Previously in PART 2...
By the way, I think we all can agree, your heart is where your money is. When one is willing to spend $10k on a branded luxury bag but not on one's own culture, it simply means the person feels that the bag is more worthy or valuable. The same applies to people who claim their love and respect for the art and culture of fengshui, but somehow regard that it should be cheap or even free. That's 口不对心 (the words do not match the heart). And to the many who practice fengshui but do it cheaply, fakely or irresponsibly, you are tarnishing the name of your heritage, you too are undervaluing your culture. That's 作贱自己的文化 (cheapening our own culture).
It's not easy sustaining an art, a culture. I spent four years in
Peking University for my college; I have been seen many prestigious
national level arts and cultural societies. In my past decade with Lotus
on Water, I had the great fortune to be involved in many other art
organizations. And I know it can be difficult keeping these non-profit
organizations alive.
Funding is a persistent challenge. Without consistent donations, patronage from key benefactors or considerable support from the government, it is enormously difficult to keep the organization breathing, even less so of accomplishing projects of scale and influence.
Some people somehow naively assume that the art would just live on. Or, they asset that if the art is really good, it doesn't need preservation or promotion of any kind, that it would somehow be "naturally" passed down.
Even Confucius 孔子 had the sponsorship from the richest of his students, Zi Gong 子贡, to travel around states to preach his philosophy 周游列国.
Some people somehow naively assume that the art would just live on. Or, they asset that if the art is really good, it doesn't need preservation or promotion of any kind, that it would somehow be "naturally" passed down.
Even Confucius 孔子 had the sponsorship from the richest of his students, Zi Gong 子贡, to travel around states to preach his philosophy 周游列国.
Lotus on Water strives to be even better.
We create value with the art we inherited, enterprise it, give it a new lease of life. And with the capacity of a thriving business, we support aspects of the art in return.
For instance, Lotus on Water installed the "Lotus on Water Gold Medal" and various book prizes for graduating students from the Chinese faculty of Nanyang Technological University, rewarding students with the best final year thesis. While encouraging more young people to study Chinese, we are also promoting the spirit of critical thinking in the faculty, so as to produce constructive individuals who would further benefit the Chinese culture.
We create value with the art we inherited, enterprise it, give it a new lease of life. And with the capacity of a thriving business, we support aspects of the art in return.
For instance, Lotus on Water installed the "Lotus on Water Gold Medal" and various book prizes for graduating students from the Chinese faculty of Nanyang Technological University, rewarding students with the best final year thesis. While encouraging more young people to study Chinese, we are also promoting the spirit of critical thinking in the faculty, so as to produce constructive individuals who would further benefit the Chinese culture.
For instance, Master Yun is the Honorary President of Singapore's International Art and Culture Federation 新加坡国际文化艺术联合会, the highest order of all art and culture societies in Singapore.
He is also the Honorary President of the Singapore Chinese Teachers Literary Recital Society 新加坡华文教师诗歌朗诵学会.
And, also a key patron of Singapore Teachers Art Society 新加坡教师美术协会.
He is also the Honorary President of the Singapore Chinese Teachers Literary Recital Society 新加坡华文教师诗歌朗诵学会.
And, also a key patron of Singapore Teachers Art Society 新加坡教师美术协会.
And so, as Lotus on Water makes fengshui great and relevant again by enterprising this ancient art, we also have the chance to become the patron to others.
It's a very healthy cycle. It's a very honorable cycle.
It's a very healthy cycle. It's a very honorable cycle.
And it's definitely a very Chinese way of doing things. Unknown to me by what sort of influence, some people who work in the cultural scene deem themselves destined to be poor, and somehow regard those who are rich to be uncultured or not inheriting the "true essence" of the culture. From what I know, Chinese hardly adheres to the dichotomy of "either/or". We are more of a "AND" people.
Lotus on Water is exemplifying that it's not a "either/or". But "AND". By the way, it's fengshui, it's yin AND yang. Not yin OR yang.
We are telling people: look, you can inherit a culture, you can work with the arts, and at the same time, be enterprising.
AND, this might alleviate the issue of "yellow autumn crop does not last until the green spring crop" (青黄不接) -- lack of successors to the art.
It would be most ideal and wonderful if people are willing to carry on a
tradition, art and culture for nothing much. But isn't this the issue faced
by say...the Singapore sports team? If we don't create professionals,
which means they are paid, very decently-paid if you will, it would just be a
hobby. There have been appeals, if you really love local food, go buy and eat from them; if you really love local musicians, singers, artists, go support their gigs, go buy their music, go buy tickets and watch their performances. It's simple.
When we professionalize it, and recognize it as a profession, we provide the possibility of specialization. Or in other words, there would be more initiatives to create modern value with ancient arts, more attempts to refine it.
We Chinese used to say 发扬光大 (to develop and glorify), especially when we inherit an art, a culture, a heritage. It is a responsibility to our ancestors. We also owe it to our successors. There is no "发扬光大" without the next generation.
Lotus on Water has been at this mission for more than a decade. I suppose we are doing a pretty good job so far. Or some might say, an "Outstanding" job.
-- Kan, Executive Director
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