Not long ago, my colleague Han Yong Hong wrote a news report that the curtains would fall for the last time for Sin Yong Hua Heng - a Teochew opera troupe with 174 years of history - after its aptly-chosen swansong "wan gu liu fang" (An Everlasting Legacy) in Yishun.

　　More recently, I also read another report by Han in zbNOW, headlined "Marginalisation - An inescapable fate for Chinese theatre?"

　　As a result of the reports and feedback from friends in education circles, I cannot help but become concerned about the future of the Chinese language and culture in Singapore.

　　Indeed, The Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) and Singapore Press Holdings have acted early - more than 10 years ago - by co-organising the Singapore River Hongbao and the Chinese Cultural Festival regularly, in the hope of reversing the trend of declining interest in Chinese culture.

　　Such large-scale activities have drawn many participants and created much awareness and enthusiasm, which alas, tend to be short-lived and cannot be sustained. For instance, Sin Yong Hua Heng, with the help of the Singapore Chinese Opera Society and other opera enthusiasts, staged a popular play "Liu Mingzhu" some years back, which was billed as one of the highlights of the Chinese Cultural Festival that year. The three performances, held at an open area in Bras Basah, were played to a full house and won praises all round. Still, the troupe could not escape its eventual fate of folding up.

　　Most secondary school Chinese-language teachers who are about to retire will shake their heads and sigh when asked about the future of the Chinese language. "Chinese is now a secondary language and students are well aware that it has little impact on their future. If it is to be graded in a test or an examination on the same day with other subjects, most students will focus on other subjects at the expense of Chinese," they said.

　　When they join the English-speaking working world after leaving school, their command of the Chinese language which is already weak to begin with, is not going to get better. How can we then possibly expect them to develop a passion for Chinese culture, and get them interested in watching a Chinese drama or opera? they asked.

　　Be it the dissolution of Sin Yong Hua Heng or the marginalisation of Chinese theatre, it boils down to the question of whether the Chinese language here is alive and well. Chinese is not used widely in our society , especially in official documents. I can still recall the overwhelming excitement in March 1954, when "Family", a play based on the masterpiece by celebrated Chinese writer Ba Jin, was performed 14 times over 13 days in Chung Cheng High. Under the present circumstances, a repeat of such a feat would certainly be out of the question.

　　Inevitably, Chinese community organisations will have an important role to play as guardians of the Chinese language and culture. Eight years ago, when Mr Kwek Leng Joo was first elected President of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, not only did he change the regulations of the SCCCI to abolish elections along clan lines, but he also made it a rule that meetings of directors must be conducted in Mandarin. This has affirmed the status of Mandarin in the business association. And for 95 years, Chinese has been used to record minutes of SCCCI's meetings.

　 The SFCCA, on its part, has started kindergartens with a special emphasis on the Chinese language. It also encourages its members to promote Chinese culture by organising activities to mark traditional festivals. For years, clan associations with better resources have been working hard to get the younger generation to learn and appreciate the Chinese language and culture. Among them, the Singapore Foochow Association has been most outstanding.

　　To cultivate interest and confidence in the Chinese language, the clan group has started a Young Writers' Society. Well-known literary figures have been invited to conduct classes for these budding writers. To publicise its efforts in promoting the Chinese language, its quarterly publication is delivered to all schools. Last but not least, it started a cash-reward scheme last year for children of its members who excel in the Chinese language.

　　Said Mr Diong Tai Pew, vice-chairman of the association: "We are concerned about the future of the Chinese language and the problems it faces. As a Chinese clan association, we see it as our duty to correct the bias and create a more favourable condition. Our focus in the next five to 10 years is to raise the standard of Chinese and do our bits in nurturing a group of Chinese elites."

　　The tireless efforts of the Singapore Foochow Association serves as a good example for other Chinese community groups to emulate. If we choose to wait until the overall situation is more conducive to the learning of the Chinese language, we may end up paying a heavier price.

　　(The writer is an executive reporter of Zaobao. Translated by Yap Gee Poh)

　　不久前，在《联合早报》新闻版，看到了同事韩咏红报道，具有174年历史的新荣和兴潮剧团在义顺上演最后一场潮剧《万古流芳》就宣告落幕了。

　　最近在《早报》的副刊，又看到另一篇也是韩咏红报道的《边缘化－华语剧场不可逃避的命运？》。

　　看了这两篇报道，再听教育界朋友的反映，不得不令人对新加坡的华文和华族文化的前景感到担忧。

　　尽管新加坡宗乡会馆联合总会和新加坡报业控股，早在10多年前就采取行动，定期举办春到河畔迎新年与华族文化节，以扭转这种劣势。这些大型文化活动的确也吸引了不少人参与，营造了一阵又一阵的文化热潮。

　　可惜这些文化热潮都是短暂的，过后又恢复常态。就以新荣和兴潮剧团的情况来说，前几年，该剧团在新加坡华族戏曲研究会和戏剧界朋友的协助下排练《刘明珠》，被列为华族文化节的重点节目之一，在勿拉士峇沙草场演出3场，座无虚席，获得好评。可是，最后它还是逃不过解散的命运。

　　和一些即将退休的中学华文老师谈起华文的前途时，大多数人都摇头叹息。他们说：“这个大气候，华文已经沦为弱势语文，学生深知华文对他们的前途的影响不大，因此，遇到华文科和其他科目排在同一天考试或测验，多数学生会把注意力集中在其他科目而放弃华文。”

　　他们认为，学生的华文基础不好，踏入社会后，工作环境和周围环境又全是英文、英语，叫他们怎能培养起对华族文化的热爱？怎么有兴趣观赏华语话剧或地方戏曲？

　　由此看来，不论是职业戏班新荣和兴的解散，或是华语话剧走向边缘化，都与华文在新加坡的生命息息相关。华文的使用面有限，尤其是官方文件。在这种大气候之下，绝对不可能重现1954年3月中正中学戏剧会演出《家》的时候，一连13天，共演14场的热闹盛况。

　　以目前的情况来看，华人社团任重道远，无可避免地成为华文和华族文化的堡垒。8年前，当郭令裕第一次出任总商会会长时，在修改章程、废除帮派选举的同时，也明文规定，召开董事会议时必须使用华语，从而确保华语在总商会的地位；总商会的会议记录也95年不变，一直使用华文。

　　宗乡总会则开办注重华语教学的幼稚园，也鼓励会员积极推动华族传统文化，如举办传统节日等。这些年来，那些条件比较好的会馆的确是很努力地工作，希望华文及华族文化能够代代相传，其中福州会馆做得最出色。

　　为了加强学生对学习华文的兴趣和信心，该会馆成还立了小作家学会，邀请文艺界知名人士为他们讲课。为了让新加坡所有的学校了解会馆推动提高华文的工作，每期出版的《三山季刊》都邮寄给所有的学校。此外，会馆已从去年开始设立会员子女“华文优越奖励金”，鼓励会员子女努力学习华文。

　　福州会馆副主席张代彪说：“我们感受到华文所面对的隐忧，作为宗乡会馆必须努力扭转这种劣势，纠正这种偏差。因此在今后的5年至10年，会馆将集中力量提升华文程度，在培养华文精英方面尽一分绵力。”

　　也许福州会馆的努力可以给华人社团作为参考，如果要等到大气候对华文有利时才努力，就要付出更大的代价了。

　　·作者是《联合早报》执行级记者

《联合早报》

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