official in the audience showed concern: Was it wise to target such a famous Hong Kong businessman? Might it harm our province’s investment and recruitment efforts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The official wanted to stop Zhou Andong’s speech, but glanced at the class president and vice president. Seeing both senior figures smiling, he immediately abandoned the idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gambling king’s daughter stared unblinkingly at Zhou Andong, her eyes sparkling with fascination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man on stage was truly magnetic—every inch of him radiated intoxicating brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d seen countless young elites, and far more handsome men than Zhou Andong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no man had ever radiated such dazzling light on a stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially this targeted speech—clearly improvised on the spot—deepened her fascination with his knowledge and talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She silently chuckled: even if she were five or six years younger, she wouldn’t let this man slip away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jian Qiu smiled faintly, her eyes fixed on Zhou Andong, glistening with emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Husband, tonight you’re definitely getting a special reward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among those present, besides Zhuo Qihua, one other person’s expression was far from pleasant: Lian Xiangzhi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong’s constant references to “foreign fathers” and “foreign slaves” made him feel like needles were pricking his back—he was restless and seethed with hatred toward Zhou Andong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a Chinese person, who doesn’t want their homeland to be strong? But do you know what the foundation of strength truly is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong held the microphone and scanned the audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Military!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Education!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Economy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Money!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Voices rose in chorus—everyone shouted different answers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Andong smiled: “All your answers have merit, but none are entirely right. During the eight-year War of Resistance, were we poor? Did our people have education? We drove the Japanese out with millet and rifles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, facing the US-led, fully armed coalition, our ancestors poured out their blood and fearless spirit, crushing them into utter chaos and driving them back across the 38th parallel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, the most fundamental basis of a nation’s strength is vast territory. No matter how hard you try, Singapore will never become a great power. Its capital is the whole country—the whole country is its capital; you can cycle around it in a day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laughter erupted again, followed by prolonged, thunderous applause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Zhou Andong on stage—confident, elegant, radiant—Zhang Sihé, seated in the back, felt not a trace of envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, he’d thought Zhou Andong was only slightly stronger than him; with effort, he’d surely surpass him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, he no longer believed that—he clearly recognized the gap between himself and Zhou Andong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a small ditch he could leap over with effort; it was an insurmountable chasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This chasm filled him with awe—not just for Zhou Andong’s achievements, but for his knowledge and overwhelming personal charisma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So!” Zhou Andong raised his hand and drew a circle in the air, shouting loudly: “Look at us—9.6 million square kilometers of land. I am proud to be Chinese.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, it wasn’t Qin Zhi—it was a young man who stood up and began clapping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, applause once again filled the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>",1159,"2026-06-20T01:18:52.456Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0444c314f14930ebf882036e5154e1fecf815cf0adc944ab210801480f776a2c","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-993","my-restarted-life-1992-chapter-991",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-restarted-life-1992-cover.jpg"]