[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-rising-in-1979":3,"chapter-rising-in-1979-rising-in-1979-chapter-165":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Rising in 1979",{"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},2260873,4412,"Chapter 165: The Book of Heaven","rising-in-1979-chapter-165",165,"\u003Cp>In March, Shanghai still held a chill, and with no heating, Wei Ming truly hated to leave his bed, warmed through the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he had many things to do today, so at eight in the morning he got up and went out to find a restaurant for breakfast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time he came, he’d been intimidated by Shanghai’s restaurants; now, a plate of pork rib cake and a bowl of wonton meant nothing to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, he could even arrange a meal at the Peace Hotel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wei Ming entered the Harvest editorial office, Li Xiaolin was first taken aback by the book’s title—using a great leader’s poem as a title, wasn’t that inappropriate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after reading the outline and seeing the story end with our army’s capture of Nanjing in 1949—“If heaven had feelings, heaven would grow old; the true path of humanity is change”—it was indeed a fitting title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Wei, come meet the chief editor with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They arrived at Ba Lao’s office; he was as spirited as last year, smiling warmly: “Little Wei, come in, sit down, sit down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li had clearly told him about Wei Ming’s new work—he reached out and took the outline, visibly startled when he saw the title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He praised: “Good title.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The title signals Wei Ming’s stance: if he’s chosen this name, he won’t violate any principles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fear was that such a grand title might conceal timid, uninspired content, lacking boldness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The True Path of Humanity Is Change” tells the story of a Jiang-family landlord household in Hebei, beginning the outline with the anecdotes of the patriarch Jiang Chixia—his youth in martial arts, later joining the army, witnessing major events before retiring; his prototype was Wei Ming’s own great-grandfather, Wei Jiang, hence the family name Jiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming planned to place Jiang the patriarch’s story in the prologue, briefly covering the late Qing to the Xinhai Revolution period; yet even this short section involved major figures like Yuan Shikai and Feng Guozhang, all intricately tied to Jiang the patriarch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Ba Lao read the outline, he felt strong anticipation and, from just a few lines describing Jiang Chixia, glimpsed echoes of real figures from the Republican era—Du Xinwu, Sun Lutang, Li Shuwen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The perspective then shifted to 1925, the year Sun Yat-sen died, introducing the next generation: the three siblings Jiang Lizhong, Jiang Lihua, and Jiang Limin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, there were four siblings—Jiang Chixia and his sister-in-law had a youngest son, Jiang Lizu, forming “Zhonghua Minzu”; his role was minor, unmentioned in the outline, reserved for a final thematic touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Zhonghua Min” siblings were all formidable, each entangled in complex ties with the high-ranking leaders of both the KMT and CCP.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Wei Ming’s creative direction, the novel would inevitably tread on sensitive ground, featuring many still-living, high-ranking officials—no wonder he worried Harvest wouldn’t dare publish it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three thousand words were read quickly, but for a novel, three thousand words might not even introduce all major characters; Ba Lao could only sense the novel’s immense ambition and extreme difficulty—if completed, it would be a monumental work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This reminded Ba Lao of when he wrote his “Torrent Trilogy” at just twenty-seven; young people must dare to tackle great challenges—when old, that spirit fades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a writer, the long novel is the ultimate test of ability; Ba Lao believed his literary status was almost entirely established by “Family,” “Spring,” and “Autumn,” especially the earliest, “Family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xun was at a disadvantage for lacking a long novel—if he’d written one, none of his peers would have dared be mentioned alongside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Lao asked: “How long do you plan for this novel to be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “I estimate at least five hundred thousand words.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiaolin gasped—five hundred thousand words! Ten times the length of Wei Ming’s previous novellas!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five hundred thousand words, spanning twenty-five years—covering Huangpu training, Huangpu Eastern Expedition, the Zhongshan Warship, the Northern Expedition, April 12, Jinggangshan, the Xi’an Incident, Pingxingguan, the Anhui Incident, Chongqing negotiations, the Three Campaigns—still tight; Wei Ming hoped to keep it compact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wei Ming’s first long novel tackle such scale, Ba Lao worried he might lose his way—many long-form writers forget their original purpose by the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does this novel have a central theme running through it?” Ba Lao asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming thought: “The ideology of saving the nation, and the conflict of ideals—I want to explore these in the book.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Lao nodded: “The ‘conflict’ should center on the two brothers, Lizhong and Limin—they’re the protagonists, and Limin is the core.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outline’s few lines on Limin already gave Ba Lao a vivid, extraordinary image of a high-ranking CCP military leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Lao had another question: “Nearly all figures in this history are already defined—biographies are well-documented. Those on the other side can be fictionalized freely, but many of our own veteran generals are still alive, and even if dead, their descendants hold key positions—how will you balance reality with dramatic appeal?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming understood—he meant fiction is inherently dramatized; without conflict, just write a biography.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this is modern history—many events can’t be overly fictionalized; a writer of Wei Ming’s fame would be under intense scrutiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming said: “The main characters—the three siblings, the elder sister’s husband, the protagonist’s teacher and wife—will be original creations; I’ll only borrow traits and experiences from real people. For some current high-ranking figures, I’ll place them only in the background, not in the plot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ba Lao paused, then nodded. Wei Ming asked: “Ba Lao, so I’m cleared to write?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Write,” Ba Lao said firmly. “As long as it’s not against conscience, what can’t you write? If you dare write, we dare publish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With those words from the second most prominent figure in today’s literary world, Wei Ming could now write without restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Ba Lao gave him a reading list, saying it might aid his creation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These books may not be fully available at Peking University’s library—try the Yenching Library.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Yenching Library was what later became the National Library, China’s largest, but some titles were restricted; Ba Lao advised him to ask the Writers’ Association for a letter of introduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the titles, Wei Ming felt his planned book launch would be delayed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Editor Li asked: “When do you think you’ll finish?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming carefully put away the reading list: “I doubt I’ll finish this year—might take until next year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning another year—normal for a novel over half a million words, even fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xiaolin said: “For a novel this long, we’ll need at least three installments. When you’ve written two hundred thousand words, notify me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving the Harvest editorial office, Wei Ming didn’t return to the guesthouse to write—he took a taxi to the Shanghai Animation Film Studio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming found Wang Bairong, the director he’d been in contact with; upon hearing Wei had come, Wang dropped his work to receive him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming wanted to ask whether the British side had approved the script and when his fee would arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to be blunt, so he pulled out the puppet short film “If I Were Wu Song” and hinted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Bairong laughed: “Excellent! Our puppet masters are waiting for your script—I’ll have finance settle your fee. But ‘The Book of Heaven’s Secrets’ will have to wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has BBC finally approved or not? Why no clear answer?” Wei Ming even considered calling Melinda.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re foreigners—they need to translate the script; it naturally takes longer,” Wang suggested. “Why not visit our ‘Book of Heaven’s Secrets’ production process?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming: “Ah, production has already started?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang said: “Yes. Whether Britain invests or not, we at the Animation Studio are making this film. Oh, ‘The Toothless Tiger’ is also in production—and even further along. You can see both.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Wang, “The Toothless Tiger” would be finished this year, “If I Were Wu Song” likely next year, and “The Book of Heaven’s Secrets” would be lucky to finish the year after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So each year, a new fairy tale adaptation by Wei would be released.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming glanced—“The Book of Heaven’s Secrets” was now redrawing character designs, rebuilding on his and Liu Rulong’s foundation, adding far more detail to cinematic precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some scenes of “The Toothless Tiger” were already animated; Wei Ming felt moved seeing the tiger and fox, and considered adding them as cameos in “Black Cat Detective.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the way, this month’s “Children’s Literature” was about to be published—would this detective win children’s hearts like the animated version?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After touring the studio, it was lunchtime; Wang Bairong invited the two directors of “The Book of Heaven’s Secrets,” Wang Shuchen and Qian Yunda, to join Wei Ming for a meal on Nanjing Road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all knew Wei was Wei Ming, so they treated him respectfully; Wei Ming didn’t act haughty—Director Wang had made “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King,” and Director Qian later created “The Dirty King” and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The meal in Shanghai wasn’t as lavish as in Guangzhou, but it was decent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over lunch, Wang Bairong mentioned “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King” had been invited to the Cannes Film Festival this May, and Director Wang Shuchen would lead China’s film delegation to Cannes—great honor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recently, Europe’s three major film festivals had shown keen interest in Chinese films—clearly courting them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Ming knew this—he’d heard “Nezha Conquers the Dragon King” was originally invited to the main competition, but due to a form error, it was moved to the screening section.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t until 1982’s “The True Story of Ah Q” that mainland films first entered the main competition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One mistake—probably cost millions in international rights sales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1613,"2026-06-19T16:30:57.111Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ae4ce3396a3ae92003145cd1e26a63a5f9c404a6e5627c5ad7343c6d7449e2c2","rising-in-1979-chapter-166","rising-in-1979-chapter-164",509,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frising-in-1979-cover.jpg"]