Chan: Chinese language increasingly important in tech and trade
KUALA LUMPUR: The Chinese language is no longer confined to the Chinese community but has become an international language of growing importance in technology, artificial intelligence and global trade, says Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy.
The adjunct professor at Universiti Malaya’s Department of Chinese Studies said Malaysia should therefore look beyond race-based politics when considering Chinese education and recognise its value in preparing Malaysians for greater opportunities globally.
“A far-sighted country should not see this merely as the demand of a minority community.
“It should recognise that developing internationally minded talent is an important foundation for expanding opportunities globally,” he said in his opening address at the Second International Conference on the Overseas Dissemination of Chinese Classical Fiction yesterday.
Chan, a former MCA deputy president, said national leaders should recognise the value of the Chinese language and promote Chinese education as an important strategy for national development.
“As a retired politician, I have a firm and deep wish to see, in my lifetime, leaders with broad vision and foresight transcend the limitations of ethnic politics.
“This will enable Malaysia to reach greater heights, benefit all Malaysians and compete confidently on the international stage,” he said.
Chan, who is also chairman of TAR UMT’s board of governors, welcomed Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg’s call for Malaysians to be proficient in English and Chinese, saying it reflected the outlook of a leader with vision and an international perspective.
Recalling his student days at Universiti Malaya in 1976, Chan said the Department of Chinese Studies then had fewer than 30 students across three academic years.
Today, the department has 215 undergraduate students, 299 master’s students and 56 doctoral candidates.
Chan said the department’s growth reflected the efforts of Chinese education advocates over the past five decades and the continued preservation of the Chinese language and culture among generations of Malaysians.
He added that Chinese is now taught in the education systems of about 80 countries.
Meanwhile, in his keynote lecture, titled “The Translation, Introduction and Development of Dream of the Red Chamber in Malaysia”, Chan, a noted scholar of the classic novel and founder of Universiti Malaya’s Hong Lou Meng Research Centre, paid tribute to the late Datuk Dr Hasan Ahmad.
He described the former Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) director-general as a key figure in the development and modernisation of the Malay language.
Chan said Hasan readily supported his proposal for a full Malay translation of Dream of the Red Chamber.
“He said it was a good thing and something that should be done across communities and cultures,” Chan said.
The translation project was launched in 2007, but Hasan died in 2011 before its completion.
Chan said the conference was also an occasion to honour Hasan’s contributions to Malaysia’s language, culture and education sectors.
According to Chan, two complete Malay translations of the Chinese classic were published in Malaysia within two years of each other.
Mimpi di Mahligai Merah, translated by Dr Seng Yan Chuan and Assoc Prof Dr Khor Boon Eng, was launched on Sept 28, 2017.
It was published by Yayasan Karyawan in collaboration with the Universiti Malaya Chinese Studies Alumni Association.
The four-volume Hikayat Mimpi Rumah Agam Merah followed between 2018 and 2019. Published by DBP, it was translated by Loh Wah Ching, Chew Fong Peng, Lai Choy, Chan Foo Heng and Woo Tack Lok, with Goh Hin San as editor.
Also present was Universiti Malaya Department of Chinese Studies head Dr Ho Kee Chye.
