Newsletter No. 339

No. 339, 4.6.2009 余英時：唐先生改變香港文化面貌 Yu: Tang played a key role in HK’s cultural scene 余英時教授談及唐先生百歲冥壽時，肯定了為唐先 生立像的意義。余教授說：「唐先生是1974年退休， 1978年去世的，我們在形式方面沒有給他一個適當的 紀念。今天，哲學系以及新亞受過唐先生教育的許多同 仁，決定要建立一個銅像，我覺得是一個重大的文化發 展，也是一個文化標誌。這說明我們從1949年到今天， 整整六十年來香港的文化面貌所起的重大變化，而這 個變化的一個最重要因素就是唐君毅先生。」 余英時教授指出，香港的哲學教育，特別是中國哲學 教育，是從唐先生開始的。他倡導中國哲學和文化的功 能，值得後人永遠懷念。余教授進一步說，如果不是唐 先生，就不會有後來香港在許多思想方面的新發展。 唐先生重視道德意識，而道德意識可以說是文化創造 的根源。唐先生當年就是帶着這樣的意識，在新亞書院 種下了根源並產生了作用，然後這個根源又得以繁盛 發展。 1958年的〈中國世界與文化宣言〉，代表了張君勱、牟 宗三和徐復觀諸位先生的智慧，但基本上是由唐先生 起草的，於保存、宏揚中國文化，影響深遠。這就是唐 先生在新亞、在香港發生的一連串作用。 Prof. Yu Ying-shih affirmed the importance of erecting the statue of Prof. Tang Chun-I as a commemoration of his centenary. He said, ‘Prof. Tang retired from CUHK in 1974, and passed away in 1978. There had been no formal commemoration. Therefore the sculpting and erecting of Prof. Tang’s statue, as a tribute paid by his students as well as alumni and friends of the Department of Philosophy and New Asia College, indicates a significant leap forward in cultural development. The statue is also an important cultural icon, reminding us of the key roles played by Prof. Tang in changing Hong Kong’s cultural scene in the past 60 years.’ Prof. Yu called Prof. Tang as a pioneer in philosophy education in Hong Kong, particularly in Chinese philosophy education, whose contribution to promoting Chinese philosophy and culture should be remembered forever. He stressed that there would have been new intellectual developments as such in Hong Kong without Prof. Tang’s efforts. Prof. Tang’s promotion of Chinese culture and its intrinsic values had had a huge impact. His deep concern for ‘moral consciousness’, which is the origin of cultural creation, is deeply rooted in the culture of New Asia College where it has flourished. The ‘Manifesto on Chinese Culture and the World’ (1958), drafted by Prof. Tang, and presenting the ideas of renowned scholars such as Xu Fuguan, Mou Zongsan and Zhang Junmai, has been highly influential in the preservation and promotion of Chinese culture. 與余英時和狄百瑞的一席話 Conversations with Yu Ying-shih and William Theodore de Bary 前 新亞書院院長、普林斯敦大 學榮休大學教授、2006年 克魯格獎得主余英時教授，以及美 國哥倫比亞大學梅森榮休講座教授 及榮休副校長狄百瑞教授，均曾受 業於唐先生，雙方淵源深厚。 哲學系本誠邀他們由美國來港參加 紀念活動，但他們年事已高，不宜 長途跋涉。有感余英時及狄百瑞教 授的出席，意義重大，哲學系系主任張燦輝教授遂於5月初 親赴普林斯敦及紐約拜訪兩位望重士林的學者。訪問的 錄像已分別於5月之「唐君毅先生銅像奠立儀式」與「中國 哲學研究之新方向」研討會開幕禮上播放。 P rof. Cheung Chan-fai, chairman of the Department, visited Prof. Yu Ying-shih, former Head of New Asia College, Emeritus Professor of East Asian Studies and History at Princeton University, and winner of the 2006 Kluge Prize, and Prof. William Theodore de Bary, John Mitchell Mason Professor Emeritus and Provost Emeritus of Columbia University, in Princeton and New York respectively in early May. They were both former students of Prof. Tang Chun-I. It is a pity that their health conditions prevent them from taking a long-haul flight to Hong Kong to attend the celebratory activities hosted by the department. Driven by the belief that their presence would mean a lot to the commemoration of Prof. Tang, Prof. Cheung made a trip to the US and videotaped the interviews with Yu and de Bary, which were then broadcast at the inauguration of Prof. Tang Chun-I’s statue and the opening ceremony of the ‘New Directions in Chinese Philosophy’ international conference. 狄百瑞：唐先生領儒學在新亞重生 De Bary: Tang revived Confucian studies at New Asia 在訪問中，狄百瑞教授憶述，他與唐君毅先生初識於 1949年。那時他是Fulbright Scholar，在北京唸書，但 因當地政局不穩，他於是南下廣州，在那裏認識了唐君 毅、錢穆等學者。 他說：「對我自己、對中國哲學和儒學的發展而言， 1949年是一個不平凡的年代。唐、錢的南移，令儒學得 以在新亞書院根植重生。當年，我有幸目睹這個偉大的教 育中心，在篳路藍縷中墾闢開荒。今天，我們已經在慶祝 新亞創校六十周年了。」 狄百瑞教授肯定了唐先生對中國哲學早期在海外發展的 貢獻，他認為這正是新亞書院創校的理念之一。唐先生的 另一貢獻，是從古籍經典中擷取資源來處理當代的問題； 狄百瑞教授相信這也是新亞的辦學目標。 狄百瑞教授談及中國哲學的未來。他強調，辨識哪些經典 與當代哲學問題有關係，是首要任務；然後就是重估古今 經典作為匯通東西方核心的可能。 最後，他致賀中文大學在發展中國哲學方面手執牛耳，而 主辦「中國哲學研究之新方向」國際學術研討會，是正面 回應了中國哲學研究路向的問題。「以這個形式向唐君毅 致敬是很恰當的。」狄百瑞教授說。 Prof. de Bary recalled his acquaintance with Prof. Tang Chun-I, which can be traced back to 1949 when he left for the south from Beijing (where he was studying as a Fulbright scholar) to avoid the political turmoil in Beijing at that time. It was his eventual relocation in the Guangzhou region that led him to meet Tang Chun-I and other scholars such as Ch'ien Mu. ‘It was an extraordinary time not only for me but for the future of Chinese philosophy and Confucianism because the dislocations of Tang Chun-I and Ch'ien Mu led to the relocation and revival of Confucian studies in New Asia College. For me it was a great privilege to witness the small beginnings and travails of this great educational centre, the founding of which we now celebrate 60 years later,’ Prof. de Bary said. Prof. de Bary recognized Prof. Tang’s contribution to early overseas developments in the study of Chinese philosophy, because they were a natural extension of his purposes in the establishment of New Asia College. He also believed that one of Prof. Tang’s contributions was drawing on ancient texts to deal with current issues, which is what New Asia College was founded to do. Prof. de Bary talked about the future of Chinese philosophy. He reiterated the importance of identifying ‘classic’ texts that have a bearing on contemporary philosophical issues, and reassessing both ancient and modern classics as candidates for a core common to East and West. He congratulated the Chinese University for taking a leadership role and for organizing the international conference ‘New Directions in Chinese Philosophy’. ‘It will be a fitting tribute to the memory of Prof. Tang Chun-I,’ Prof. de Bary said. 張燦輝教授 Prof. Cheung Chan-fai