Dr Tan Li Xiang asked me to come on stage to share some words of encouragement with our students from all over the world. But as I was watching everyone's superb performance on stage, I thought to myself: what else is there to encourage? So instead of big ideas, I'm going to share about three trivial things. They are a rice dumpling, a fan, and two fishes.
Let's start with the rice dumpling.
Why am I talking about a rice dumpling? That's because regardless of nationality, religious belief or political inclination, Chinese worldwide will enjoy rice dumplings yearly during Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth lunar month's fifth day. As Chinese, when we speak of rice dumplings, we are reminded of Qu Yuan.
My university lecturer, Professor Chew Cheng Hai, once spoke about Qu Yuan in class. He said Qu Yuan's patriotism should not be seen through his suicide by drowning. Instead, we should focus on the fact that he used the Chu language to compose poems, allowing the culture of Chu to be recorded for posterity.
When we speak of Qu Yuan today, we can say he's quite a failure as an official. That's because he can't even protect his country, so he clearly can't be a good official. However, when it comes to Qu Yuan as a person, he's also a failure as life is already short, and he ended it earlier.
Qu Yuan's success lies in the fact that he elevated the language of his country to the realm of poetry, and because of this, he preserved his country's culture forever. Qu Yuan's patriotism is reflected through his elevation of his country's language to the realm of poetry, and because of this, he preserved his country's culture forever.
Today, four to five thousand years later, when Chinese all over the world are eating rice dumplings on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, I hope that we think of how we can elevate our spoken language to the realm of poetry to preserve Chinese culture for posterity.
A fan.
Why am I talking about a fan? That's because I always have a fan in my hand. When people see a fan in my hand, they ask: "Master, why do you have a fan in your hand? Is the air conditioner not cold enough, or is the fan not cool enough?" I'm going to explain why I always have a fan in my hand.
I don't use to hold a fan. Four or five years ago, a French and a Korean living in Japan invited me to their Japanese home to evaluate their fengshui. One day, I decided to take the subway into the city to experience the life of the locals.
It was summer, a hot summer. As soon as I entered the subway, I saw many Japanese men in neat suits. They took out a paper fan from their briefcase and fanned themselves.
My first thought was: "Goodness! Why are these Japanese men such a sissy?"
Then it came to my mind that: "This thought of mine is unwarranted. Why? Because it is the Chinese culture that men use fans. I did not set an example for Japanese men to use fans; instead, I'm laughing at them for being sissies."
From that time on, I'm a regular user of fans. Whenever someone asks me: "Master, why are you using a fan?" I will reply: "This is the most environmentally friendly air cooler in the world."
The most environmentally friendly air coolers and air conditioners invented by Westerners are not more environmentally friendly than this fan. And this fan uses paper, one of the four greatest inventions of the Chinese people. So, if Chinese people worldwide use fans today, the technology of making rice paper in China will not disappear.
Two fishes.
Lastly, I'm going to talk about two fishes. What are these two fish? One is a goldfish, and the other is a carp. Where is the carp native to? It's China. Who bred the goldfish? The Chinese.
How much is a carp sold for in China? Not a few dollars a pound. How much is a carp sold for in Japan? A few hundred, a few thousand, tens of thousands or even over a million dollars for one carp. How much is a goldfish sold for in China? A few dollars. How much is a goldfish sold for in Japan? A few hundred dollars, or even thousands of dollars.
What is the difference between the goldfish and carp sold in China and the goldfish and carp sold in Japan? The answer is that China sells the life of a goldfish and the flesh of a carp, whereas, in Japan, the culture of goldfish and carp is on sale.
As Chinese, we should be ashamed that we only treasure the life of goldfish and the flesh of carp but sold the cultures of goldfish and carp to Japan.
Besides these two fishes, we also sold many cultures that initially belonged to China to others. For example, Ming dynasty's ikebana culture and Northern Song dynasty's tea and incense cultures.
I heard that primary school students in China no longer learn calligraphy. Therefore, calligraphy culture will disappear in China over the next few decades, just like carp, goldfish, flower, and incense cultures. With the disappearance of calligraphy culture, the culture of rice paper making, ink making, inkstone making, cinnabar making, seal making will also disappear.
Where will these cultures be found instead? In Japan. Japanese primary school students are required to learn calligraphy.
So, who sold these cultures? We, the Chinese. When were they sold? Today. That's because we did not invest our time and money to use, cherish, and protect our culture and elevate it to the realm of poetry and art.
The International Students' Mandarin Recital Contest was initiated by Dr Tan Li Xiang and Professor Hao Zhiben. I was young and ignorant then and didn't think highly about the art of reciting. I thought there was nothing remarkable about public speaking. Now that I am a little older and wiser, I know that great patriotism does not happen on the battlefield. Great patriotism is to take care of the most minor thing that belongs to oneself. To use it, maintain it, respect it, cherish it, and bring it to the realm of poetry and art year after year. In this way, there is hope that our culture will forever remain in our hands.
Congratulations on completing the 6th International Students’ Mandarin Recital Contest. Here's wishing Mandarin recital many good years ahead!
-- Master Yun Long Zi, 14 July 2012
First posted on Facebook, 15 July 2012
(Translated)
Let's start with the rice dumpling.
Why am I talking about a rice dumpling? That's because regardless of nationality, religious belief or political inclination, Chinese worldwide will enjoy rice dumplings yearly during Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on the fifth lunar month's fifth day. As Chinese, when we speak of rice dumplings, we are reminded of Qu Yuan.
My university lecturer, Professor Chew Cheng Hai, once spoke about Qu Yuan in class. He said Qu Yuan's patriotism should not be seen through his suicide by drowning. Instead, we should focus on the fact that he used the Chu language to compose poems, allowing the culture of Chu to be recorded for posterity.
When we speak of Qu Yuan today, we can say he's quite a failure as an official. That's because he can't even protect his country, so he clearly can't be a good official. However, when it comes to Qu Yuan as a person, he's also a failure as life is already short, and he ended it earlier.
Qu Yuan's success lies in the fact that he elevated the language of his country to the realm of poetry, and because of this, he preserved his country's culture forever. Qu Yuan's patriotism is reflected through his elevation of his country's language to the realm of poetry, and because of this, he preserved his country's culture forever.
Today, four to five thousand years later, when Chinese all over the world are eating rice dumplings on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, I hope that we think of how we can elevate our spoken language to the realm of poetry to preserve Chinese culture for posterity.
A fan.
Why am I talking about a fan? That's because I always have a fan in my hand. When people see a fan in my hand, they ask: "Master, why do you have a fan in your hand? Is the air conditioner not cold enough, or is the fan not cool enough?" I'm going to explain why I always have a fan in my hand.
I don't use to hold a fan. Four or five years ago, a French and a Korean living in Japan invited me to their Japanese home to evaluate their fengshui. One day, I decided to take the subway into the city to experience the life of the locals.
It was summer, a hot summer. As soon as I entered the subway, I saw many Japanese men in neat suits. They took out a paper fan from their briefcase and fanned themselves.
My first thought was: "Goodness! Why are these Japanese men such a sissy?"
Then it came to my mind that: "This thought of mine is unwarranted. Why? Because it is the Chinese culture that men use fans. I did not set an example for Japanese men to use fans; instead, I'm laughing at them for being sissies."
From that time on, I'm a regular user of fans. Whenever someone asks me: "Master, why are you using a fan?" I will reply: "This is the most environmentally friendly air cooler in the world."
The most environmentally friendly air coolers and air conditioners invented by Westerners are not more environmentally friendly than this fan. And this fan uses paper, one of the four greatest inventions of the Chinese people. So, if Chinese people worldwide use fans today, the technology of making rice paper in China will not disappear.
Two fishes.
Lastly, I'm going to talk about two fishes. What are these two fish? One is a goldfish, and the other is a carp. Where is the carp native to? It's China. Who bred the goldfish? The Chinese.
How much is a carp sold for in China? Not a few dollars a pound. How much is a carp sold for in Japan? A few hundred, a few thousand, tens of thousands or even over a million dollars for one carp. How much is a goldfish sold for in China? A few dollars. How much is a goldfish sold for in Japan? A few hundred dollars, or even thousands of dollars.
What is the difference between the goldfish and carp sold in China and the goldfish and carp sold in Japan? The answer is that China sells the life of a goldfish and the flesh of a carp, whereas, in Japan, the culture of goldfish and carp is on sale.
As Chinese, we should be ashamed that we only treasure the life of goldfish and the flesh of carp but sold the cultures of goldfish and carp to Japan.
Besides these two fishes, we also sold many cultures that initially belonged to China to others. For example, Ming dynasty's ikebana culture and Northern Song dynasty's tea and incense cultures.
I heard that primary school students in China no longer learn calligraphy. Therefore, calligraphy culture will disappear in China over the next few decades, just like carp, goldfish, flower, and incense cultures. With the disappearance of calligraphy culture, the culture of rice paper making, ink making, inkstone making, cinnabar making, seal making will also disappear.
Where will these cultures be found instead? In Japan. Japanese primary school students are required to learn calligraphy.
So, who sold these cultures? We, the Chinese. When were they sold? Today. That's because we did not invest our time and money to use, cherish, and protect our culture and elevate it to the realm of poetry and art.
The International Students' Mandarin Recital Contest was initiated by Dr Tan Li Xiang and Professor Hao Zhiben. I was young and ignorant then and didn't think highly about the art of reciting. I thought there was nothing remarkable about public speaking. Now that I am a little older and wiser, I know that great patriotism does not happen on the battlefield. Great patriotism is to take care of the most minor thing that belongs to oneself. To use it, maintain it, respect it, cherish it, and bring it to the realm of poetry and art year after year. In this way, there is hope that our culture will forever remain in our hands.
Congratulations on completing the 6th International Students’ Mandarin Recital Contest. Here's wishing Mandarin recital many good years ahead!
-- Master Yun Long Zi, 14 July 2012
First posted on Facebook, 15 July 2012
(Translated)
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