CHIN Pan See @ Shi Ying 陈磐绪 @ 史英
Literary Scene in Singapore (Chinese),
Accession Number 003081
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 10
Total Reels
- Lye Soo Choon 赖素春
Interviewer
- 09:28:18
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 10
Metadata
- 21 Aug 2006
Recording Date
- 00:56:53
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Born in 1940 in Singapore. Family background. Interviewee’s childhood, stayed in Siglap Yao Li Hen (village). Games he played. Learned about basic Chinese herbs from parents. Cited examples on uses of some herbs. How his father disciplined children. First primary school that he studied in was closed down by government as the school was involved in communist activities. Compared the four primary schools that he studied in. Helped in family grocery shop when father passed away. Studied in Chung Cheng High School. Most of the students in Chung Cheng were leftist. Students were influenced by their seniors. Student organisation that provided financial help to poor students. School environment caused interviewee to follow the crowd. Outdoor activities organised by student bodies, cited examples.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 10
Metadata
- 21 Aug 2006
Recording Date
- 00:58:09
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Influence of student bodies in Chung Cheng High School was formidable. Cited examples when students disrespected teachers who were not leftists. Interviewee felt that student activities in 1950s, were aimed to make Singapore into a better society. Students supported workers' strikes. Recalled student sit-in strike at Chung Cheng High School for more than 10 days. Activities during sit-in strike. The strike was well organised. Police used tear bombs to disperse the students. Interviewee not hurt as he was younger and was protected by seniors. Many students were victims in the incident. Students left Chung Cheng High and went to Kong Hwa School after tear bombs. Interviewee went home with his mother.
Felt Chung Cheng High was different when he went back to school after the incident. Not keen on study, he left school to help family business. Family background led him to like literature. Books he read. Liked Du Hong’s 杜红 poems, influenced by him and started to write poems. First poem published in Wen Feng《文风》, felt very much encouraged by it. Why he liked Du Hong’s poems. How he wrote his poems. Chose not to release works that he wrote on personal feelings because those works might invite criticism at that time. About his teacher Liu Si刘思 who had influenced him in writing.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 10
Metadata
- 28 Aug 2006
Recording Date
- 00:56:07
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
No training in writing. Influenced by foreign poets especially Russian poets in his early writing stage. Started writing by imitating famous poets. Poems written in realism, did not emphasise techniques. About his pen names: Ye Cao野草, Zhong Yuan仲原 and Shi Ying史英. Poems were published in leftist magazines such as Da Xue Qing Nian《大学青年》and Chang Di《长堤》. His poems consisted of ideas of overthrowing old society system and having better future. Some of his prose and diaries were not published. Wanted to concentrate on writing poems.
Started to write in 1957. Published first book Hua Cao Ji《花草集》in 1960. An article in the book was attacked by critic in Qi《旗》 (magazine published by Barisan Sosialis (BS)) for giving good comments on Du Hong’s 杜红 poem. Called back all his books and burnt them. About content and cited examples of works in the book. Published the book using own funds, cover design was simple. His poems were influenced by classical poetry. Had no thought of rebutting critic who attacked him. Stopped writing for 16 years because of this incident.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 10
Metadata
- 28 Aug 2006
Recording Date
- 00:57:30
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Started to write again in 1982. Life was more stable then. Met up with friends who were writers. Chang Yao 长谣 encouraged him to write. Interviewee sensed setback for Chinese language then, decided to write again. Started writing poems, then poetics. Difficulties he met in writing poems after he started to write poetics. Themes of his poems. Stopped reading poems written by other poets, did not want to be influenced by others, wanted to have his own view and style. Changes in his writing style, from realism to mixture of realism and romanticism. Consciously reminded himself not to repeat his old style of writing. Changes in his writing styles. Compared poetics with poem critique. Tried not to offend writer when he wrote critique on poetry. His style of writing critique. His views in writing history of poetry. Started to write history of Singapore Chinese poetry as he felt available ones were not subjective. Cited writers who were neglected by writer who wrote on literature history.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 10
Metadata
- 31 Aug 2006
Recording Date
- 00:55:26
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Reasons for interviewee to write history of Singapore Chinese poetry. Felt that people who wrote history of Singapore literature should be objective. Research he did including reading writings, theories and other references. Structure of the history he used. Graded poets by quality, quantity of their poems and their reputation. Cited Jing Hai 静海as example. Problems he met with when he was doing research. Interest was his driving force. Many of his poems were published in overseas literary magazines since late 1980s as there were limited publications in Singapore. How he started to send his works to overseas publications. His poems were first translated in Hong Kong. Sent his poems to China Shi Jie Shi Ren Ji Kan《世界诗人季刊》 , a bilingual magazine. All poems published there were translated into English. Asked by the editor to choose 100 poems to be translated and published in “Selected Poems of Shi Ying”《史英诗选》. Awards he received in years 1995, 2002, and 2003.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 10
Metadata
- 31 Aug 2006
Recording Date
- 00:56:02
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Received Gold medal for Dragon Cultural Outstanding Achievements by International Seminar for Chinese Culture. Received Best International Poet, 2004 issued by International Poetry Translation and Research Centre (IPTRC). Appointed by IPTRC Voting International Executive Committee as Candidate of the Nobel Prize in Literature 2006. Why he sent his poem overseas for publication and not in Singapore. His views on how local newspapers think of Singapore writers. Continued to write as he was passionate.
Recalled literary society Kang Le Yan Jiu Hui 康乐研究会 he joined in 1962. Activities of the society. Left in 1963 due to conflicts with executive committee members. Formed company to publish Xian Dai Wen Yi 《现代文艺》, a literary magazine. Content of the magazine, mainly poems. Conflicts among editors caused some of them to quit. Li Sheng 黎声 left due to difference of opinion with interviewee regarding written polemics. New editors joined in later. Published drama script that alluded to a dignitary. Special Branch searched interviewee’s house. Interviewee managed to flee before they came. Published apology in Straits Times.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 10
Metadata
- 7 Sep 2006
Recording Date
- 00:58:18
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Published apology in Straits Times for having drama script that alluded to a dignitary in literary magazine Xian Dai Wen Yi 《现代文艺》. Last issue of the magazine published essay to rebut editors who had left the magazine. The incident aroused US newsroom interest. Content of the magazine, able to make profit from advertisements. Concentrated on own career and family life after Singapore independence. How Li Sheng 黎声 and Liu Jun 流军 set up Re Dai Wen Yi 《热带文艺》, a literary magazine. Interviewee supplied his writings to the magazine.
Conflict between Li Sheng and Shi Min适民. Li Sheng left the magazine, formed Equatorial Wind《赤道风》with Fang Ran方然 and Qian Hua芊华. Why interviewee was not involved in Equatorial Wind. Conflicts arose from publishing Jiu Ren Shi Xuan《九人诗选》 (Selection of nine writers’ poems). Fang Ran took over Equatorial Wind when other editors quit. Took part in Southeast Asia Poetry Gathering 东南亚诗歌笔会 in Fuzhou, China. Published Shi Ying Shi Ge Xuan 《史英诗歌选》 (Selection of Shi Ying’s poems) in 2005. Received World Peace Poetry Award from ISGWA (The International Society of Greek Writers and Artists) in 2006.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 10
Metadata
- 7 Sep 2006
Recording Date
- 00:55:12
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Awards he received were encouragement to him. How his poems were translated into other language. Stopped writing in 1966. Worked in clan association and left after a year. Applied for job with Shin Min Daily News 《新明日报》when the newspaper was just being set up. Accepted as editor of the newspaper. Founders of Shin Min Daily News. Chief Editor was Pan Yue Sheng 潘粤声. Contents of Shin Min Daily News were targeted to be interesting and informative. About Pan Yue Sheng who was good at writing creative and appropriate headlines and captions; cited examples. Reporters of the newspaper requested for change in editor of front page; interviewee was assigned to take over.
Challenges of editing front page, needed to be fast, importance of having eye-catching headlines. How Shin Min Daily News was different from other newspapers. Its selling point. Cited example of good headlines. Changes he made after Pan Yue Sheng left Shin Min Daily News. Zhong Wen Ling 钟文苓 became Chief Editor. Unhappy with work arrangement made by Zhong Wen Ling. Recalled editorial meeting with Directors. Interviewee’s directness offended Zhong Wen Ling. From then on he did not receive any annual salary increment for 10 years.
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Reel/Disc 9 of 10
Metadata
- 11 Sep 2006
Recording Date
- 00:57:40
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Interviewee stayed in his job at Shin Min Daily News as he needed to support his family. Recalled conflict between reporters and management. Reporters’ union requested for pay rise. Interviewee’s salary was considered high compared to that in other newspaper companies. Interviewee was isolated as he did not join the reporters. Interviewee arranged for a change in union leadership. Editorial committees were set up in newspaper companies. They took over the editorial power of newspaper. Unhappy working in Shin Min Daily News; planned to leave. Took up part-time job as Chief Editor of Tian Tang Zhou Bao 《天堂周报》 (weekly newspaper).
Recalled a colleague who was drunk and was provoked into stabbing interviewee with scissors. Interviewee refused to work for a week as he felt colleagues were against him. Interviewee left Shin Min Daily News in 1979. Joined publishing company as Chief Editor of Li Di Hu Sheng Shuang Zhou Kan《丽的呼声双周刊》 (biweekly magazine of Rediffusion). Engaged freelance reporters and photographer. Why he engaged Wang Zhen Chun 王振春 and Qiu Shu Lan 邱淑兰 as freelance reporters. Invited local writers to write articles on local society such as development of clan association and special issue on sandals. Sales and advertising revenue of the magazine went up when he was Chief Editor.
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Reel/Disc 10 of 10
Metadata
- 11 Sep 2006
Recording Date
- 00:57:01
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Increase in sales of Li Di Hu Sheng Shuang Zhou Kan 《丽的呼声双周刊》 (biweekly magazine of Rediffusion) when interviewee was its Chief Editor. Their competitor was Jie Mei 《姐妹》 (Sisters). How they made their magazine different from Jie Mei. Cited example on interview with modelling company. Contents of the magazine included local food and fashions. Various columns in the magazine. Cited examples of giving high contribution fees for writers. Reasons for him leaving the magazine, including his working hours affected operating hours of his Chinese physician's clinic and also his conflict with advertising manager. Magazine started making losses after he left as operating cost was too high. Satisfaction he gained from the magazine while he was working there. The magazine was taken over by Loke Wah Printers Co 乐华印务, wound up after few months. Started his career as Chinese physician. Set up Chinese medical training centre at the same time. Training centre brought him more clients and made good profit. Future writing plan.
Open verbal agreement.
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