[Zoom 聚會] 讀書會 – 林語堂 My Country and My People

Delivery Mode: ZOOM網上講座 Online via ZOOM

Language: 粵語 Cantonese

Speaker: 李雅言 Dr. Louis LEE

Moderator:  李行德 Prof. LEE Hun Tak, Thomas 簡介 林語堂之《吾國與吾民》一九三五年於美國甫出版便成為該國暢銷書，然而它在中國的影響力也許更大。 「東亞研究」、「華人心理學」、「華人社會學」、「華人人類學」等現時風行的「學術領域」，於作品出版時尚未萌芽。也許這些領域的研究更具「科學性」、更為「客觀」，但林氏對中國與中國人的分析，不論對知識分子還是一般讀者也更能產生共鳴。林氏對中國人「老油條」性格的刻劃，有誰不會會心微笑？ 罵《吾國與吾民》者不乏其人：有指林把博大精深之中國傳統文化粗暴簡化出版賺版稅「賣國與賣民」。另一邊廂，推崇林書者亦不絕：如2018年「中國好書」之一《吾國與吾名》（作者為南京大學歷史教授兼六朝博物館館長）便於書扉標明“致敬 My Country and My People”。正因林語堂會中西、所以能溝通中西，才會引起對本書的兩極反應。時而勢易，吾國已非八十多年前的積弱之邦，林書內容有多少還能站得住腳？林書對回歸二十五年、現在急需尋找自己中國身份的香港又有何啟示？講者將以一位受現代西方教育、近年居江浙滬的港人的角度來討論並尋找上述問題的答案。 Abstract Lin Yutang’s My Country and My People (1935) was a pioneering title introducing Chinese culture – or, better still, Chineseness – to Western audiences. A one-time bestseller in the West, it has instead found its lasting impact in the motherland. Despite advances in “East Asian Studies”, “Chinese psychology”, “Chinese sociology”, “Chinese anthropology” and so on, the unabashedly subjective title remains popular for scholars and the general public alike. It still offers an unrivalled analysis – scholarly or otherwise – of the Chinese psyche and society, for a Chinese reader cannot help but laugh heartily upon reading such lines: “perhaps the most striking quality of the Chinese people is what, for want of a better term, must be termed its ‘old roguery’. It is the most difficult characteristic to explain to a Westerner, and yet at the same time it is the most profound, in that it goes back directly to a different philosophy of life”. Yes, a different philosophy of life. As China takes centre-stage in world affairs, the country and the people once again face intense scrutiny from the rest of the world. Lin’s title emerged during a period of unprecedented changes in China, right before the world was to enter turmoil. Do Lin’s words still hold true some 80 plus years later, when China is no longer her weak former self? The title has had no shortage of detractors: one bilingual pun famously accuses Lin of betraying China by simplifying, and even misrepresenting, her undeniably rich and sophisticated culture: “賣 Country and 賣 People” (literally “Selling [the] Country and Selling [the] People”). On the other hand, one of “China’s best readings in 2018” (中國好書) not only proudly carries the title My Country and My Appellations (吾國與吾名), but also the marketing tagline En Hommage à My Country and My People! It is perhaps precisely because Lin was a rare kind, one who managed to straddle across two worlds， such that the title provoked such strong and opposite responses. It is perhaps particularly poignant for Hong Kong which, 181 years after British colonisation and 25 years after the Handover, finally faces the reality of finding her Chinese identity. In this talk, I shall discuss the title from the perspective of a modern Western educated Hongkonger living in the mainland in search of answers to questions above. 講者簡介 李雅言，香港出生與長大，受業於香港與加英美，現穿梭香港與江浙滬。 獲獎教師、作者、電台主持。 本行為教育與認知心理學，曾任職中大八年，並為伍宜孫書院創院輔導長。愛探索、好教學，曾以粵語、普通話與英語教過小中大學與博士生，領域從創意心理學到科學通識，從英語寫作到教師培訓。 曾獲普林斯頓研究生校友會年度教學獎、紐約節世界最佳廣播獎（香港電台第四台節目《瘋狂音樂家 》與《樂非天籟：理工如何改變西洋古典音樂》）。書評與音樂、心理、教育和文化文章屢見於《明報月刊》、《文匯報》、《明報》、《星島日報》、《南華早報》、《杭州日報》、上海《文匯讀書周報》和北京《三聯愛樂》等。愛旅行，曾到七十國與中國所有省份。諳漢英德語，亦略懂法語與西語。林語堂“粉絲”。 Speaker Louis Lee is an award-winning educator, author, and broadcaster. He is a curious mind, and has taught diverse bodies of students (ranging from primary school to doctoral) diverse courses (ranging from the Psychology of Creativity to English Composition, from teacher training to science general education – at CUHK!) in diverse tongues (Chinese Cantonese， Chinese Mandarin， and English). His book reviews and articles on music, psychology, education, and culture have appeared in Mingpao, Singtao Daily, Wenweipo, South China Morning Post, Mingpao Monthly, Hangzhou Daily, Wenhui Book Review (Shanghai), and Philharmonic (Beijing), among others. His latest title on education, Around the World in 18 Hours (CUHK Press, 2018), was a winner in the Hong Kong Biennial Publishing Award in 2019 (Teens and Young Adults category), while his RTHK Radio 4 Programmes Madly Musical (an exploration of the relation between Western classical music and mental illnesses) and In Search of New Sounds (an exploration of the relation between Western classical music history and scientific development) were awarded the New York Festival’s World Best Radio Programmes Bronze and Finalist awards in 2017 and 2018 respectively. His teaching, which remains his biggest passion, was recognised as early as 2007, when he was awarded the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni annual teaching award. He is a keen traveller who has been to 70 countries and all provinces in China. He speaks fluent German in addition to Cantonese, Mandarin and English, and has some knowledge of French and Spanish. Lin Yutang is of his heroes. 按此報名