「我的中國心」& rampant corruption in China (1)

 

Dr. Hon Yuk Ching & Others

17 October 2012

 

Dr. Hon        讀沈祖堯教授這篇出自內心的文章(見附文),使我很有共鳴,希望每一個香港年青人能讀到這篇感人之作。

 

附文

 

我的中國心 (香港中文大學校長沈祖堯 2012-10-04 )

 

1959。我在香港出生。在一個英國殖民地成長,我在一家擁有一百五十年歷史,最具殖民地色彩的中學畢業,我校的校徽甚至乎配有皇冠圖像。中學畢業後,香    大學取錄了我,港大是一家由英國政府建立的大學,致力培訓學生操一口流利英語,以備將來投身公務員團隊或與英國商人做生意。當我離開校門時,我對中國內地的認識近乎零。

 

 

1982。父親帶我和弟弟一起回到上海探望祖母,這是我第一次回到中國。父親向我指出那家一度為祖父擁有的飯店,他對我說上海除了年長了四十年之外,跟他在二次大戰離開時根本就沒有兩樣。及後,我跟表兄弟見面,我感受不到我們同屬一個家族。我們乘船展開上海至蘇州之旅,原以為此乃探索錦繡河山,深入了解中國文化的良機,可惜船上的衛生設施,擠擁不堪的船艙,再加上那些食物,我覺得自己不屬於這個地方,也不屬於這個國家

 

1983。我自醫學院畢業,跟數位同學加入一個多國籍的學生小組往歐洲去。是次旅程,有來自十個國家的學生。在瑞士的時候,當我們欣賞一場民歌表演之際,表演者建議為每一個國家獻唱歌曲。他們邀請不同國籍的學生,當聽到代表該國的歌曲時從座位站立起來,接受觀眾的熱烈掌聲。這一刻我暗生疑竇,不禁自忖:我該在人家唱出英文歌或中文歌,還是台灣歌時站起來?我產生了身分危機,感到異常尷尬。

 

1985。我在威爾斯親王醫院當初級醫生。我被派照顧一名腎衰竭及心包滲漏的病人,在緊急情況下,我替他插喉,透過一個緊急救護袋,為他泵入氧氣。我也在他的心臟,插入一枝針,從心包抽出液體。他的血壓開始上升,並且從新呼吸,但加護病房卻拒絕收症。翌日,我被為「蠻牛」(過於魯莽),並被批評在沒有加護病房專家的同意下擅自替病人插喉。我如夢初醒,深深體會醫院的醫生分三個等級,高高在上的是一點中文也不會說的外籍醫生、中間是不說地道的中文(或裝作不懂中文) 的中國籍醫生、最下面是那些操流利中文的中國籍醫生(包括我)我心裡不禁慨嘆:中國人在自己的領土上,竟然成了二等公民。

 

1986。我跟數位朋友以遊客身分組團遊覽北京。我們參觀了萬里長城,明白我們是好漢之後。我們去看盧溝橋,聽到日本人如何開火,發動中日戰爭。我們見證夏宮(圓明園)敗瓦,想像當時的中國政府如何給八國聯軍包圍。其後導遊告訴我們,當他還是中學生,在沒有要求得到一分錢回報下,下課後就幫忙築建人民大會堂我對自己說:這就是我想成為的中國人。

 

 

1987。當北京和倫敦討論如何讓香港順利回歸中國時,過去被認為是英聯邦一員的香港居民,被賦予一個特別的身分,稱為英國屬土公民(海外)或簡稱為BNO。此國籍沒賦予港人世界上任何一個地方的居留權。持BNO的人士,只享有自香港至英國為期6個月的免簽證待遇。英國公民之門關上了,我有被出賣的感覺。

 

1988。奧運會在漢城舉行。當我在看乒乓球的總決賽:中國對南韓,我為中國隊喝彩歡呼,當中國隊勇奪金牌,我差點兒下淚。2008年北京奧運,中國運動員市明成為了首位在男子輕蠅量級拳賽中贏得金牌的健兒。在賽後,他圍上中國國旗並說:「我們不再是東亞病夫了。」我的淚水奪眶而出。我為自己是中國人感到自豪。

 

 

2008汶川大地震奪去了十一萬同胞的寶貴生命,一百九十萬家庭被摧毀。我帶同逸夫書院的學生,往北川探訪受傷及流離失所的居民。當我抱著那些被逼截肢的孩子,當我親眼目睹地震後,災後創傷症候群的受害者,我深深感受到骨肉之親的苦難。

 

 

2010。我帶父親重返上海,上海已經搖身一變成為國際大都會。我們重訪當年祖父擁有過的飯店,父親指出他小時候玩耍的那道樓梯,當他看到飯店已成了歷史文物,他的眼晴泛紅了。我知道這叫做,「落葉歸根。」

 

2012。我看見香港人跟內地遊客,在上水港鐵站打鬥起來,港人揮舞殖民香港旗幟,升起一張海報宣稱「中國人滾回中國去。」他們叫囂:「我們是香港人。我們不是中國人。」我的心下了。

 

若我們不是中國人,我們又是甚麼人呢?在我們的基因內,每一樣東西都是與中國血脈相連的我們的眼睛、我們的頭髮、我們的生活模式、我們對食物的偏好、對音樂、對文化的情懷我不能,也不會,否認我是中國人。

 

CC Lin: Thanks to Dr.Hon for sharing this concise reflections of the personal experience on the recent transformations of the new China written by Professor Joseph J.Y. Sung, President of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. My personal experience along this subject is somewhat similar to that of Prof. Sung except that I was born in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province of China and moved to Hong Kong as a refugee in 1958 and I reside in US since 1970.

I made my first return trip to mainland China in 1985 on business assignment with the Merck & Company (a US-based global pharmaceutical and biotechnology company known as Merck, Sharp & Dohme [MSD] outside of North America). At that time, China was still rather backward country with insufficient resources and infrastructure and financially a poor country. The aftereffects of the disastrous Cultural Revolution were still evident at that time. Thereafter, I went back to the mainland at least once every year and personally witnessed the remarkable transformations in China.

Between May 1 to 18, 1989, I was on a business trip to Shandong Province, Shanghai and Beijing. I personally witnessed the marches and protest by the people (mostly quite young and impatient people with reasonably just cause but under rather disorderly condition). In Beijing from May 16-18 for discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture, we stayed at the Beijing Hotel practically across the Tiananmen Square with two Vice-Presidents of our Division of Merck & Company. One of them originally came from Hungary and the other from East Germany. We witnessed the trashed Tiananmen Square and chaos in the area. We decided to cut short our trip and left China earlier. I watched the CNN TV news broadcast on the tragic event (one of many in the history of China) in Beijing from the US. I was so sadden by the tragedy that I cried many times during that time. We did not return to China until almost one year later based on the significant improvements of the conditions in China.

During the Wenchuan earthquakeat 2:28PM May 12, 2008, I was at the Indiana University alumni reunion with our fellow NMC68er Bob Choi in Hong Kong. I subsequently flew to Wuxi, Jiangsu Province where I watched the CCTV's live TV broadcast of one of the greatest rescue operations in history organized immediately by the central Government of China. I was favorably impressed by the speed and scale of the rescue operations under rather difficult conditions.

I am quite sadden by the recent counterproductive political events in Hong Kong but rather hopeful that China as a country would be better and better with time.

 

 

 

-To be continued-