15 December 2002

SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR MINISTRY OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY & EDUCATION AT THE LAUNCH OF LYCHEE FRAGRANCE AND SEMINAR ON BILINGUALISM AT THE PRESS CENTRE ON SUNDAY 15 DECEMBER 2002 AT 2.30 PM

Bilingualism - Building a Role for Ourselves in the Changing Global Landscape

1. It is my pleasure and privilege to be here to launch the book Lychee Fragrance and the seminar on bilingualism. I would like to thank Mr Peter Chen, whom I had the benefit of working with and serving for a number of years, for inviting me to do so.

2. It is rare for us to see the launch of a book with such a rich collection of literary forms: letters, prose, short stories, poetry and even a lyric-poem play. It is also not often that a bilingual book is published in Singapore, and it is therefore appropriate that the launch is paired with a seminar on bilingualism. As we celebrate the publication of Chen Qing Shan's writings and the culmination of his sons' hard work, it is apt that we reflect on the place of bilingualism in our society, and how we can build on its advantages in an evolving global setting.

3. The book has been truly a labour of love for the Chen brothers, Peter and Michael. To translate a literary work is an inherently difficult enterprise. The Chinese language and the Indo-European languages that gave birth to English originated in distinct social environments, over the millenia. Their different rules, symbolic codes and ways of finding meaning make it a great challenge to translate a piece of work from Chinese to English or vice-versa, while communicating the spirit and imagination of the original writing to a modern audience. It requires an intimate understanding of the deep textures of both languages. It is not surprising that Lychee Fragrance is one of the few bilingual books to be published locally, and that years of hard work went into the compilation and preparation of this book.

4. Chen Qing Shan wrote in Chinese, but his sons have given him voice in English as well, so that many more readers may be able to appreciate his tales and observations. The book and others like it will appeal to readers who may be more comfortable in one language than the other. For these readers, bilingual books offer a unique way to improve their familiarity with the other language. Equally important, they can help to bridge perspectives - in this case between the "Chinese language dominant" and "English language dominant" imaginations and perspectives of society.

5. Developing a significant group of people who are highly competent in their mother tongues and English will give us advantage in the increasingly dense linkages of a globalising world. Individuals who enjoy the flexibility of bilingualism and the cultural understanding it allows will be able to interpret the world for others, and to adapt more confidently to a changing and culturally ambiguous international environment. As a society, the mingling of multiple perspectives provides fertile soil for fresh and novel ideas to take root and grow. It also nurtures a deeper respect for the differences between cultures that do endure.

6. Lychee Fragrance is not merely a chronicle of a family's experiences or a window into the author's mind. It is part of a body of early literature that provides a vivid record of historical events, and of the practices and values of a people, as a new society was being formed. It is part of a literary heritage that tells us of the people who came to make their homes in Malaya and Singapore, either temporarily or permanently, and their motivations, fears, aspirations and foibles. Each of these early literary records may focus on a particular community. But collectively they illuminate those times of transition and engender a deeper understanding of the experiences, both common and diverse, that eventually brought us to where we are. They enhance our sense of belonging to a young nation.

7. The work of Chen Qing Shan's generation of local Chinese writers sought to interpret the tumultous changes in the social and political landscape of China and Southeast Asia, and how they impacted on daily lives. Chinese writers in Malaya and Singapore evolved with the times, and were advocates of social reform. In the 1920s, deeply influenced by the May Fourth movement and reformist literary groups in China, their writings were full of enthusiasm and hope for the eradication of feudalism and poverty.. Several of Chen Qing Shan's essays and short stories indeed reflect this trend. Likewise, in late 1930s, following the Sino-Japanese war, most of their writings were infused with Chinese patriotism and anti-Japanese sentiment.

8. But their writings over the years also captured another important shift in the identity of the local Chinese, from being hua qiao or temporary sojourners in Nanyang to becoming hua ren in their adopted lands - as families grew up in Singapore (larger numbers of women having arrived) and more Chinese schools were set up for the young, and as political conditions in China itself evolved. It was a complex emotional transition, as Chen Qing Shan's touching essay on "My Native Land" describes for us.

9. A literature that allows us to revisit the world of our forefathers brings fresh appreciation of the values on which a nation was eventually built, such as a concern for fellowmen, a spirit of fortitude and risk-taking. These qualities are as critical to our success now as they were four to eight decades ago. I understand that when some of Chen Qing Shan's writings were published in Lianhe Zaobao a few years ago, they were extremely popular with readers of all ages, even though they were penned decades ago. The stories and ideas they contain still resonate with the modern reader. We need more of such writings, on experiences past and present, to anchor our sense of identity, and in doing so build up confidence for the future.

10. Local literature now faces the challenges and opportunities of a completely new setting. First, we are effectively a bilingual society, after four decades of nationhood. The 2000 census showed for the first time that a majority of the Singapore population is now literate in two or more languages (56% in 2000 compared to 45% in 1990). This is especially so for the better educated, and for the young. For eg, among Chinese with post-secondary or university education, almost three quarters were literate in two or more languages, compared to less than two thirds in 1990. 77% of them are literate in Mandarin, and 92% in English. Among Chinese youth - those aged 15-24 - 88% are literate in Mandarin and 98% in English. Literacy does not, of course, translate into depth of understanding of culture. But our bilingual education does provide us with an important base to leverage on.

11. The second change is in the wider world, in Chinese identity and culture. Until the 1990s, scholars described the identity of the Chinese people as reflecting a century and a half of humiliation. Many observed a sense of impotence and helplessness in the Chinese psyche - caused by Western imperialism, Japanese aggression, the conflict between the Nationalists and Communists, and the intense politicisation of culture in the four decades after the war. Just 10 years ago, many observers also felt that the Tiananmen tragedy had also irreversibly severed the emotional attachment of the modern-day Chinese diaspora, in the US and elsewhere, to the mainland.

12. These accounts are now rapidly becoming a distant past. China is emerging as a major world player. Its continuing economic modernisation and technological advancement is giving the Chinese people new confidence in themselves. It is transforming the meaning of being Chinese, in a way that scholars are just beginning to examine.

13. We do not know exactly how Chinese society will evolve as it advances economically - how individualistic or community-oriented socially, or how nationalist or internationalist politically. But culturally, it is more likely to be more open to the world, driven by the tremendous enthusiasm of young Chinese generations to learn from the West and catch up as quickly as possible. We are unlikely to see a return to an insulated culture. Every primary school student in China now studies English - from Primary 1 in the cities, and Primary 3 in the countryside. In 20 years, they will have a vastly larger intelligentsia reading and communicating with the world in English.

14. Likewise, many more people outside China will learn Chinese. Just last week, I visited a school in the Boston area, one of the top performers in the US (Roxbury Latin School). It is 360 years old, the oldest continuing school in the US. The students still take Latin and Greek, and do well in it. But the principal told me that he was trying to persuade the school board to have the students take Chinese in future. He felt it was very odd to groom future American leaders who did not understand Chinese.

15. These trends will reshape the way the Chinese interact with the rest of the world over the next generation. They will mean an increased interplay of cultures, greater use of both English and Chinese, greater multiplicity of perspectives, and denser interaction of peoples. It is already becoming evident in cities like Shanghai.

16. The future of our local Chinese literature depends on how well we adapt to this new environment - first, a bilingual local population, no longer steeped in any one culture alone; and second, the emerging crosscurrents of China's interactions with the world.

17. Our bilingualism is a strength we can build on. We are seeking to groom a stronger Chinese cultural elite, which retains its competence in English. But our fundamental advantage will be in being a cosmopolitan Asian city, rooted in Asian traditions and open to the world. Our cultural eclectism will be an advantage. It will allow our writers to provide a unique set of lens for looking at China and the rest of the world. It is a huge world for us, outside Singapore. Several local Chinese writers and scholars of literature have already gained recognition abroad, including in China.

18. Our distinct multicultural perspectives, and the continuing appeal of the Singapore model of multicultural society, give us a future in the wider world. It is for us to shape this future, collectively.

19. In conclusion, let me emphasise that while we have to pay much attention to immediate economic needs and know-how, we must remember that creativity and imagination are ultimately the key catalysts for our personal development as much as for our nation. The development of literature and the arts, in our many languages and cultures, is essential to growing the creative imagination. It is part and parcel of how we borrow critically from our past, shed practices and beliefs that are unsuitable or irrelevant, and choose and invent our future. We must build on and strengthen our bilingual tradition, and keep our distinctively Singaporean multiculturalism, to maximise our future potential.

20. I hope that you will enjoy Lychee Fragrance, as I did, and that you will have a meaningful discussion during the seminar.