Curious crowds have been thronging the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall since it opened on Nov 12, especially on Sundays. Among them are primary and secondary students who were having their year-end school vacation. I feel rather encouraged to see the young showing an interest in our history.
We should congratulate ourselves that the once-Sun Yat Sen Villa has escaped demolition and gained a new lease of life. The directors of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry should be complimented for the decision to preserve, restore and expand the villa. BG George Yeo, then Minister for Information and the Arts, played a crucial role when he called for the villa to be developed into a historical landmark in 1994.
There are many others who have always cared for and protected the villa. Their efforts will be remembered by history - the way history has recorded the contributions of members of the Tong Meng Hui, or the Revolutionary Alliance, to modern China.
The reborn villa has sparked a positive chain of reactions. For instance, some people in Penang have suggested building a similar memorial hall at the original site of the Penang Philomatic Society, which was founded by Dr Sun Yat Sun. On hindsight, if we had destroyed the villa, we would now live to regret it！
Right and wrong as recorded in history may on the surface appear to be just a result of a decision made on the spur of the moment. In fact, deeper underlying factors are at work.
As a people, we must have a common understanding of our history and share a strong desire to safeguard our historical and cultural heritage. Otherwise, even though the Sun Yat Sun Villa has been saved, there is no guarantee that we would, in future, not pull down any buildings of historical value. We need only to cast our memory a few years back to realise how many historical landmarks had vanished from our landscape.
What affluent Singaporeans need is a keen awareness of our cultural heritage. But this is not a task that the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall can achieve alone.
Over the years, our education system has produced many Singaporeans who are ignorant of our past. Obviously, we cannot count on the handful of museums and memorial halls to teach this group of people what they had failed to learn in school. A fundamental change in what we teach our pupils is what is required.
We should be happy that the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall has become a part of our history. The touching history of the villa is also the shared heritage of Singapore and China and the shared memory of the two peoples. And the historical connections will no doubt help boost ties between Singaporeans and the Chinese people.
Yet we must not forget that we are an independent country, a shared historical heritage with China should in no way compromise our loyalty to our own nation.
The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is part of our historical heritage and its role should remain so. There are occasions when historical heritage can be used to serve political purposes, but this should be the exception rather than the rule. It is not advisable for the memorial hall to be associated too closely with political ties which often change unpredictably, either for the better or for the worse. It may suffer undeserved misfortunes when there is a deterioration in political relations.
Singaporeans have a habit of getting tired of the old as soon as they take a fancy to something new. We need to ponder the question of whether interest in the memorial hall can be sustained. The memorial hall is no Hello Kitty, electronic pets or a passing fad - it should have an appeal that can stand the test of time.
To inject new life into the villa was tough enough, to keep the memorial hall a dynamic attraction will be an even more formidable task.
To maintain a steady flow of visitors, one possibility is to turn the memorial hall into a “history classroom” where tours for students and members of clan associations could be arranged.
Singaporeans need to treasure the memorial hall as our historical heritage. We need to value it and care for it.
。The writer is a correspondent of Lianhe Zaobao. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.
晚晴園是個活的歷史學堂● 韓山元
晚晴園—孫中山南洋紀念館于11月12日開幕后,本地興起一股“晚晴園熱”。正值中小學年終長假,連日來參觀者眾,尤其是星期天,園地內(nèi)外盡是人潮,套句中國大陸過去常用的話：形勢大好。
晚晴園躲過了被拆的厄運,獲得新生,可喜可賀。中華總商會那些力主保留晚晴園的董事,的確很懂事。1994年倡議保留晚晴園的楊榮文準將（當時任新聞及藝術(shù)部部長）一言九鼎,起了關(guān)鍵作用；還有眾多長期關(guān)懷與愛護晚晴園的人,歷史會公正地記下他們的功績,正像歷史已經(jīng)公正地記下南洋同盟會各位先賢的功績一樣。
獲得新生的晚晴園,產(chǎn)生了巨大的轟動效應(yīng)和良性連鎖反應(yīng),遠在檳城也有熱心人士主張,將孫中山當年創(chuàng)辦的檳城閱書報社原址建成類似晚晴園的紀念館?，F(xiàn)在回過頭想想,當初要是把晚晴園拆掉,留下的將是千古遺憾！
歷史的功過,表面上看來,也許只是一念之差,深一層分析就不難發(fā)現(xiàn),那不僅僅是一念之差的問題。如果我們的國家、人民對歷史問題沒有共識,整個國家社會沒有建立起堅固的重視歷史文化遺產(chǎn)的觀念,現(xiàn)在不拆晚晴園,誰敢擔保將來不拆別的歷史名樓名園？想想這些年來,一些有保留價值的古建筑,終還是逃不過被“處決”的命運,怎能讓我們放心？
現(xiàn)在新加坡人不缺吃、住、穿,還缺什么？缺的就是深厚堅實的人文意識。叫晚晴園來肩負這個任務(wù),擔子未免太沉重,它會不勝負荷,會累倒的。我國多年來的教育,教出一批又一批“史盲”,單靠幾個博物館、紀念館,是無法令“史盲”的眼睛“開光”的。從調(diào)整教育體制做起,才是治本之道。
慶幸晚晴園已經(jīng)納入了新加坡正史,晚晴園可歌可泣的往事,是新加坡與中國共同擁有的歷史遺產(chǎn),是兩國人民共同的記憶。歷的感情紐帶可否視為今天新中兩國人民的感情紐帶呢？看來,這是很自然的事。
但是,我們不能不提醒自己,畢竟新中是兩個國家,擁有共同的歷史記憶并不等于擁有共同的政治效忠。
晚晴園是歷史遺產(chǎn),不宜當作現(xiàn)實政治的資本,好是讓它一直以歷史遺產(chǎn)的身分好好地獨立存在。歷史遺產(chǎn)固然可以為現(xiàn)實服務(wù),但不宜緊跟著現(xiàn)實政治亦步亦趨。政治氣候會改變,歷史遺產(chǎn)跟現(xiàn)實政治聯(lián)系得太緊,就會因此而時興時衰,忽冷忽熱,甚至遭到無妄之災(zāi)。
除了以上的隱憂之外,還有一點叫人擔憂：“晚晴園熱”能維持多久？新加坡人的“5分鐘熱度”是出了名的,然而,晚晴園不是吉蒂貓,不是電子寵物,更不是流行時裝,它應(yīng)當有歷久不衰的魅力。
讓晚晴園枯木逢春已經(jīng)很不容易,要確保它保持旺盛的生命力,那是更艱巨的任務(wù)。可以很快做到的是：全國的學校、社團將晚晴園當作歷史大課堂,組織學生、會員前去參觀學習。這樣,晚晴園今后就不會門前冷落車馬稀。
我們要把晚晴園當作全民的寶貴歷史遺產(chǎn),全社會都來愛護它、關(guān)心它！
。作者是早報執(zhí)行級編輯
We should congratulate ourselves that the once-Sun Yat Sen Villa has escaped demolition and gained a new lease of life. The directors of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry should be complimented for the decision to preserve, restore and expand the villa. BG George Yeo, then Minister for Information and the Arts, played a crucial role when he called for the villa to be developed into a historical landmark in 1994.
There are many others who have always cared for and protected the villa. Their efforts will be remembered by history - the way history has recorded the contributions of members of the Tong Meng Hui, or the Revolutionary Alliance, to modern China.
The reborn villa has sparked a positive chain of reactions. For instance, some people in Penang have suggested building a similar memorial hall at the original site of the Penang Philomatic Society, which was founded by Dr Sun Yat Sun. On hindsight, if we had destroyed the villa, we would now live to regret it！
Right and wrong as recorded in history may on the surface appear to be just a result of a decision made on the spur of the moment. In fact, deeper underlying factors are at work.
As a people, we must have a common understanding of our history and share a strong desire to safeguard our historical and cultural heritage. Otherwise, even though the Sun Yat Sun Villa has been saved, there is no guarantee that we would, in future, not pull down any buildings of historical value. We need only to cast our memory a few years back to realise how many historical landmarks had vanished from our landscape.
What affluent Singaporeans need is a keen awareness of our cultural heritage. But this is not a task that the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall can achieve alone.
Over the years, our education system has produced many Singaporeans who are ignorant of our past. Obviously, we cannot count on the handful of museums and memorial halls to teach this group of people what they had failed to learn in school. A fundamental change in what we teach our pupils is what is required.
We should be happy that the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall has become a part of our history. The touching history of the villa is also the shared heritage of Singapore and China and the shared memory of the two peoples. And the historical connections will no doubt help boost ties between Singaporeans and the Chinese people.
Yet we must not forget that we are an independent country, a shared historical heritage with China should in no way compromise our loyalty to our own nation.
The Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall is part of our historical heritage and its role should remain so. There are occasions when historical heritage can be used to serve political purposes, but this should be the exception rather than the rule. It is not advisable for the memorial hall to be associated too closely with political ties which often change unpredictably, either for the better or for the worse. It may suffer undeserved misfortunes when there is a deterioration in political relations.
Singaporeans have a habit of getting tired of the old as soon as they take a fancy to something new. We need to ponder the question of whether interest in the memorial hall can be sustained. The memorial hall is no Hello Kitty, electronic pets or a passing fad - it should have an appeal that can stand the test of time.
To inject new life into the villa was tough enough, to keep the memorial hall a dynamic attraction will be an even more formidable task.
To maintain a steady flow of visitors, one possibility is to turn the memorial hall into a “history classroom” where tours for students and members of clan associations could be arranged.
Singaporeans need to treasure the memorial hall as our historical heritage. We need to value it and care for it.
。The writer is a correspondent of Lianhe Zaobao. Translated by Yap Gee Poh.
晚晴園是個活的歷史學堂● 韓山元
晚晴園—孫中山南洋紀念館于11月12日開幕后,本地興起一股“晚晴園熱”。正值中小學年終長假,連日來參觀者眾,尤其是星期天,園地內(nèi)外盡是人潮,套句中國大陸過去常用的話：形勢大好。
晚晴園躲過了被拆的厄運,獲得新生,可喜可賀。中華總商會那些力主保留晚晴園的董事,的確很懂事。1994年倡議保留晚晴園的楊榮文準將（當時任新聞及藝術(shù)部部長）一言九鼎,起了關(guān)鍵作用；還有眾多長期關(guān)懷與愛護晚晴園的人,歷史會公正地記下他們的功績,正像歷史已經(jīng)公正地記下南洋同盟會各位先賢的功績一樣。
獲得新生的晚晴園,產(chǎn)生了巨大的轟動效應(yīng)和良性連鎖反應(yīng),遠在檳城也有熱心人士主張,將孫中山當年創(chuàng)辦的檳城閱書報社原址建成類似晚晴園的紀念館?，F(xiàn)在回過頭想想,當初要是把晚晴園拆掉,留下的將是千古遺憾！
歷史的功過,表面上看來,也許只是一念之差,深一層分析就不難發(fā)現(xiàn),那不僅僅是一念之差的問題。如果我們的國家、人民對歷史問題沒有共識,整個國家社會沒有建立起堅固的重視歷史文化遺產(chǎn)的觀念,現(xiàn)在不拆晚晴園,誰敢擔保將來不拆別的歷史名樓名園？想想這些年來,一些有保留價值的古建筑,終還是逃不過被“處決”的命運,怎能讓我們放心？
現(xiàn)在新加坡人不缺吃、住、穿,還缺什么？缺的就是深厚堅實的人文意識。叫晚晴園來肩負這個任務(wù),擔子未免太沉重,它會不勝負荷,會累倒的。我國多年來的教育,教出一批又一批“史盲”,單靠幾個博物館、紀念館,是無法令“史盲”的眼睛“開光”的。從調(diào)整教育體制做起,才是治本之道。
慶幸晚晴園已經(jīng)納入了新加坡正史,晚晴園可歌可泣的往事,是新加坡與中國共同擁有的歷史遺產(chǎn),是兩國人民共同的記憶。歷的感情紐帶可否視為今天新中兩國人民的感情紐帶呢？看來,這是很自然的事。
但是,我們不能不提醒自己,畢竟新中是兩個國家,擁有共同的歷史記憶并不等于擁有共同的政治效忠。
晚晴園是歷史遺產(chǎn),不宜當作現(xiàn)實政治的資本,好是讓它一直以歷史遺產(chǎn)的身分好好地獨立存在。歷史遺產(chǎn)固然可以為現(xiàn)實服務(wù),但不宜緊跟著現(xiàn)實政治亦步亦趨。政治氣候會改變,歷史遺產(chǎn)跟現(xiàn)實政治聯(lián)系得太緊,就會因此而時興時衰,忽冷忽熱,甚至遭到無妄之災(zāi)。
除了以上的隱憂之外,還有一點叫人擔憂：“晚晴園熱”能維持多久？新加坡人的“5分鐘熱度”是出了名的,然而,晚晴園不是吉蒂貓,不是電子寵物,更不是流行時裝,它應(yīng)當有歷久不衰的魅力。
讓晚晴園枯木逢春已經(jīng)很不容易,要確保它保持旺盛的生命力,那是更艱巨的任務(wù)。可以很快做到的是：全國的學校、社團將晚晴園當作歷史大課堂,組織學生、會員前去參觀學習。這樣,晚晴園今后就不會門前冷落車馬稀。
我們要把晚晴園當作全民的寶貴歷史遺產(chǎn),全社會都來愛護它、關(guān)心它！
。作者是早報執(zhí)行級編輯