The venue was quiet, for nobody continued to talk.
Ouyang Cen and two middle-aged aristocratic men walked to the front. The sage-like Ouyang Cen, again, wore a gray robe, while the other two wore formal attire. The shirt and trousers were the standard attire for government officials.
One was Gudu’s mayor, and the other had a great background and was the upper-level Deputy Minister of Culture, surnamed Guo.
A hint of surprise flashed through Yu Zhan’s eyes after seeing this man.
At this moment, Yu Zhan stood among a group consisting of middle-aged and elderly literati. One could say he had no sense of existence, but he was the youngest and most good-looking person. One could say he had a sense of presence, but he was the only person who did not belong to the circle of people in such an artistic environment.
The mayor of Gudu went on stage to give a speech first, reading from a pre-written manuscript. He still read the stereotypical official phrases, which included “implement XXX,” “adhere to XXX,” “I am honored and grateful to the National Calligraphy Association for choosing Gudu as the venue,” and so on. His long speech went on for about ten minutes.
Everyone suppressed their impatience and finally heard the end of the speech.
Next up was Deputy Minister Guo’s turn to speak. He had no manuscript and gave an impromptu speech on the spot. He first introduced the country’s current work orientation in the cultural aspect, which was to adhere to innovation and promote traditional culture.
Then, he said, “I just took a brief look at the contestants at the scene, and there are only a handful of young faces. Could it be that the younger generation can’t write calligraphy well? I don’t think so. It’s because they can’t calm down and study. Nowadays, endless new things exist in society to entertain people, so much so that young people have completely lost interest in the things left by their ancestors. Even very young children are playing with their mobile phones. Under such a social environment, would they still be able to know about calligraphy, Chinese medicine, embroidery, folk music, and opera when they grow up?
Although I don’t want to admit it, our traditional culture is declining and even experiencing gaps. I hope that the success of this calligraphy exhibition will make people realize that traditional culture is the collective wisdom of countless people from ancient times to the present. They are the crystal, the most precious heritage passed down to us by our ancestors. They are the treasures and quintessence of the nation! We have the obligation to inherit and carry them forward.”
Deputy Minister Guo’s speech made the young audience in front of the TV ashamed, for he referred to them when he mentioned the younger generation.
Indeed, if it were not for the Hanfu Goddess, they would not have known this calligraphy exhibition. Even if they were watching the stream now, most were joining in the fun, and few really understood calligraphy. Although some studied calligraphy when they were children, none of them persisted, and all gave up.
Deputy Minister Guo’s speech was thought-provoking. He was given warm applause by all who were present, and Yu Zhan applauded, too.
Ouyang Cen was the last to give a speech, “I would like to expand on the issue regarding cultural gaps mentioned by Minister Guo just now. I was one of the judges at the calligraphy exhibition thirty years ago. At that time, more than half of the contestants were young men between twenty and thirty years old, and most of them are now famous calligraphers and the backbone of our country’s calligraphy circle. However, in this session, there are only two finalists in this age group. I’m very afraid that in another thirty years, after our generation and the backbone pass away, will there be any successors in the next generation?
It’s our first attempt to cooperate with the media for a live stream because we want everyone to understand that calligraphy is not as advanced as you think. It’s actually an everyday art that everyone can get started with. Becoming a calligrapher indeed requires talent, but treating calligraphy as a hobby to cultivate your temperament is easy. I hope more people can like calligraphy and try to write it.”
The camera gave Ouyang Cen a closeup. The white-haired elder looked pitiful; he was really worrying about calligraphy and having no successors.
Even the netizens watching the live stream on their phones stopped chirping or commenting and silently listened to the elder’s teachings.
After Ouyang Cen finished speaking, he announced that the competition had officially begun.
Judge Chen Jianqiu first read aloud the rules for the competition: All phones must be turned off, and the creation time was limited to ninety minutes. They prepared a page of rice paper, a rough stone, or a wooden plaque for each contestant according to their work’s category. It meant everyone had only one chance at their creation; if anything went wrong, they could not regret it and start over.
The ten judges began to negotiate the topic on the spot. Each person thought of a topic, wrote it down, and the ten voted, in the end, for the most adequate topic.
A seal-cutting judge from the capital announced the final topic: “Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Han Dynasty, founded the Western Han Dynasty. As an emperor, he first established his capital in Luoyang and soon moved it to Chang’an, which was known as the Western Han in history. It was the beginning of a prosperous dynasty. Since we are all in Chang’an right now, recalling this period of history should make us feel even more deeply. Hence, please use your best method to describe the “Han Dynasty Style” in your impression.”
The venue remained silent after he finished speaking. Everyone was contemplating the judge’s words and carefully analyzing the topic.
The spectating calligraphers also reflected on the topic. Su Yi felt the topic was not complex, but it meant everyone could create a piece based on their ideas. One could only stand out if their perspective were unprecedented and unique.
Yu Zhan had no specific feelings for the Han Dynasty before; like the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, the Han Dynasty was nothing more than the country’s name at a specific time. However, when he heard “Han Dynasty Style” just now, he subconsciously recalled the little girl in his dream, the majestic Weiyang Palace, and the various characters walking through the palace.
Liu Man was thinking about Weiyang Palace, too.
To her, the so-called “Han Dynasty Style” was limited to the small world in the corner of Weiyang Palace. Those emperors with genius talents and achievements that shocked the past and the present were also quite distant from her. She had never seen the prosperous scene of the Han Dynasty; all her knowledge about the outside world originated from Madam Xu’s books and the stories told by women in the cold palace.
Liu Man fell into a dilemma. She did not know what she could write. If she wrote something everyone knew about, she would fall into a cliché, and it would be impossible for her to win an award.
A few quick-thinking contestants had already started moving their brushes or knives.
Zhou Budai was thinking hard, too. The reason he struggled was because he could write about too many things. As a Gudu native, he could describe the history of the Han Dynasty based on years and events since he was six years old. Writing a piece on the “Han Dynasty’s Style” was simple for him.
Wu Qu moved his brush confidently. When he was on retreat, he contemplated many topics, and some were similar to the “Han Dynasty’s Style” topic. He had guessed the right topic and prepared beforehand, so his writing naturally came smoothly.
The videographer from the TV station saw how quick and good-looking Wu Qu’s writing posture was and walked over to him while holding the camera, wanting to give him a closeup.
Translated by: Sydney
Vandez Translations 
Can’t really write “POS Emperor locked his daughter up for her whole life” can she?
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