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In
the Eyes of the Culturati
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For
most of his life, Dr. Fong Yun Wah has followed in the
footsteps of Mr. Tan Kag Kee in promoting education.
He has set up foundations in both Hong Kong and mainland
China, helping the poor and cultivating their talents
for the improvement of society. He has devoted himself
to education, not for recognition but for its own sake.
His contributions to education have earned him the honours
of "Scholar of Helping the Poor". "Honorary Doctor",
"Honorary Citizen", "Award for Contributions to Education"
and the privilege of naming the planet 5198 "the Fong
Yun Wah Star". Dr. Fong's keen support for promoting
education certainly gains our respect.
"The
promotion of education is a long term undertaking. My
work today is like the sowing of seeds for the future.
The impact of education is not confined to the existing
generation, but never-ending." (Y.W. Fong)
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Walking
into Dr. Fong's conference room, my attention was immediately
drawn to the numerous award certificates and honours on display.
These represent recognition for his efforts in helping the
poor and building schools in the past decades. His passion
and persistence are unforgettable. He told me of the beliefs
driving him forward. "Our family has set up two foundations,
the Fong Shu Fook Tong Foundation and Fong's Family Foundation.
Both are mainly intended for the purpose of furthering education.
This has a lot to do with my background. My father did not
have the chance to complete secondary school. I also had to
leave school after junior secondary due to the war. Thus my
father and I share the dream of helping children with their
education and bringing them success."
Although
Dr. Fong did not finish school, he deeply believes in the
importance of education, and has a clear plan for its promotion.
"Our family business is based in Hong Kong. To give something
back to society, our Foundations will consider sponsorship
of educational institutes in Hong Kong ahead of those in mainland
China. However, living standards in the mainland are lower
than those in Hong Kong, and the need for educational facilities
is particularly acute in the poor areas in the northwest region.
Since our resources are limited, we must proceed step by step.
Firstly, by donating to the "Project of Hope", we are emphasizing
primary education. In the next two years we will then expand
to cover secondary schools and nurseries. Education must be
made accessible. To achieve an overall improvement in the
quality of education we must begin at the grass roots level."
The
Fong Shu Fook Tong Foundation and Fong's Family Foundation
have sponsored schools throughout more than 30 provinces in
mainland China. Dr. Fong Yun Wah keeps in close contact with
officials and educators in the mainland . He believes the
mainland needs to particularly strengthen its nursery education.
China has adopted the One Child Policy for more than a decade
now, and children have grown up under at times excessive parental
love and care. Quality fundamental education is thus especially
important. It is the key to the future of the country. As
for tertiary education, Dr. Fong lists the development of
science and technology as his major concern. He has already
sponsored the building of a computer centre to cope with the
expected future development of information technology.
Is
his devotion to education due to passionate love for our country?
Dr. Fong said, modestly but firmly, "It is indeed for the
love of my country, but I have also considered thoroughly
the right way in which to help. I want to contribute my efforts,
however small, to do what is necessary. My generation has
grown in hard times, so I want the next generation to have
a better environment and a better education. I want them to
be the cornerstone of the society and give back to our country.
Economic and political development depends on high quality
human resources. The people in the northwest region are particularly
impoverished, so I focus on promoting education there.' His
words tell of his hopes for the youth of today and of his
deep concern for the poor.
The
setting up of the Fong Shu Fook Tong Foundation and Fong's
Family Foundation represents a long term commitment to the
development of education. As Dr. Fong said, "Our business
transfers 10% of all profits to the Foundations. This money
belongs to the Foundations, which cannot be used for any other
purpose. The Foundations will exist in perpetuity to provide
funds specifically for educational undertakings. I hope my
children and grandchildren will hold the same vision, so that
we can carry on, generation, with the persistence of Yugong
removing the mountain."
Dr.
Fong has now half-retired from his business, which enables
him to devote more time and effort to the Foundations. He
is in daily contact with schools in the mainland. He does
everything by himself, which reflects his passion and devotion.
All this is never done for recognition. He smiles in satisfaction
when he mentions the bundles of letters he has received from
students in the mainland. Nothing encourages him more than
seeing the success of students he has helped.
"The
Principal of Beijing University, Chen Jia-er, was sponsored
by our Foundation to further his education in the United States
more than ten years ago. He still visits me often. Principals
of many local and overseas universities also keep in contact
with me, and we exchange our views on education. These things
are so uplifting." Dr. Fong turned the pages of the thick
photo album to show me new school buildings funded by the
Foundations. There were also photos of the innocent and happy
faces of the students. I began to understand and shared his
feelings of joy and satisfaction.
Besides
the building of schools, Dr. Fong Yun Wah is also enthusiastic
about individual growth and Chinese culture. He himself has
edited pamphlets and publications promoting the message of
a positive and healthy life. The principles of his own life
are there for us to follow. Dr. Fong grew up in hard times,
and owes his success to much hard work and persistence. The
more he begins to understand life, the more concern he shows
for the young and the poor. Today his contributions are widely
recognized, but he is still a low-key and humble person involved
with doing what he regards as being meaningful. "Since I now
have money and time to spare, and can devote myself wholeheartedly
to fulfilling my dream, I am already satisfied.'
"Culturati"
reports
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Travelling
along the central route of the Silk Road
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The
middle section of the ancient Silk Road, traversing different
landscapes, is tough and obstinate. Southwest from Turpan,
the Silk Road forked into the northern, central and southern
routes according to the landscape. The central route starts
form the southern foothill of Tianshan, bypasses the Pamirs
and arrives at Central Asia and Persian Gulf. The route
passes through the famous cities of Korla, Kucha (Kuqa)
and Kashgar (Kashi). Each city has their own attraction,
while all play an important role in the development of
the Silk Road culture. |
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Kizil
Thousand Buddha Caves
The
Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, 75 kilometres northwest of Kucha,
is one of the most valuable Buddhist art treasure trove in
China. It is one of the four largest caves in China, being
cut a century earlier than the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. The
caves were cut layer by layer upon the cliffs making it difficult
ot access. There are now 236 caves remain, in which contain
some of the finest examples of Buddhist art in Central Asia.
Caves served different functions: some were for worshipping,
some were for teaching sutra, some were living quarters and
some were burial places. Such comprehensive architectural
structure is seldom seen in the world's other centers of Buddhism.
The Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves has preserved over ten thousand
square metres of murals, showing Buddhist figures as Buddha,
Bodhisattva, Arhat, Flying apsaras and different illustrations
of Buddhist fables. Among different kinds of paintings, the
Cave contains the largest number of illustrations of Buddhist
fables: about the spreading of Buddhism; about causes and
results; and about the story of Buddha. They are rich in content
with superb quality that ranked the Cave among the top in
this subject.
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Kashgar
(Kashi)
Bazaar
Kashgar
was the capital of the Shule Kingdom in the Western Region.
It has a history of over 2,000 years. Kashgar's importance
derives from its geographic location at the foot of the Pamir
Mountains and west end of the Taklamakan Desert. Travellers
taking the route westward and crossing the Pamirs could reach
India in the south and Rouzhi and Persia in the west. Kashgar
was an important post on the Silk Road and has a quite developed
culture since ancient times, especially noted for artcrafts,
folk singing and dancing.
Trade
and commercial activities in Kashgar have a long history.
The trade caravans plodding west on the northern and southern
routes met up at Kashgar, a stop for refreshing and exchanging
goods before conveying the journey. The bazaar of Kashgar
was the earliest international market in the western region.
It once gathered merchants from inland China, India, Persia
and Rome, with all sorts of treasures and floods of transport.
Today Kashgar still has the largest bazaar in Xinjiang with
a capacity for tens of thousands people. The bazaar is very
brisk and prosperous with abundant supplies: the embroidered
caps, knives from Yengisar, silk fabrics, wool for carpet,
sheep skins, herbal medicine, pottery, musical instruments,
crops and fruits, livestock - almost everything you can think
of. Not only for trade exchange, the bazaar is also the center
of cultural and news exchanges. Apart from the chaotic bargains
on the bazaar, there are also various folk performance, circus
shows, folk music and dances revealing the ethnic lifestyles
and customs.
Id
Kah Mosque
Kashgar
is the city where Islam was first disseminated in China. Islam
came to China firstly with Arab and Persian merchants who
built mosques and held religious services. In the first half
of the eighth century AD, the Arab army marched on to Central
Asia, converted the territories they defeated to Islam. In
tenth century AD, the Kalahan Kingdom started the "Saint war"
in Kashgar and launched a series of crusades against surrounding
regions. By the sixteenth century AD, Islam became the prevailing
religion in the region.
The
Id Kah Mosque in the downtown of Kashgar is the largest mosque
in China. It was constructed in 1798 with a gross area of
16,800 sq.m. Its grand architecture can house 8,000 worshippers.
The Mosque that conceived of Islamic architectural design
complements a strong religious appeal to its surroundings.
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Kumarajiva
- the renowned prolific translator of Buddhist manuscript
Kumarajiva
(344-413) was a famous monk, a linguist and scholar in the
period of the Sixteen Kingdoms. He together with Xuanzuang,
Zhendi, Bukong are regarded as the Four Great Translators
of Buddhist manuscripts in history.
Kumarajiva's
father was Kashmiri, and his mother was the sister of the
King of Qiuci. He started to practise Buddhism at the age
of seven. At the age of twelve, he already traveled around
to the Buddhist kingdoms in the Western Region. He became
so famous for his depth of knowledge in Buddhism that his
name was spreaded to inland China. In 383 A.D., Kumarajiva
was taken to Liangzhou (Wuwei) in Gansu Province by General
Lu Kuang, who had subdued the kingdoms of the Tarim Basin.
There he stayed for 17 years, studying Sutras and Chinese,
and engaged in translation of Buddhist manuscripts from Sanskrit
into Chinese. He guided more than 800 students, translated
74 Sutras and 384 chapters, leaving a glorious page in the
history of Chinese Buddhism.
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Korla
Fragrant
Pear of Korla
Korla
is the capital of the Bayinguoleng Mongolian Prefecture, the
largest prefecture in all of China. It has a population of
150,000 majority of whom are Han Chinese. Korla lies at the
northern border of the Tarim Basin. It is shielded from the
cold northern wind by Tianshan and the sandstorm form the
south by the natural forest west of River Tarim. With warm
climate, adequate water supply and fertile soil, Korla is
a place ideal for agriculture. It grows a lot of fruits such
as apricot, cherry, plum and honey melon, and Korla is especially
famous for its fragrant pear. This sweet, thin-skinned pear
which shaped like a weaving measurer, is among the best in
China. In fact, Korla produced no pears until the second century.
The pears was introduced to Xinjiang form China via the Silk
Road.
Bayanbulak
Swan Preservation Area
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Northwest
from Korla and at the heart of Tianshan lies the Bayanbulak
Grassland, which is the second largest grassland in China.
The word "Bayanbulak" in Mongol language means "the spring
of wealth". Snow mountains with humid and cool climate
surround the undulating grassland, giving it a unique
landscape scattered with rivers and swamps where abundant
seaweed and fishes are found. The land hence became a
natural habitat for swans. In April each year, tens of
thousands swans from the north build their nests here.
Rare kinds of birds, snow leopards and yaks are also found.
The Bayanbulak Swan Preservation Area is one of the greatest
bird preservation area in the country where scientific
research on the wildlife are conducted. The area has significant
research value and is highly regarded internationally.
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Not
only the heaven for swans; the Bayanbulak grassland has the
largest ranch in Xinjiang. It rears abundant cattle, horses,
sheep and camels, contributing much to the economic development
in the northwest region.
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Kucha
(Kuqa)
The
ancient city of Qiuci
Qiuci,
today's Kucha was the largest state among the 36 kingdoms
in the Western Regions. In the second century BC, Zhang Qian
passed through on his way west. In 60 B.C. the western Han
regime put Qiuci under the suzerainty of the Han government.
In Tang Dynasty, as China stared to expand its control to
Central Asia, Qiuci became a political and military center.
Qiuci
was an important center for Central Asian trade and Indo-European
culture. Trade routes running north to the Junggar Basin and
south to Hotan across the Taklamakan intersected with the
Silk Road at Qiuci (Kucha). Qiuci was also famous for its
music and dances. Qiuci music heavily influenced Chinese music.
In the Sui and Tang dynasties, Qiuci music was played among
the common people as well as in court. Their musical instruments
(lutes, pipa, paixiao pipes) and notation were being adopted.
Today the city is still influential on the art and culture
of Xinjiang and its surrounding areas.
The
extensive ruins lie at the eastern suburb of today's Kucha
was the Ancient City of Qiuci during the Han and Tang dynasty.
Apart from vestiges of the ancient city wall, almost all the
dwellings were destroyed. Still it left abundant relics to
mark the city's history.
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Xinjiang
Carpets and Aytilis Silk - the heritage of Uygur traditional
art
The
technique of carpet weaving has been developed in Xinjiang
2000 years ago. It is especially prosperous in Hotan. There
are folklore saying that "The many colours of clouds in Tianshan,
the many patterns of carpets in Hotan'. The craftsmanship
and designs of these carpets provide us with clues to the
ancient civilization. With its cultural significance, the
Xinjiang carpets have earned a place in the "Oriental carpets".
The
carpets have been an essential piece of decorative, practical
and portable furniture for the tribes on the Silk Road. They
are made for use on the floors and walls of tents, houses
and mosques and as bedding covers; most are made for family
and personal uses. Their refined quality is the result from
the delicate traditional hand weaving technique. Moreover,
the domestication and selective breeding of the sheep provide
Xinjiang the finest wool for weaving. The simplicity of the
carpet patterns reflect the closest ties with tribal weaving,
yet the brightful colours displaying on the carpets express
the passionate character of the Uygurs.
The
motifs and designs found on the carpets of Xinjiang are hybrids
representing the mutual exchange of skills and knowledge of
the East and West. Floral depictions such as rose and rose
buds on weaving come under the influence of Egyptian art.
The "mountain" outlined on the Xinjiang carpets owe very much
to the traditional motif from Turkey, Caucasus and Iran. Some
of the designs are apparently adapted form the Chineses patterns.
The Chinese character such as "million" and "life" (longevity)
that represents happiness and eternity; the peony that represents
wealth and the phoenix that symbolizes prosperity and beauty,
are all weave into variegated patterns. Xinjiang carpets also
contains religious and symbolic figurative images. Examples
include the cross from Christianity, lotus from Buddhism and
longevity tree from Islam.
The
sericulture in Xinjiang has a long history. Silk weaving in
Hotan, Kashgar and Aksu are among the best. Hotan is known
as "Silk Capital in the West". In the ancient days, silk was
not only valuable, but also as gift for friendship to far
away countries. Reference showed that early in the fourth
century BC, Chinese silk was transported to Greece and Rome
and was being sewn into exquisite gowns for noblewomen. The
Silk Road hence got its name from its importance in transporting
silk to the west.
The
Uygurs weaved the silk into different textiles, which were
called "Hujin" or "Xijin" (brocade from the west). Aytilis
silk which means tie-dyed silk in Uygur language, is a traditional
dyeing technique to produce distinctively artistic effect
on fabrics. The Aytillis silk is soft, with bright colours
and novel patterns, created particular style of its own. It
is said that the Uygur ladies wearing clothes mode from Aytilis
silk are walking in a movement of wind breeze. The Aytilis
silk are mainly produced from two places: one from Kashgar
and Shache, with variegated colours and complex patterns;
the other from Hotan and Luopu, with simple colour and patterns.
Such contrast reflects the aesthetics of different places.
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