TEH Ah Poon@ Du Hong 郑亚本@杜红
Literary Scene in Singapore (Chinese),
Accession Number 002919
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 9
Total Reels
- Lye Soo Choon 赖素春
Interviewer
- 07:48:18
Total Running Time
- Mandarin
Language
Copyright Notice
All rights to the recordings and transcripts on this website, including the rights to copy, publish, broadcast and perform, are reserved. Written permission is required for any use. If you have any queries, please contact nas@nlb.gov.sg
Reel/Disc 1 of 9
Metadata
- 3 Mar 2005
Recording Date
- 00:55:54
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Born in 1936. Family background. Places he stayed when he was young. Hiding in bomb shelter during Japanese Occupation. Indian soldiers killed by Japanese soldiers. His family found G.I. (Government Issue) buried under the ground. Sold the G.I. and was rich. Studied in Bukit Ho Swee Primary School (Branch). The school was located in temple and used its hall as classroom. Fighting was common among students. Reasons for students to fight. Secret societies were active in school. He sought help from secret society member when he was being beaten. How his disputes with classmate was solved by secret society. Recalled classmate who brought gun to classes. Members of secret societies observed school rules when they studied. How they treated classmates. Students had to pay protection money. How disputes among students were settled. Why some good students became members of secret society. Famous secret societies in 1940s. How secret society helped people to retrieve lost stuff.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 9
Metadata
- 17 Mar 2005
Recording Date
- 00:54:28
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
How secret society helped people to retrieve lost stuff. People who sought help from secret society. Small fights were common among secret societies, but did not influence the society harmony. Why secret societies existed. How secret society members protected Chinese from Malays during racial riots. His experiences in applying for secondary school. Why he did not want to attend missionary school that he applied to. Studied in Chung Cheng High School (Branch). Differences he observed between primary and secondary schools. His teacher Liu Yi commented on his first composition. Decided to do better in composition and this led him to write more. Reasons that excited him to write. Why he started with prose. Why he changed to write poem. Never considered to be professional writer. His life as student in Chung Cheng High School (Branch). Why Chinese had bad impression of British in 1950s. His experiences in working for British. Joined petition against National Service Ordinance at Fort Canning. Recalled police dispersed students by force.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 9
Metadata
- 17 Mar 2005
Recording Date
- 00:55:02
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Joined petition against National Service Ordinance at Fort Canning. How police dispersed students by force. Poem he wrote from these experiences. Dispersed and went back to Chung Cheng High School. Society supported students. Took part in demonstration against May 13 incidents in Chung Cheng High School and Chinese High School.
One student was shot by police. Interviewee went to negotiate with police and was locked up by Criminal Investigation Division (CID). His life in CID. Transfer to Changi prison and was allowed to contact family. He was released owing to his neighbour who had saved Lim Yew Hock's life.
Wrote poem when he knew his mother supported him. Classmate who was communist. How he was different from classmates. His poems before and after May 13 incidents. Poems he wrote on May 13 incidents. Commented on his own poems. How he published his first book 'Wu Yue' (May).
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Reel/Disc 4 of 9
Metadata
- 17 Mar 2005
Recording Date
- 00:55:11
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
How he selected poems for his first book. His views on why the book was well received. His book 'Liu Yue De Wan Shang' was banned by Special Branch. Named his first book as 'Wu Yue' (May) because of May 13 incident. He kept his works written before 1955 but did not publish them. 'Liu Yue De Wan Shang' was a poem. How he put in his feeling and experiences in poem. Literary circle intended to set up a writers' society in 1950s.
Before he graduated from Nanyang University (NU), political parties invited him to participate in election. How he felt when NU was set up. How he applied to Nanyang University. Why he wanted to study only History. Why and how he started to do translation. Finished his study in NU within three years, taught in Malaysia during his last year. His life as teacher in Malaysia. Incidents and things he missed about NU. How he felt being its student.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 9
Metadata
- 24 Mar 2005
Recording Date
- 00:53:29
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
His views on closing down of Nanyang University (NU). His book 'Liu Yue De Wan Shang' (A night in June) was banned by Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Most of the poems in the book were printed in his next book 'Su Jiao Hua Kai' (Blooming of plastic flowers) published by Youth Book Co. under 'Xin Ma Wen Yi Cong Shu' (Series of Malayan Singapore Literature).
How he got his job in Shaw Organization. Description of his job included editing content of movie scripts and movies. Blue movies. Translated synopsis for movies. Movie premier for media. Had to leave Shaw Organisation and work for government as he was bonded by Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship that he received when he studied in NU. First worked in Land Office. How he was transferred to Ministry of Culture and became a translator. His job scope as a translator.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 9
Metadata
- 24 Mar 2005
Recording Date
- 00:54:45
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Transferred to Ministry of Health (MOH). Interviewed by Ministry of Finance (MOF), refused to take probation test in English. Posted to Singapore Broadcasting Cooperation to be producer of Chinese literary programme for radio station. Literary radio programmes that he made. Content of 'Shi Ge Jie Mu' (programme on poem) that he made. Selection of poems and incidental music. Recording arrangement. Poem reviews were written by writers engaged by special arrangement. 'Wen Yi Yuan Di' (World of Literature) was a radio programme that encouraged writers' contributions of their works. Length about 3000 words. 'Du Shu Sui Bi' (Reading essays) was a radio programme that introduced new books, translated books. Recording process. Why he stayed in public sector after serving his 3 years bond. Benefits to remain in pension salaried scale. How he was transferred to do television programme.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 9
Metadata
- 30 Mar 2005
Recording Date
- 00:54:44
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Chief Editor 'Hui Liu', Chung Cheng High School's literary publication Hui Liu used to be wall newspaper displayed literary works written by students. Why and how it was published into magazine form. Its emphasis, forms of works, budget and sales. Started Xin Shi She (modern poem) to publish poetry. Why published magazine instead of periodical. Main contributors to the magazine. 'Xin Shi Yue Bao' was started by Li Ru Lin, how it was published. Why it ended. Editor of 'Wen Xue Yue Bao', newsletter of Singapore Association of Writers.
Why Singapore Association of Writers was set up. The Association was inactive and Registry of Societies (ROS) questioned it. Reasons why the Association was inactive. Association started to organise activities when Wong Meng Voon became President of the Association. The Association was restructured and published newsletter to contact members. Started publishing books for local writers. Publication consisted mainly of members' works. His duties as President. Activities of the Association.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 9
Metadata
- 30 Mar 2005
Recording Date
- 00:50:30
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
How interviewee joined The Society of Singapore Writers (mainly English Writers) when it was set up. His book 'Du Hong Shi Xuan' was a collection of his poems since 1950s, except 1960-1965. Wrote poems according to his thoughts and feelings. How he started to combine poem and photography. Literary activities he was involved in. Joined the drama division of Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) in 1980. Produced script for first Singapore Chinese drama series 'Army Series'.
Visiting army camp. How they cooperated with Singapore Army Forces (SAF). Wrote story outline. Worked with shooting crew from Hong Kong. Did research and collected materials. Selected most actors from the NSmen. Most actors were inexperienced. Shooting problems they met. How he felt being involved in first drama series. Not enough manpower and support during starting stage of SBC drama division. 1983, first batch of Hong Kong TV drama professionals were employed by SBC. They brought in the Hong Kong TV drama production system. Working with production team from Hong Kong. Things that interviewee learned from them.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 9
Metadata
- 28 Apr 2005
Recording Date
- 00:34:15
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee's pen-name used Xue Ying for prose, Hua Yong Zhou for novel and Du Hong for poem. A need to use different pen-names for the same magazine that he edited. Considered his book 'Wo Ai Shang Le Ta De Yi Shang' as collection of stories rather than novels. Characteristics that novels should have. Content of his novels. His translation works. What he thought about translation. Contradicting feeling towards translation. How he thought about things he wrote. Talked about 'Xin Shi Yue Bao.
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