Newsletter No. 369

No. 369, 19.12.2010 3 從困乏多情到博文約禮 中文大學不是我的母校，我偶爾會到中大探望朋友，或者專程到這裏拍攝在此 間生活的翠鳥，但對中大的認識，只能用一鱗半爪來形容。 去年11月，因緣際會，我跟朋友去了看新亞書院六十周年的紀念話劇《珍重 星光》。劇中講述一群新亞學生為擦鞋街童開辦夜學的故事，當中夾雜不同年 代新亞畢業生的愛情和成長經歷，細訴香港人不會陌生的六四和移民情懷。他 們在星光下相聚，還提及獅子座的流星雨! 每一個歷史悠久的社群，都有其文化和精神面貌。我沒有在新亞書院讀過書， 對於新亞精神，只能意會，其中創院院長錢穆先生親撰的兩句歌詞，深深觸動 了我：「艱險我奮進，困乏我多情」。我可以想像，多少年來，這兩句話如何提 醒了一代一代的大學生，讀萬卷書，所為何事？讀大學是為了高薪厚職嗎？還是 明知前路艱險依然奮進，明知物質困乏卻仍然多情？大學教育縱已普及，但大 學生應該關心國事天下事，大學生應該有不畏強權、遇難不退和敢為天下先的 情懷! 一直以來，我都會把自己發現的小行星，以我敬重的人物命名。例如在二次 大戰中在立陶宛拯救了幾千名猶太人的日本外交官杉原千畝先生（25893）； 防疫先驅高耀潔醫生（38980）；一生貢獻教育的胡鴻烈博士（34778）和鍾期 榮博士（34779）；香港2003年沙士被《時代周刋》稱為「亞洲英雄」的沈祖堯 醫生（88879）。看完《珍重星光》，我興起了將一顆小行星命名為「中文大學」 的念頭。 當我跟中大校方商議命名的名字時（國際小行星聯盟對命名有不少規限， 不過，這是另一個故事了。），最終決定用中大校訓「博文約禮」。 提名遞交了幾個月，到今年6月，國際小 行星聯盟宣佈了小行星「博文約禮」 （88878 Bowenyueli）的誕生。想到 天空上有一顆肉眼看不到的那顆 名為「博文約禮」的小行星，跟多 少年代的中大人的堅持，天上人 間，互相輝映。中大師生對真理的 追求，令身為港人的我感到自豪， 僅以這顆小行星，獻給中大，盼望 每一代的中大生，都能領略和追求 「博文約禮」的境界，共勉之! 楊光宇 在浩瀚無際的星空中，有着一顆以香港中文大學 校訓命名的小行星─「博文約禮星」。這個喜訊在 12月19日的校友日公布，大學成員莫不振奮。小行星 是由國際知名業餘天文學家、香港天文學會會長 楊光宇先生發現，他並親撰下文，訴說命名由來。 Up in the sky, an asteroid has recently been named after the University’s motto, ‘ bo wen yue li ’. University members are thrilled by this news, which was announced on Alumni Homecoming Day, 19 December. The asteroid was discovered by Mr. Bill Yeung, a renowned amateur astronomer and president of the Hong Kong Astronomical Society. Mr. Yeung penned an article (in Chinese) for the CUHK Newsletter about the story of the Bowenyueli asteroid. From State of Deprivation to Bo Wen Yue Li Although The Chinese University of Hong Kong is not my alma mater, I am an occasional visitor of its campus as I come here to visit friends or take photos of the kingfishers from time to time. To be honest, my knowledge of the University is very limited. In November 2009, my friends took me to watch Our Starlight Stories , the New Asia 60th Anniversary Drama Performance. The drama told the story of a group of New Asia College (NA) students running a night school for shoeshine boys, interspersed with the love stories and growth experiences of NA alumni, as well as social incidents familiar to Hong Kongers, like the June Fourth Incident and the pre-1997 mass migration wave. When these New Asians gathered under a starry sky, they even talked about the Leonids meteor shower. Every community with a long history has its own cultural and spiritual character. I never studied in NA, so I have no way of understanding its spirit first-hand. I am touched by two lines of the College anthem, which were written by the late Prof. Ch’ien Mu, founding Head of the College: ‘Yet it is such uncouth environment that prompts me to struggle for excellence, and the state of deprivation only encourages my affections for others to flow.’ I can imagine how these words have inspired generations of university students and reminded them what learning is about. Is it for securing a high-paying job? Or is it meant to inspire you to struggle for excellence despite adversity, and to express affection for others despite your own state of deprivation? A larger percentage of the population is receiving tertiary education. University students should care about their country and the world, stand up against the authority, battle against the odds, and blaze a trail. I have been naming the asteroids I found after people I respect, such as (25893) Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews in Lithuania during the Second World War; (38980) Gao Yaojie , a doctor in the forefront of campaigns against epidemics; (34778) Hu Hung-lick Henry and (34779) Chung Chi-yung , a couple who devoted their lives to education; and (88879) Prof. Joseph J.Y. Sung, an ‘Asian Hero’ as named by Time , who fought against the SARS epidemic in 2003. After watching Our Starlight Stories , I was struck by the idea of naming an asteroid after CUHK. So I brought the idea to the University and discussed with them the name—the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has very rigid rules on naming, but that is another story—and finally came to the decision of naming the asteroid after the University’s motto, ‘ bo wen yue li ’ (‘Through learning and temperance to virtue’). In June this year, several months after I filed the application, IAU announced the naming of the asteroid 88878 Bowenyueli. This asteroid, which is up in the sky far away from us and cannot be seen with the naked eye, bears the motto of the University, where generations of its members have forged ahead with perseverance and persistence. As a Hong Konger, I am proud of the pursuit of truth by CUHK’s staff and students. By naming this small asteroid after the motto of the University, I hope every generation of CUHK students understands and lives up to the meaning of ‘ bo wen yue li ’. Bill Yeung 中大校訓閃爍星空 CUHK Motto U in the Sky 博文約禮星 88878 Bowenyueli 沈袓堯星 88879 Sungjaoyiu