My MCA impression

I have a very early relationship with MCA students. About 20 years ago, when I was still a junior teacher at Chung Hsing University, I taught the course "Chinese for Overseas Chinese". The intention of the deacon of the Chinese Department at that time was to focus the teaching of students with "poor national knowledge" - especially overseas Chinese - in the evening hours so as to receive better learning results. Since none of the senior professors were willing to undertake this course, I, a junior lecturer, took over the course, and I taught for five or six years. Since then, I have known many from Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar, and even from Japan and the United States. Overseas students, some students, such as Hong Kong students Zhang Zhirong, Au Huilian, and Mai Ziqi, still have connections to this day.

Frankly speaking, I thought the students from Hong Kong and Macau had the best level of Chinese culture at that time. Although they were under the rule of the British Empire and the Portuguese colonial government, they were deeply influenced by Chinese culture. Especially in the teaching of Chinese at the middle school stage, with the insistence of many Cantonese teachers, they have studied classical Chinese, so that their Chinese literacy is generally not bad, but they are not fluent in Mandarin. When I allowed Hong Kong and Macau students to read the model essays in Cantonese during class breaks, they immediately felt like a duck to water; when I asked them to express their opinions and allowed the interlaced use of Mandarin and Cantonese, I found that their Chinese proficiency was actually quite good.

As for the students from Malaysia, although their language proficiency was not very good at the beginning, they quickly started their journey. In particular, graduates from Malaysia's "independent secondary schools" not only speak Mandarin well, but also think very well. My teaching in the Chinese Department of Zhongxing University is mainly for students from the Department of Science and Engineering and the Department of Agriculture. I still remember that there was a MCA student named Li Jianzhen, who seemed to be studying in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Chung Hsing University, but he won the "Fiction Category" in the school's literature prize competition. He was very happy to report the good news to me, which made me very happy. surprise. He later returned to Malaysia and worked as an engineer at Mattel, an American company that makes Barbie dolls. He happily communicated with me, and we communicated for many years before gradually losing touch.

Another MCA student who was impressed was Huang Qiwang, who was studying Chinese at Chung Hsing University. She is a female student. I took my class around 1990-1992. I didn't interact much with him, and my impression of her was that she was humble and courteous, very diligent, and extremely focused on learning. I recently searched on Google and found that she had obtained a doctorate in literature from Fudan University in 2009. She is a lecturer in the Chinese Language and Literature Department of New Era College, teaching courses such as Introduction to Literature and Taiwan Literature, which is very popular with students.

It is for this reason that I gradually noticed that there are actually many outstanding Ma Hua students in Taiwanese society who chose to stay in Taiwan for development after graduation. For example, Cai Mingliang, a great director in the entertainment industry, and Pan Jiancheng in the technology industry, needless to say; I also noticed that there are actually many outstanding scholars in the academic and literary circles who came from Malaysia. For example, Professor Li Yongping of the Department of Foreign Languages of Taiwan University, Chen Pengxiang (pen name Chen Huihua) of Taiwan Normal University, Tian Xinbin of Shih Hsin University, Lai Ruihe of Tsinghua University, Huang Jinshu of Jinan International University, Zhong Yiwen of Yuanzhi University, and Chen Dawei of Taipei University are all in the academic circle of literature and history in Taiwan. Occupy a place, and perform very well, and have a high reputation.

Although I do not focus on modern literature as my research field, I have recently read the "Mahua Prose History Reader 1957--2007" edited by Zhong Yiwen and Chen Dawei (Wanjuanlou, 2007). Three magnificent volumes, including 200 essays by thirty MCA prose writers over the past 50 years, with an appendix of 100,000 words of introduction and commentary; this reader profoundly and powerfully reflects the creative energy of MCA writers. It also makes me have to be in awe of the writers and scholars who were born in MCA.

In recent years, at Tunghai University, where I teach, I have interacted a lot with Lan Yuanhong. He obtained a master's degree at the Institute of History at National Chengchi University this summer. By his kindness, he asked me to tell me about my impression of Ma Huasheng. Hence this small article. At Zhongxing University, where I am concurrently serving, I have more exchanges with Guan Weisen. Guan Weisen is also expected to obtain a master's degree with the research paper of Li Wen, a poet in the clouds of the Ming Dynasty. Lan and Guan are both rookies of the younger generation of MCA. In terms of profound thinking and active learning, they will never lose to many MCA students who are going forward.

In general, Ma Huasheng's personality is very different from that of ordinary Taiwanese students. They have Chinese endurance, tenacity, and an objective attitude of being a bystander. Ma Huasheng, who has come to Taiwan to study Chinese culture, is getting better and better in his language skills, and his basic quality is getting better and better. Come higher. Since they are easily integrated into Taiwanese society, it is difficult for me to regard Ma Huasheng as a "foreigner" personally. I think: if they are willing to continue to work hard, no matter whether they return to Malaysia, or in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, mainland China, or wherever they are, they will be like the aforementioned MCA scholars, and they will emerge in the academic circles of Chinese history, literature or culture. (End) 20140710