洪晃遇上了沈昌文：談談書與人，圈子與美食，聊聊上海人在北京的軼聞趣事…… ，放言無忌，皆成文章。他們首次將北京與上海兩座都市的差異透明化、公開化。洪晃與沈昌文在活動現場講述了自己內心中上海北京的差異，洪晃以一個土生土長的北京人的角度去講述了自己眼中、印象中的上海，沈昌文作為生活在北京60多年的老上海人，從歷史的角度闡述了自己的老上海、海派情節。
The two cities' subtle relationship has never been much of a faceoff, probably because the two have always been assigned different priorities。
The former is set to display China's cultural and historical charm, with little pressure on economic contributions。
The latter has always been seen as being at the forefront of internationalization, economics and creativity。
The Beijingers are famous for their carefree, sometimes idle, attitude; while Shanghaiers are seen by most Chinese as the shrewdest and most aloof bunch of human beings imaginable。
Recently, two famous Chinese publishers who have had the rare opportunity to taste the flavors of the two cities gave an interesting joint speech at a Beijing bookstore。
Yu Ping brings you a review of that speech, given by Hong Huang and Shen Changwen, which was dotted with punch lines, insightful comparisons and sparkling ideas。
One cannot discuss the difference between any two cities without comparing the food, and this joint speech, held at Beijing's Trends Lounge, was no exception。
"I was lucky. My wife doesn't eat garlic, so I can kiss her whenever I want to."
"When I was little my grandma forbade me to hang out with the kids in our neighborhood. The reason? They eat garlic! So naturally, I grew a 『garlic complex.' I really hated to be influenced by that pretentiousness Shanghaiers have, and I really wanted to be accepted by the kind of people who eat garlic. Theirs is a different world."
Unexpectedly, a difference of opinion regarding garlic became one of the highlights of the talk。
81-year-old Shen Changwen moved to Beijing in 1950.
A man of humble breeding and with little formal education, he became in 1986 chief manager of the prestigious Sdxjoint Publishing House, a company that specializes in intellectual and academic books。
He also headed "Du Shu," or "Reading," a prominent magazine known for its highbrow tastes, for many years。
To the retired publisher, Beijing in 1950 was a massive surprise, but not necessarily a good one。
"The Beijingers, they didn't even have toilets. All the Shanghaiers dumped their bowels into toilets. How could these people live without toilets?"
That, according to Hong Huang, Editor-in-Chief of the stylish iLook Magazine, reflected the gap of urbanization between the two cities at that time。
Although she herself never spent much time living in Shanghai, her family was rooted there before moving to Beijing。
Her father, a Shanghai native who was recruited by Beijing's Yanching University in 1949, told her that the relocation was like a punishment。
"I remember him complaining to me about how far Beijing was lagging behind Shanghai. They could even see camels on the main streets. While in Shanghai their life was about drinking coffee and ballroom dancing."
But 60 years later, the differences between the two cities are no longer that big。
Although Shanghai is still proud to be introduced as a city of fashion and imported lifestyles, Hong Huang says, the Beijingers are actually more open to the new and the unknown。
"Maybe it's just because we are a little bit dumb, as the Shanghaiers claim, that we are freer in a sense, for we are not that sensitive about the rules and limitations of life. I think that explains why Beijing has an ever renewing culture."
She told the audience a story about a special editorial piece she did about Chinese fashion designers。
She was not surprised to find that all the Chinese designers had their clothes made in Shanghai, as the Shanghaiers are well known for their meticulous craftsmanship。
But much to her surprise, all the finished products were shipped to Beijing for selling, because high-end Shanghai consumers would buy expensive garments only if they bore famous foreign labels。
That, to her, is proof that Beijingers are more ready to try new things that haven't been established as classics。
Besides the Beijing natives' carefree attitude, Hong Huang says another factor that helped form Beijing's open and tolerant culture is the 1949 massive migration of elites into the city when it became the capital of China。
"The Shandong natives, people from the Northeast and Southwest, all of them came to Beijing. Their migration reshaped Beijing into the base of a pan-Chinese culture. In my opinion that's also why Beijing is still considered as the cultural center of China to this day."
But Shanghaiers' sophistication is by no means a bad trait, because sometimes a loose plan created by a bunch of carefree people can cause great, long-lasting pain。
For example, Beijing's notorious subways。
"Shanghai has a great public transportation system. I can get around Shanghai by taking the subway, but I can't do that in Beijing. The transfer between different subway lines is very convenient. We don't have that in Beijing."
And Shanghai also has a fantastic culture, or, to be exact, it used to have one。
Shen Changwen, the Shangbai-born publisher, says in pre-1949 Shanghai, reading newspapers was the center of local people's lives。
And Eileen Chang, the late Chinese writer whose works continue to influence numerous people to this day, wrote her best novels in a Shanghai apartment building。
But now, what people refer to as Shanghai culture is actually the literature scene in 1920s and 1930s Shanghai。
To get a taste of that Shanghai, Shen Changwen says, you need to go elsewhere。
"I'd rather go to a library in Taiwan if I want to do some research on the old Shanghai."
The joint speech not only focused on the differences between the two cities, but also touched upon their common ground。
Shen Changwen said one of the first common features he discovered between the two cities was a stinky surprise。
"I couldn't believe that I just found stinky fermented tofu in Beijing! And it's no less stinky than what we had in Shanghai! Till this day, I couldn't pull through a day without some of that stinky treat. The discovery of stinky tofu in Beijing marked the beginning of me settling down in Beijing."
The "settling down process" quickened after he married the Beijing-born Mrs. Shen, whom he says is a wife that's different from a typical Shanghai wife in almost all ways。
"Beijing wives won't play sweeties. My wife always wears a straight face when she reminds me to take my medications. But I know that's her way to say 『I love you.' When I found that Beijingers are just that way, I knew that I loved Beijing."
For CRI, I'm Yu Ping。
背景簡介：
洪晃：中國互動傳媒集團CEO，《世界都市iLOOK》雜誌主編兼出版人，亞洲著名媒體人之一。曾為《三聯生活周刊》雜誌撰寫專欄。出版自傳《我的非正常生活》和雜文集《無目的美好生活》、《廉價哲學》。
沈昌文：曾任人民出版社任副總編輯。1986年1月至1995年12月，曾任生活•讀書•新知三聯書店總經理兼《讀書》雜誌主編。著有《閣樓人語》，《知道》等。黃集偉稱其為：思想經紀人。