LEE Ting Hui @ Zeng Tu 李廷辉@曾徒
Literary Scene in Singapore (Chinese),
Accession Number 003093
- Oral History Centre
Source
- 8
Total Reels
- Lye Soo Choon 赖素春
Interviewer
- 07:33:42
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 8
Metadata
- 14 Oct 2006
Recording Date
- 00:55:51
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Born 1930 in Ipoh, West Malaysia. Family was not well off. Sisters no chance to study. Studied in English school then Chinese school. Parents were illiterate, father was farmer. Studied in English missionary school. Stopped studying in 1942 as Japanese closed down schools. Took refuge at aunt’s house during Japanese Occupation. Went to Chinese private school, leant traditional Chinese language in Cantonese. Life during Japanese Occupation. Japanese soldiers were kind to kids. Many gambling dens, mother worked in tailor shop. School restarted in 1946 after Japanese Occupation. Learnt Mandarin. How he became student of Chen Ji 陈季 who taught him Chinese classical literature. Started to write classical poetry, influenced by famous poet Bai Ju Yi 白居易. Like old poetry style古体诗, as it was more flexible.
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Reel/Disc 2 of 8
Metadata
- 14 Oct 2006
Recording Date
- 00:55:51
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Wrote more classical poetry compared to contemporary poetry. Teacher Chen Ji 陈季 complied students’ poetry and published three books. Kuomintang in Ipoh, West Malaysia in late 1940s had active youth group. Malayan Communist Party (MCP) also had youth group to spread their ideology. Received different ideologies. Studied Bible with a priest, reason for him to leave the church. Talked about the background of his teacher Chen Ji and how he influenced his students. Became teacher after he finished secondary school. Applied for US scholarship in 1951, intended to study Philosophy. Received scholarship from Malaya University, major in History. Regretted that he did not major in Economic as its prospect was much better. Malaya University was in Singapore then. Most lecturers were foreigners. Subjects he studied. How he joined Socialistic Club 社会主义俱乐部. S. R. Nathan was the Vice-President of the Club and Ong Pang Boon was the Treasurer then. Interviewee was Editor of the Club publication, Fajar which arouse Special Branch’s concern. Interviewee and S. R. Nathan left the Club.
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Reel/Disc 3 of 8
Metadata
- 21 Oct 2006
Recording Date
- 00:58:40
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Left Socialistic Club and formed Chinese Society in Malaya University. Malay Studies also formed Malay Society. S. R. Nathan was his hostel mate. S R Nathan was a kind person. Still keep in touch with S R Nathan though he is now the President of Singapore. Interviewee’s involvement in Chinese Society and weight lifting. Lost contact with friends after graduation. Dr Gwee Yee Hean 魏维贤博士 suggested interviewee to publish his Master’s thesis on his research on Chinese schools then. Reasons for interviewee chose Chinese schools as his research project. Received help from Chen Yu Song 陈育菘and Lien Shih Sheng 连士升. Interviewee’s views on overseas Chinese schools. His thesis analysed why overseas Chinese schools was involved in politic.
Applied for PHD in Columbia University, however his visa was not approved. Taught at St Andrew Secondary School, got to know writer Miao Xiu 苗秀 who was teaching there. Talked about English teacher Miao Xiu who wrote Chinese novels. Interviewee translated one of Miao Xiu’s works. Taught in Malaya University. Why he could not teach in History Department and teach in Chinese Department instead. Studied PHD, research focused on Guo Mo Ruo 郭沫若. Teaching career ended before the contract. Family burden he had. Went to Oxford to further study. Alone there, suffered from depression, came back to Singapore after few months. Recalled a trip to China in 1960, went for holiday.
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Reel/Disc 4 of 8
Metadata
- 21 Oct 2006
Recording Date
- 00:55:27
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Recalled a holiday trip to China in 1960. His journey. China people were poor then. Places he went, people he met. Life in China was not good. Applied for civil services job. Worked in administration department in Ministry of Health for few months. Transferred to Ministry of Education (MOE). In-charged of scholarship application in MOE from 1963 to 1964. Transferred to Teachers’ Training College (TTC) to be the Registrar. Joined Political Study Centre, provided training for civil servants. Content of the training. The trainees. Did research on philosophy while he was working. Research works was published by China Society中国学会. Talk about his first book Ji Lei Ji 《鸡肋集》. How Island Society 新社was formed. Activities and publications of the Society. Major fund sponsors were Lee Foundation and Huang Wang Qing 黄望青. Interviewee was the President of the Society from 1966-1971. Complied and edited 《新马华文文学大系》 (Collections of Chinese Literature works of Singapore-Malayan) while he was the Assistant Director of Education in early 1970s. Talked about other editors.
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Reel/Disc 5 of 8
Metadata
- 4 Nov 2006
Recording Date
- 00:58:16
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Why he suggested to have 《新马华文文学大系》 (Collections of Chinese Literature works of Singapore-Malayan), approved by Ong Pang Boon, Minister of Education (MOE) then. Guidelines for selecting literary works for the Collections. How editors gathered materials. Talk about writer Miao Xiu 苗秀. Characteristic in Miao Xiu’s writings. History of Singapore South Seas Society南洋学会. Interviewee’s involvement in the Society’s publication. His relationship and involvement in the Society. Applied donation on behalf of Ji Nan University 暨南大学 from Lee Foundation on setting up Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Research Fund 港澳台研究基金. Lee Foundation donated HK200,000. Content of Journal of The South Seas Society《南洋学报》. Interviewee’s involvement in old poetry 古体诗, exchanged views with friends. Talked about his friend Xu Chi Qing徐池庆 who exchanged views with him in literary writings. Research on poets. Talked about publication plans for old poetry 古体诗 which was still popular.
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Reel/Disc 6 of 8
Metadata
- 4 Nov 2006
Recording Date
- 00:54:50
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Embargoed (NOT TO BE RELEASED TILL DATE 19/11/2021
Formation of Singapore Association of Writers. Why he felt he was not suitable to be President of the Association. Suggested to publish 《新马华文文学大系》 (Collections of Chinese Literature works of Singapore-Malayan) in the Association. Recall Ly Sing Ko 李星可 cited interviewee’s comments and wrote leading article in newspaper giving negative comments on educational policy. Interviewee was asked to submit report to explain why he gave such comments by Ministry of Education (MOE). Recall his report was rejected for three times. How S R Nathan helped him. Submitted his Master’s thesis to prove that he was not anti-government. MOE intended to dismiss interviewee, later allowed interviewee to resign. Became Visiting Professor, Department of Political Science in University of Western Ontario, Canada. Depressed when he came back to Singapore after half a year. Unhappy working experiences he had. S R Nathan introduced him to become Senior Research Associate of Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Later became Researcher in SID, Ministry of Defence doing research on Malayan Communist Party. His friend requested him to introduce him to use library in Ministry of Defence, he did and created problem to himself. Being transferred to other department to translate newspaper articles. Went to teach in History Department, National University of Singapore. Did his PHD. Lost most of his savings when he started business with friend. Changed in thinking, moved towards Buddhism, learnt meditation.
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Reel/Disc 7 of 8
Metadata
- 19 Nov 2006
Recording Date
- 00:56:39
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
*Used to be very positive in life and reflected in his writings. After career setback, became negative. Became Buddhist. Wrote his feeling in his writings. Description of Kundalini meditation. Walked out of depression after he became Buddhist and practiced meditation. Intended to be monk, but temple rejected him. Why he used Zeng Tu 曾徒 as pen-name. Wrote many poems and were published in newspaper. Why he forgone contemporary poem and wrote classical poem. Received many awards for classical poem. How he got his inspiration. Discovered that some of his classical poems were not normative, amended them.
Wrote poems with friends, the more he wrote, his standard rose. Talked about his friend started Zi You Ci 自由词and Jian Ti Shi 简体诗, classical poem that did not observed specification. Interviewee tried to observe the specification of classical poem. Talk about his contemporary poem. Responsory poems wrote among friends. Pai Ju 俳句 (haiku, form of short poetry in Japan) that he wrote. Became Head, China Desk of Institute of East Asian Philosophies. Why he joined the Institute later and not when it was formed.
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Reel/Disc 8 of 8
Metadata
- 19 Nov 2006
Recording Date
- 00:58:08
Running Time
- MP3
Format
- Open Access
Conditions Governing Access
Synopsis
Embargoed NOT TO BE RELEASED TILL DATE 19/11/2021
Why he joined Institute of East Asian Philosophies later and not when it was formed. Why the Institute was formed. Interviewee provided Confucianism training for teachers. The Institute started China Desk, interviewee was engaged to head it. Discovered that the Institute was no longer focus in philosophy but on economics development of China. Retired in 1992. Activities he was involved after his retirement. Wrote and published books. Talk about the books that he published. Friends were a push force for him to write. Talk about his pen-names. Overseas literary activities that he was involved. Talk about International Han Poem Conference held in 2002, interviewee was the General Secretary of the event. Started to put his writings on internet.
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