SLOW EMBRACE

He is familiar to most of us as a world renowned historian whose views on Overseas Chinese and Southeast Asian issues are much respected both by scholars and the popular media.  Yet, as he tells us in his own words here, he was – surprisingly - no lover of history as a young boy and only came to embrace his discipline with passion later in life when a particular university professor sparked his interest in the subject.

Going Home

I was born in Surabaya but grew up in Ipoh. To understand the way I have turned out, you must first know that I was brought up in a very Chinese family. My dad was born in Taizho in Jiangsu province, north of the Yangtze River. Even while living in Ipoh as a young boy, I had this sense that I was destined to return to China one day. My parents, you see, were what you would call sojourners who never intended to leave China at all. Leaving the motherland was but just a way to make a better living before returning home. In fact, my father, in his earlier years before I was born, did just that. He was a school teacher who came to teach in Singapore, KL and Malacca. Then he was offered a job as principal of the first Chinese high school in Surabaya. He went back to China and married my mother. Together, they left for Indonesia where I was born.

Before The War

I was born in 1930. That was the time of the Great Depression. The economy of Java was in tatters. The prices for its main product, sugar, had come right down. Given the economy then, my father’s school was affected. He resigned and headed for Singapore. Soon, however, he had an offer to be an assistant inspector of Chinese schools in Ipoh, Perak. When it came to my education, he made an interesting decision. Given his own Chinese background, he thought it was best for me to be exposed to an English environment. As for my Chinese education, he would personally supervise that. So from Primary 1, I went to Anderson School where English was the language of instruction though, more informally, I also attended a Chinese school in the afternoon. This went on till 1941 when war broke out.

War Years

During those years, we were very much caught up with the issues in China. As sojourners, we of course cared about what was happening in the mainland. There were efforts to raise funds for the people in China to fight against the Japanese. There was a very strong sense of patriotism. The British, as colonial masters in Malaya then, were careful. They tolerated the nationalistic sentiments of the Chinese as long as they were directed at the Japanese rather than themselves. Understandably, formal schooling stopped for me during the Japanese Occupation. But my dad continued to teach me Chinese. From 12 to 15, I received what you would call training in classical Chinese.

After The War

When the war ended, I went back to Anderson. The British, back in power, were keen to rush us through in terms of our education.  I got pushed up and that saved me some time. I took my formal school certificate exam in 1946.  It dawned on me that I, though officially an English-educated school leaver, was rather different. I had what you might call “a sojourner’s world view”. There was a deep sense that I was a Chinese outside of China. My father wanted me to finish high school and then go back to China for my university education. That was exactly what happened. As a family, we went to Nanjing where he had done his own university studies. I sat for the entrance exam for the National Central University there and got a place in October 1947.

Studying The Arts

How did I end up in the arts? As a young boy in Anderson School, I thought I would be a doctor. I was good in biology and relatively good in mathematics and physics. I particularly enjoyed biology. But I had studied mathematics and the sciences in English, not Chinese. Since I was doing my university education in China where the language of instruction was Chinese, that already ruled out a science or maths education. There was no way I could handle these subjects in Chinese since I had learnt them only in English all these years. That was how I ended up in the Department of Foreign Languages. There I learnt English, French and German. I continued with classical Chinese and studied subjects like Literature, History and Philosophy in Chinese.

University Days In Malaya

My university education came to an abrupt end when the Communists arrived. By the end of 1948, they were approaching the Yangtze River, near Nanjing. The university where I was closed down. Soon I was back in Perak to join my parents who had gone back there early in 1948 while I stayed on at the university in Nanjing. Back in Southeast Asia, I had to get into university again. I explored a few options, including Law. But, having developed a strong interest in Literature at my university in Nanjing, I opted for the arts when I went to the University of Malaya in 1949. I did History, English (which meant Literature) and Economics. Throughout my three years in the university, my interest was in literature. I was involved in both literary pursuits and student union work. After my third year, I was offered honours in all three subjects.

Choosing History

I chose History only because the professor teaching us, C.N.Parkinson, was very interesting. He was an expert in British shipping and naval warfare. In particular, he was to make a name for himself for his work on the British navy in late 18^th century and early 19^th century. When I chose to study under him, he wasn’t that famous yet. Even so, it was already very clear that he was a sharp and liberal thinker as well as an interesting person who was full of ideas. To be very frank, history wasn’t a subject I liked in school at all. Then, we were confined to British Imperial and Commonwealth history. I was bored to tears and wasn’t in the least bit interested. I remember having just a “Pass” for the subject.

Turning Point

But my time as an undergraduate in Nanjing marked a turning point of sorts. Because I was studying arts in the Foreign Language Department at my university there, I was made to do Chinese History – and in Chinese too. The professor who taught us was very controversial, passionate and interesting. My father too introduced me to glimpses of history but more from the perspective of his first love, literature. All that made History attractive. And at the University of Malaya, History – as taught by Parkinson - wasn’t just about British Imperial Glory. We were taught Asia and the West as well as world history, The perspective was still rather Euro-centric. But at least it wasn’t purely Anglo-centric. At any rate, Parkinson was a great teacher. His course on the history of political thought, for instance, was fascinating.

New Approach

Working with him, I started to approach History from the angle of doing my own research. That was when my interest in it really took off. I remember how he even gave me money once to go to Hong Kong to gather Chinese materials for a research project I was doing .The rest of my background is more familiar to you. After my honours, I was given tutorship to do my Master’s degree. Later I went to the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, for my PhD. Since my less than brilliant start to the world of History, I can say I have stayed true to it. Looking back, one difference between people my time and today’s History students stands out. I chose the subject at a time when there was no bias against arts graduates. As such, there was no sense of inferiority then about being an arts student the way I think there is today among the young. This sort of mindset must change.

FAST FACTS

Professor Wang Gungwu is Director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore. He was born in Surabaya, Indonesia but brought up in Ipoh, Malaysia. A world renowned historian and prolific writer with many books to his credit, he earned his first degrees from the University of Malaya, Singapore, before doing his doctorate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has taught and held leadership positions in institutions like the University of Malaya and the Australian National University. In 1986, he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong, a post he held until the end of 1995.

Compiled by Yeo Ai Hoon
updated 11- Dec- 2002

For a list of Prof Wang's selected works, click here