Friday, August 25, 2017

"怡然轩" 的过去,现在与未来 | The Past, Present and Future of "The Blissful Room"

上星期五,我应邀到安德逊小学拜访现任校长黄玮彬校长。同時见见老朋友:前任母语部门主任陈丽湘博士,现任母语部门主任李主任,家教協会董事黃玉葵女士。

Last Friday, I was invited to go back to Anderson Primary School to meet up with the present principal, Mrs Tan Wie Pin. And the same time to see my old friends:Emeritus Mother Tongue Head of Department Dr Tan Lee Xiang, Present Mother Tongue Head of Department Mr Eric Lee, SAC VC Mrs Jenny Tan.

家教協会董事黃玉葵女士,现任母语部门主任李主任,
前任母语部门主任陈丽湘博士,云大师。(左起)
SAC VC Mrs Jenny Tan, Present Mother Tongue Head of Department Mr Eric Lee,
Emeritus Mother Tongue Head of Department Dr Tan Lee Xiang, Master Yun. (Start from left)

十五年前,我曾任此校母语部门主任,负责三大母语文(华文,马来文,印度淡米尔文)的教育。时年三十。

比较辉𤾗的成绩是之前一年,我创建了中华语言文化室,并名之为"怡然轩"。本来不关自己的事,因为当时我是公民道德教育部主任。可是大家都觉得不关自己的事。当年的校长钟桂权开会时说,腾了间课室给华文却空着不用,不如收回。

Fifteen years ago, I was the Head of Mother Tongue Department here, in charge of the education of the three main mother tongues (namely Chinese, Malay and Tamil). I was thirty.

The more glorious result was the previous year whereby I set up a Chinese cultural room "The Blissful Room".
It was suppose to be none of my business because I was the Head of Civic and Moral Education. But everyone thinks it's none of his business. 

So the Principal then declared that he shall take back the special room allocated to the Chinese department because nothing has been done to it for a long long then.

遂我毛遂自荐。

So I volunteered myself.


校长给我一个月的时间把中华文化馆搞出来。
我把馆锁起来,找来一个长梯,自己爬上墙,画了一幅巨型山水。

等了两个星期,看不出动静的校长安耐不住,叫我打开门让他看。

The Principal gave me one month to do up the Chinese cultural room.

I dragged a long ladder in, locked the door, climbed up the wall, and started painting on the huge wall a Chinese style painting of mountains and water.

After two weeks of waiting patiently, and heard nothing, the principal asked me to unlock the door and show him. 

一看,惊为天人。

He had a shock. And a pleasant one.

墙上的山水画增添了几分优雅与意境,让人仿佛身在其中,无法自拔。
Mountain landscape paintings on the wall adds up the elegant and mood,
makes people unable to extricate themselves from it.

当年的钟校长,把督学请来,把各校校长请来,也把记者请来,宣布 2001年四月二十一日,"怡然轩"开幕。
此后,国内各校主任与校长开会曾在此,国外教育访问团也曾到此。许多国会议员也曾拜访。

Principal Lawrence Choong invited the school inspector, and other principals, as well as the press. And he declared 21st April 2001 to be the opening of "The Blissful Room". 

Ever since, the schools principals and heads have held meetings here. Oversea educational delegates have visited it. Many members of parliament have visited it too.

"怡然轩"声名远播。时年二十九。

"Yi Ran Xuan" ( "The Blissful Room") was famous.

I was twenty nine.

"怡然轩"正式开馆了!
"The Blissful Room" has officially opened!

从书法的“形”,看得出云大师当年所想要传达的“意”。
From the calligraphy's style, the aspiration of Master Yun during that moment can be felt.

次年,母语部门主任荣休。校长让我接过此职。我担然受职。
许多人说我做了这么多事,出了这么多风头,就是为了争取上位。

我很擅长在合适的时候"不闻不问"。

其实,当时正为到剑桥大学唸博士学位准备。

接受职位只为了能名正言顺推动文化活动。

Subsequent year, the then Mother Tongue Head retired and the principal asked me to take over. I did. 

Many said I have done so much just to get my promotion. I am an expert in turning a deaf ear at appropriate time. 

Actually I was preparing to study my postgraduate course at Cambridge university. 

I accepted the post for the convenience of carrying out cultural projects.

人人都会泡茶,但是要泡得好喝且顺口,这就有讲究了。
Everyone knows how to brew tea, but to brew a good and tasty one, this is a specialty. 

辞职之时,我把陈丽湘博士(当时未得博士学位)引荐给当年校长钟桂权。

陈博士魄力非凡,可惜上任没几年知悉得了末期癌症。陈老师只好离职与病魔斗争。
怡然轩名花无主。

When I resigned, I introduced Dr Tan Lee Xiang to the principal. At that time she had not had her Phd yet. 

Dr Tan was very capable. But she was diagnosed with cancer in a couple of years. Dr Tan needed to resign to fight the devilish cancer.

The beautiful "Blissful Room" was without a deserving leader.

体型瘦小,但却魄力非凡的陈丽湘博士。
Dr Tan Lee Xiang with a small body size, but with extraordinary courage.

人愿不及天算。外公去世。我接了衣钵。
当年情节可见《云龙子传》。
外公术数造诣胜我一筹。
时年三十一。

Human plans but heaven resides. Grandfather passed away.
I took over his duty.
The details can be found in "The Rise of the Fengshui Master".
Grandfather's prediction was more accurate than my wish.
I was thirty one.

承先启后!
Carry on the past heritage and open up the future!

钟校长调岗,陈博士辞职,后任校长与主任对于守护前任辉煌与自身文化的兴趣不大。

怡然轩闭馆休业。

The Principal Mr Choong was posted away, Dr Tan was fighting cancer, subsequent principals and heads have very little interest in up holding previous glory and our own culture. 

"The Blissful Room" closed down.


新任校长黄玮彬乃名门之后,祖父是书法家。"金门会馆"牌牑上,书者是也。

她愿重启"怡然"之华。

新任主任李主任,热血青年,愿意负起重修文化基业重任。

陈丽湘老师不旦奇迹般战胜病魔,还考获中文博士学位。

他们合力重建"怡然轩"。

The present principal, Mrs Tan Wie Pin, is the descendant of the great learned and literati. Her grandfather was a famous calligrapher who has written on the plague of the clan association building. 

The new Head of Mother Tongue department is a capable young man who is fervent and sincere to build up the glory of our culture. 

Dr Tan Lee Xiang has not only overcome her cancerous decease, but has also gotten her Phd. 

They want to rebuild " The Blissful Room”.

身为尊师,热心教育,值得敬佩。
As a notable teacher, enthusiastic on education, worthy of respectation.

在家教董事主席的安排之下,邀我上星期五到安德逊小学的新"怡然轩",参观并讨论推广文化的策略。

我也建议不只把中华文化教育于自己子弟,也应该与各族同胞分享。同时,也打开怀胞学习各族文化。在现代化与全球化的同时,让我们以保存自身的"亚洲美"而自豪。

Under the arrangement of the SAC member, Mrs Jenny Tan, they invited me to go Anderson Primary Schools last Friday to visit the new "Blissful Room", and to discuss strategies of promoting our culture. 

I suggested we not only teach our culture to our own children but share it with other races. And we should be open to learn from other races as well. We can be modernized and globalized. But at the same time, we ought to be proud to retain our "Asianness". 

天不灭"怡然轩"。

The Heaven has not destroyed the "Blissful Room".

愿它如凤凰转世,浴火重生。
重新肩负传承与传播文化之美。
May it be reborn like the Phoenix, a new growth from the ashes,
And bear the duty of passing down and promoting the beauty of our culture.

——云龙子大师 (Master Yun Long Zi),21 August 2017
(Originally from here: https://www.facebook.com/masteryunlongzi/posts/1491616497594992?pnref=story)

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