Chapter 00056: UFO 2
# UFO 2
Chapter 56
Novel: 1979 Golden Age
Chapter 56: UFO 2
Last year, the People's Daily published an article about UFOs in its supplement section, officially introducing the term to the country and quickly cultivating a group of amateur scientists.
Times can be quite fascinating, often connecting things that seem completely unrelated.
For example, Zhang Xueliang once listened to Jay Chou's songs, and Soong Mei-ling watched "Happy Camp," though these claims remain unverified.
But it's true that in 1979, the Chinese were researching extraterrestrials.
Their discussions soon attracted many people, and Jiang Shan also pricked up her ears, curiously asking, "Is a UFO a flying saucer?"
"No, it refers to any unidentified flying object. As long as you don't recognize it, you can call it a UFO," Chen Qi explained.
Just as he finished speaking, one of the young men chatting nearby suddenly turned around and interjected, "Hey, comrade, I don't agree with your view. A UFO clearly refers to a flying saucer!"
"Oh, you're right!"
Chen Qi wasn't interested in arguing with him, but the young man persisted, stepping forward and saying, "Comrade, UFOs have a rigorous scientific framework. We should speak with science, with clear factual evidence..."
He suddenly became mysterious, glancing around at the crowd, and said, "I'm going to say something I shouldn't, but don't be shocked. This is the truth of our world."
"Has this world been ruled by ancient gods?"
Chen Qi was stunned.
"Gods? No, no, UFOs aren't feudal superstitions."
The young man shook his head vigorously, brimming with confidence as he began his performance: "Back in 1947, in a place called Roswell in Utah, USA..."
"Roswell is in New Mexico."
"Tsk! Who knows better, you or me? Do you know what I do? I'm from the Beijing Aeronautics Institute, and I have access to a lot of information you don't. So, this Roswell incident happened on a night of heavy rain..."
The young man spoke animatedly, recounting the famous Roswell incident to the people of 1979.
"In the end, the U. S. military covered it up. They actually built a base there, secretly researching extraterrestrials. That's why American technology is so advanced—it's all from studying aliens!"
"Wow!"
He concluded his story, leaving the crowd in awe, their excitement peaking.
"The Americans are full of bad intentions!"
"China and the U. S. have established diplomatic relations; don't say that."
"If aliens landed in America, they must be capitalist aliens. We should oppose them!"
"Are there any aliens in our country? When Nixon came to China, he didn't bring any specimens for us to see."
"Exactly! I heard the Americans brought back hundreds of pounds of moon soil when they landed on the moon, but they only gave us 1 gram when we established diplomatic relations. How stingy! When we go up there, we won't give them even a gram!"
Brilliant!
Chen Qi felt like he was watching a bizarre scene from "Strange Tales from the Past Twenty Years," finding it particularly amusing.
He asked, "So, you believe in aliens?"
"Absolutely! The universe is so vast, there must be planets with environments similar to Earth, and that means life must exist!" the young man declared confidently.
"Let's have a friendly discussion..."
Chen Qi rubbed his nose and smiled, "First of all, the term 'alien' isn't accurate. You've never seen one, so how can you define them as 'people'? How do you know they must look like humans? Couldn't they be silicon-based life forms? Or a tree, a rock, a blob of liquid, a formless consciousness, or even a squid—sorry, that's anti-Semitic... So I think it's more appropriate to call them extraterrestrial life rather than aliens. Secondly, you just said that gods are feudal superstitions. The ancient text 'Shi Yi Ji' records that in the 30th year of Emperor Yao's reign, a massive spaceship appeared in the Western Sea, emitting a soft glow. People called it the 'Moon-Piercing Raft.' This description is very close to what we call a flying saucer. It's just that the ancients didn't understand it and regarded it as a divine being. But if we think about it differently, could the gods of legend actually be higher-dimensional life forms from the universe? Those indescribable entities? Look at how vast the universe is, and how insignificant humans are. We should hold a sense of awe for the cosmos. Remember this: Weakness and ignorance are not the barriers to survival—arrogance is!"
The young man shuddered, as if struck by enlightenment from the Trisolarans.
Then, his face lit up with fervor, his eyes shining: "Comrade! What you said makes so much sense. I was too narrow-minded. I never thought of explaining UFOs this way!"
"No, no, we're just having a casual exchange."
"No, no, no! Your understanding of the mysteries of the universe is profound enough to be my teacher! Let me introduce myself—I'm Jiang Chao, from the Beijing Aeronautics Institute. A few classmates and I are UFO enthusiasts. We've started a UFO interest group. Could you leave us your contact information? We'd love to visit you!"
"That's unnecessary. My interest in UFOs isn't as strong as my interest in a plate of twice-cooked pork."
"You must leave it, or I won't let you go!"
Chen Qi looked at this guy, in his early twenties, chubby, with the same naive and foolish demeanor as college students in later years, even starting a UFO interest group.
What a headache!
But then he thought, as the 1980s approached, two major trends would sweep across the land: the qigong/supernatural powers craze and the UFO craze—even Zhang Yimou claimed to have seen a UFO.
The qigong craze was sensitive, and it wasn't wise to get involved—though if he could, he'd love to play the role of a charlatan, but that would likely get him banned.
The UFO craze was interesting, and expanding on it could lead to science fiction.
Although science fiction was like a stepchild in China—no, more like a servant—he didn't mind.
Might as well make a friend.
Who knows, it might come in handy later.
So, Chen Qi left his contact information, and Jiang Chao, overjoyed, left his as well before happily departing.
...
"Everyone, quiet! Stay quiet!"
"Line up on both sides, let the writers come through first. Don't crowd, don't crowd! They've come all this way to visit us, so let's not make it difficult for them. If they cancel the meeting, it won't be good."
In the afternoon, the entire book market was abuzz.
People rushed to both sides of the entrance, jostling for spots, leaving a path in the middle.
Soon, applause erupted like a storm as a group of literary figures walked down the path.
Ye Shengtao: "Harvested Three to Five More Bushels"
Zang Kejia: "Some people are alive but dead, some are dead but still alive."
Bing Xin: "The Little Orange Lantern"
Liu Shaotang: "Elm Money Rice"
Ye Shengtao, already 85 years old, appeared vigorous and clear-spoken as he greeted the crowd, prompting even more enthusiastic applause.
They had all come to attend the literary conference and took the opportunity to visit the book market, showing their support for the literary cause.
Back in 1957, even Mao Dun had visited the book market.
Zang Kejia, inspired, composed a poem on the spot: "Looking at one enthusiastic face after another, like the morning sun just rising over the mountains, some of us may be in our seventies or eighties, but we still want to live another twenty years, write for another twenty years..."
To be honest, the poem was quite plain.
Bing Xin, at 79, also left an inscription for the book market and gave a brief speech.
Her reputation wasn't great, and many criticized her, but we won't delve into that.
Even after her death, she wasn't at peace—her tombstone was vandalized by her own grandson, who painted the words: "Failed as a mother, unworthy of being a role model."
It was said to be because her son had an affair and caused a divorce, and the grandson sought justice for his mother...
Liu Shaotang, at 43, was the youngest.
He had gained fame early, joining the Writers' Association in his teens and being hailed as a prodigy.
Along with Sun Li, he was a representative of the Lotus Lake literary school.
He had a son-in-law named Sima Bubei.
And a close friend who was a high-ranking official.
As these literary giants made their appearance, Gong Xue, Liang Xiaosheng, and others reacted as if they were meeting big celebrities, eager to shake hands, exchange a few words, and hopefully get an autograph.
Chen Qi quite liked Wang Zengqi, but unfortunately, he hadn't come.
(End of chapter...)