マレーシア研究第 12 号（2023 年）【Special Feature Articles: Chao Foon Magazine and the Chinese Publication Network
in East and Southeast Asia during the Cold War】

The Afterglow of Tradition:
Chinese Classical Literature Articles in Chao Foon, 1955–1999
Chen Fan Jing1

Introduction: Exploring the Other Side of Chao Foon
Chao Foon is the oldest Chinese literar y publication published in Singapore andMalaya/Malaysia. It was first published in 1955 on the eve of Malayaʼs independence andcontinued to be published until 1999, when it was temporarily suspended for a total of 488
issues. It was relaunched in 2002 at the Malaysian Chinese Literature Centre, and has been
published ever since. Chao Foon is also an impor tant venue for the production anddissemination of Malaysian Chinese literature, bearing in mind the colourful literary story of
the Malaysian writer community. In recent years, academics in Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan
have become very enthusiastic about the study of Chao Foon, actively organising symposia
and publishing research monographs2, making Chao Foon a prominent study in the study of
Malaysian literature.
The main views on the nature of Chao Foon are that it is “local”, i.e. “Malayanised”,
that it is mainly a publication of local writers, and that it is a publication of “Malayan
literature”3. The second is “modernity”, which means that Chao Foon has a strong modernist
flavour and is an important arena for modernist literature, as opposed to the “realist” school 4.
In reality, however, although these two labels represent the main themes of Chao Foon, they
are not absolute. The content of Chao Foon is quite diverse and includes different types ofliterary works and criticisms. First of all, Chao Foon actually publishes a lot of “non-local”
content, including a large number of translations of Western literature, as well as works by
1

2

3

4

84

曾繁靖, Research Fellow, Malaysian Chinese Literature Centre (马华文学馆), Southern
University College (南方大学学院).
Related major publications in recent years include Lim (2021), Tee, Ng and Lee (2022), andShinozaki, Masutani and Yamamoto (2022).
Such as Lim Choon Beeʼs “Non-Leftist Local Literature: Chao Foon and its ʻMalayanisationʼ
Advocacy”〈非左翼的本邦：《蕉风》及其 “马来亚化” 主张〉, published in Lim (2021).
For example, in August 2016, an academic seminar on Chao Foon was held in Malaysia withthe theme of “Chao Foon and the modernist literary trend of Malaysian Chinese Literature”,
many papers tried to expound the “modernity” nature of Chao Foon.

The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in, 1955‒1999

mainland Chinese writers and Taiwanese literature or related reviews. This has been
discussed by scholars such as Ng (2007) and Hong (2019). Secondly, Chao Foon is not purely
a “modernist” literary journal, but is simultaneously able to accommodate many works with“realist” overtones. Apart from Fang Tian (方天) in its earliest days in the 1960s and 1970s,
when Chao Foon was actively introducing modernist literature, there was actually no
shortage of realist works. Bai Yao (白䐖), a long-time executive editor and editorial advisor of
Chao Foon, published an article, pointing out the “realism” aspect of Chao Foon that could
not be ignored (Bai, 1998).
In addition, the “non-modern” aspect of Chao Foon is also reflected in the fact that it
publishes many articles related to classical Chinese literature, including theoretical andheavy academic papers, as well as essays on classical literature and culture of a casual andrambling nature. According to the authorʼs statistics (Graph 1), in the 43 years between its
inception in 1955 and closure in 1999, Chao Foon published 276 articles on classical literature
criticism or essays 5. In particular, it published two issues of “Issue for Classical Literature”(Issue 261 and 262, November and December 1974), which comprised several columns onclassical literature. The Chao Foon book series (蕉风文丛) even published three monographs
on classical literature, namely Collected Essays of Zhen Zhen 《蓁蓁论文集》() by Zhen Zhen (蓁蓁)6, Study of Yuan Dynasty Sanqu Literature 《( 元代散曲文学研究》) by Chew Kok Chang (周国灿), and New Analysis of Tao Poetry 《陶诗新析》() by Hao Yi Min (郝毅民). These articles
and monographs may seem sporadic and weak in the context of the publication history of
Chao Foon as a whole, but they are nonetheless a real phenomenon that cannot be ignored,showing that Chao Foon has indeed retained a certain amount of “classicality”. As there
seems to have been no relevant academic discussion on the subject in the past, this paper
attempts to sort out the publications of classical Chinese literary criticism in Chao Foon topresent this neglected aspect of Chao Foon.
The remainder of this paper is organised as follows: Chapter I divides the publication
period of Chao Foon into five sections, and introduces an over view of classical Chinese
literary criticism and its main authors. Chapter II examines the background of the repeateddisappearance of articles from Chinese classical literature criticism in the five periods, with
its renewal and changes in editorial direction, only to be revived after a while, from the threeperspectives of editor, author, and reader. Chapter III examines the content of articles on
Chinese classical literature published in Chao Foon from several perspectives, and the role ofChinese classical literature, which in mainland China in the first half of the 20th century was
regarded as a hotbed of conser vative ideology that hindered development and56This includes a series of serial articles, which are counted here by instalments of each.
Zhen Zhen, whose real name is Chou Liu Chuan (丘柳川), is a modern Singaporean poet andauthor of the poetry collections Statues 《塑像》(
) and Zhenzhen s Poems 《蓁蓁诗》
(
).

85

86
0

5

10

15

20

25

Issues 1 to 77(November 1955
Issues 202 to 300(August 1969
to February 1978)
Issues 301 to 443(March 1978 to July 1991)

Graph 1 Number of Articles on Classical Literature in Each Issue of Chao Foon

Issues 78 to 201(April 1959 to July 1969)

Graph 1 Number of Arrticles on Classical Literature in Each Issue of Chao Foon

Issues 444 to 488(September 1991
to January 1999)

1-5
6-10
11-15
16-20
21-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46-50
51-55
56-60
61-65
66-70
71-75
76-80
81-85
86-90
91-95
96-100101-105
106-110111-115
116-120121-125
126-130131-135
136-140
141-145
146-150
151-155
156-160
161-165
166-170
171-175
176-180
181-185
186-190191-195
196-200
201-205
206-210211-215
216-220221-225
226-230
231-235236-240241-245
246-250251-255
256-260261-265266-270271-275276-280
281-285286-290291-295296-300
301-305306-310311-315316-320321-325326-330331-335
336-340341-345346-350
351-355356-360
361-365366-370371-375376-380
381-385386-390391-395
396-400
401-405406-410411-415416-420421-425426-430
431-435
436-440
441-445446-450
451-455
456-460
461-465466-470471-475
476-480
481-485486-488

マレーシア研究第 12 号（2023 年）

The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in, 1955‒1999

modernisation. Chao Foon re-evaluated classical Chinese literature from the perspective ofthe development and modernisation of Malaysia. It also shows that Chao Foon provides atransnational platform for sharing knowledge through classical literature.

Ⅰ The Chao Foon, A Departure from the ClassicalThroughout its 43-year history, Chao Foon has had an uneasy relationship with theclassics. Graph 1 shows the changes in the number of articles published on the Chineseclassics. This chapter provides an over view of the changes in the number of articles on
Chinese classics, focusing on changes in the editorial team, which can be divided into five
periods, as shown in Table 1.
1. Issues 1 to 77 (November 1955 to March 1959)
At its inception, Chao Foon was specifically billed as “purely Malayan”, with aneditorial emphasis on localism, but not exclusively “purely literary” content. It also publishedseveral articles on local anecdotes and episodes in Malaya and Singapore. Perhaps becauseof this “purely Malayan” approach, for the first year and a half, Chao Foon had no content
related to classical Chinese literature.
The first appearance of classical Chinese literature criticism in Chao Foon was as late
as Issue 38, which contained an article by Ren Qian Li (任千里) (38)7, focusing on thecharacter of Qu Yuan (屈原), and briefly discussing the main themes and analysing thecharacteristics of his works, such as “Li Sao” 〈离骚〉(), “Tian Wen” 〈天问〉(), and “Jiu Zhang”〈( 九章〉). Qu Yuan is one of the most important poets in the histor y of ancient Chinese
literature, and it is logical that this should be the starting point for Chao Foonʼs commentaries
on classical Chinese literature. However, the reason for publishing a review on Qu Yuan in
Chao Foon at this time was not really to promote classical literature, but rather to coincidewith the Duanwu Festival (端午节), which is associated with the traditional festive culture of
Malayan Chinese. The following year, on the occasion of the Duanwu Festival, Chao Foon
also published Chu Ke (楚客) (64) and Xia Ri Yan (夏日炎) (64).
In any case, after the precedent of reviewing Qu Yuanʼs works, a small number ofreviews of classical Chinese literature gradually began to appear in Chao Foon, including
several articles by Wang Hui (王伭) (42, 47, 61, 77). Wang had just came to Malaya from
Hong Kong to teach. The most important article on classical literature in the early Chao Foon
was Pan Chong Guiʼs (潘重规) articles (71, 72). Pan was a famous scholar who came from
7

The number in brackets after the authorʼs name indicates the issue number of Chao Foon inwhich the article appeared. See Table 1 for bibliographic information.

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マレーシア研究第 12 号（2023 年）

Table 1: List of Articles on the Chinese Classics Mentioned in this Paper
Period Issue Year.
AuthorMonth. Day
1

2

88

Chinese
name

Title

Chinese title

38 1957.5.25

Ren Qian Li 任千里

The Immortal Qu Yuan

不朽的屈原

42 1957.7.25

Wang Hui王伭

The Thought,
Personality and Worksof Tao Yuanming

陶渊明的思想、人格和作品

47 1957.10.10

Wang Hui王伭

The Personality andAcademic Thought of
Zhu Shunshui

朱舜水的人格和学术思想

61 1958.5.10

Wang Hui王伭A Brief Knowledge ofChinese Literature

中国文学浅识

64 1958.6.25

Chu Ke楚客

I See Qu Yuan

我看屈原

64 1958.6.25

Xia Ri Yan

夏日炎

An Experimental
Translation of Qu
Yuan's National Elegy

屈原国殇试译

70 1958.9.25

Pan Chong 潘重规Gui

Questioning Hu Shih's
Study of The Dream of
the Red Chamber

胡适《红楼梦》
考证质疑（上）71 1958.10.10

Pan Chong 潘重规Gui

Questioning Hu Shih's
Study of The Dream of
the Red Chamber

胡适《红楼梦》
考证质疑（下）77 1959.3

Wang Hui王伭

The Tragic
Consciousness ofChinese Novel andOpera

中国小说戏曲之悲剧意识

89 1960.3

Li Wei季薇Long Journey of Prose
Development

散文发展的悠长
旅程（上）90 1960.4

Li Wei季薇Long Journey of Prose
Development

散文发展的悠长旅程（下）119 1962.9

Wen ZiChuan

温梓川

Miscellaneous Stories
on Water Margin

水浒杂话

123 1963.1

Wen ZiChuan

温梓川

Essay on Novels

小说琐谈143- 1964.9
175 - 1967.5

Yue Qian岳骞

Essays on Charachtorsof Water Margin

水浒人物散论

150 1965.4

Nan Dao Ju 南岛居士 Essay on Miao Yu
Shi

论妙玉

152 1965.6

Su Xue Lin 苏雪林

The Characteristics of
Li Yishanʼs Poetry

李义山诗的特色

156 1965.10

Su Xue Lin 苏雪林

Common Knowledge
and Research on theClassic of Poetry

䎔于《诗经》的常识和研究（上）157 1965.11

Su Xue Lin 苏雪林

Common Knowledge
and Research on theClassic of Poetry

䎔于《诗经》的常识和研究（中）158 1965.12

Su Xue Lin 苏雪林

Common Knowledge
and Research on theClassic of Poetry

䎔于《诗经》的常识和研究（下）The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in3, 1955‒1999

159 1966.1

Lao Kan劳榦

On Wang Guoweiʼs
Lyrics in Huan Xi Sha说王国维的浣溪
纱词

160 1966.2

Lao Kan劳榦Shen Yun Theory andJing Jie Theory

神韵说与境界说依藤

161 1962.3

Yi Teng

Essay on Tan Chun论探春

163 1966.5

Xu Shi Ying 许世瑛

Talk about The
Scholars谈谈《儒林外史》

164 1966.6

Liu WenXian

勇文献

Liu Zong Yuanʼs
Travelogue

柳宗元的游记

165 1966.7

Ye QingBing

叶庆炳Writing Techniques of 《虬髯客传》的The Tale of the
写作技巧
Curly-Bearded Guest

166 1966.8

Ye Jia Ying 叶嘉莹

The Appreciation ofPoetry from The
Human Words

由《人间词话》
谈到诗歌的欣赏

198 1969.4

Xia Yu夏语He Shao Ji on Imitation
and Originality

何绍基论模仿和
独创

237 1972.11

Lai Swee
Fo赖瑞和

Dramatic
Representation inClassical Chinese
Poetry中国古典诗里的戏剧性表现238 1972.12

James J. Y. 勇若愚（赖瑞和Liu（translated 译 )by Lai SweeFo)

The Chinese Mind in
the Light of ClassicalChinese Poetry

从中国古典诗看
中国人的思想诸貌

239 1973.1

Liu Chuan

Criteria of Literary
Criticism: Guo Mo
Ruo's Critique of Li Bai
and Du Fu's Criteria谈文艺批评的准绳̶从郭沫若批判李白杜甫的准绳谈起

242 1973.4

Archibaid （赖瑞和Mac Leish 译）

The Mournful Song of
the Falling Leaves: An
American on Chinese
Poetry落叶哀蝉曲̶ 美国人谈中国诗

243 1973.5

Yue Heng
Jun乐䋍军

Rise and Fall of Liang
Shan Po: Tragic
Mockery of The Water
Margin

梁山泊的缔造与幻灭̶论水浒
的悲剧嘲弄

248 1973.10

Luo JinTang

罗锦堂

Goethe and Chinese
Novels and Dramas

歌德与中国小说和戏剧的䎔系

249 1973.11

Liu Chuan

流川

An Analysis of Liu Xieʼs 析论勇勰的神思Imagination and other 及其他
works

255 1974.5

Liu Chuan

流川

Preliminary Chinese
Typography

258 1974.8

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

Discussion in Sun Tzuʼs 从孙子兵法谈起
Art of War

260 1974.10

Zhen Zhen 蓁蓁

流川

中国文字学初步问君能有几多How sorrow are you?:
Analysis of Li Hou Zhuʼs 愁̶李后主的
the Beautiful Lady Yu
虞美人分析

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マレーシア研究90

第 12 号（2023 年）

Romance of theWestern Chamber: aplay gained popularity

谈民间流传的《西厢记》

Jing Jie against Jing Jie

境界对境界Romance of theWestern Chamber: aplay gained popularity

谈民间流传的《西厢记》（续）陈世骧The Chinese Lyrical
Tradition

中国的抒情传统

Xia ZhiQing

夏志清

Chinese ClassicalNovels

中国古典小说

263 1975.1

Liu Chuan

流川

Recognition of 108
heroes of Liang Shan
Po and their being
Forced onto the LiangShan

梁山泊一百另八
条好汉及其被迫上梁山之识辨

263 1975.1

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

Talk about Records of
Buddhist Monasteries
in Luoyang谈《洛䧈伽蓝记》

264 1975.2

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

Talk about Romance ofthe Western Chamber也谈西厢

265 1975.3

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

Poems of the People人间诗谱

266 1975.4

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

Shi Li Fa Zhong诗礼发冢

268 1975.6

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

Heavenly Questions - A 天问̶南方神话的汇编Compilation ofSouthern Myths

270 1975.8

Yun Qi Shi

云起时

A Study of Yuan
Dynasty Prose
Literature

元代散曲文学研
究（一）

271 1975.9

Yun Qi Shi

云起时

A Study of Yuan
Dynasty Prose
Literature (2)

元代散曲文学研
究（二）272 1975.10

Yun Qi Shi

云起时

A Study of Yuan
Dynasty Prose
Literature (3)

元代散曲文学研究（三）273 1975.11

Yun Qi Shi

云起时

A Study of Yuan
Dynasty Prose
Literature (4)元代散曲文学研究（四）275 1976.1

Huang Ji
Hao黄继豪

A Study of Dreams in
Tang Novels

唐人小说里的梦境研究

275 1976.1

Chen

陈慧桦

Characters and《杀狗记》里的language in Killing of a 人物和语言Dog276 1976.2

Huang Ji
Hao黄继豪

A Study of Dreams in
Tang Novels

261 1974.11

Zhen Zhen 蓁蓁

261 1974.11

Zheng Bai
Nian

262 1974.12

Zhen Zhen 蓁蓁

262 1974.12

Chen Shi
Xiang

262 1974.12

郑百年

唐人小说里的梦
境研究

The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in4, 1955‒1999

277 1976.3

Chai Xiu
Ying

蔡秀英

Li Dongyang's Poetic
李东䧈的诗论及
Theory and Its其影响̶《怀
Influence - A Study of麓堂诗话》研究
Huailutang Poetry Talk （上）(1)

278 1976.4

Chai Xiu
Ying

蔡秀英

Li Dongyang's Poetic
李东䧈的诗论及
Theory and Its其影响̶《怀
Influence - A Study of麓堂诗话》研究
Huailutang Poetry Talk （下）(2)

279 1976.5

Li Nan Fa

李南发

A Study of the
Mulberry Tree in theClassic of Poetry《诗经》中的桑树研究

285 1976.11

Ho KhaiLeong

何包良

Reading the English
Translation of Su
Dongpo's Prelude to
Water Melody读苏东坡水调歌
头英译

291 1977.5

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

Authenticity of Lie Zi《列子》辨伪

293 1977.7

Lai ShanFang

赖山舫Comparative literature
and Chinese literature比较文学与中国
文学

301 1978.3

Liu Chuan

流川传统与现代的结
A combination of
tradition and modernity: 合̶析论淡莹an analysis of Tan
的怀古五首
Ying's Five poems on
wistfulness

309 1978.11

Hao Yi Min 郝毅民

Serias of Poetry ofForm, Shadow, andSpirit〈形影神〉诗组
补谈

310 1978.12

Hao Yi Min 郝毅民

An analysis of thesentiment of Ting Yun

陶诗〈停云〉的
情意分析

311 1979.1

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

A projection of thetragedy of Sima Qian
(1)

司马迁悲剧的投影（之一）312 1979.2

Mei ShuZhen

梅淑贞

Dialogues in The
Dream of the Red
Chamber《红楼梦》里的道白322 1980.1

马幼垣Ma
You-woon ( 赖瑞和(Translated 译 )by Lai Swee
Fo)

Themes and Contentsof Chinese Historical
Novels中国讲史小说的
主题与内容323 1980.2

Zheng Bai
Nian

郑百年

Liu Zong Yuan's
Yongzhou Miscellany(1)

柳宗元 “永州杂记”（一）

325 1980.5

Liang Zong 梁宗岱
Dai

Li Bai and Goethe

李白与哥德

328 1980.7

Cyril Birch Cyril(Translated Birch
by Lai Swee ( 赖瑞和译)Fo)Tragedy and Farce in
Early Legendary
Drama: A Comparisonof Tale of the Pipa andA Thorn Hairpin

早期传奇剧中的悲剧与闹剧̶琵琶记与荆钗记的比较

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92

第 12 号（2023 年）

334 1981.1

Mei Shu
Zhen

Late Tang Poems

晚唐诗

340 1981.7

Cyril Birch （赖瑞和(Translated 译）
by Lai Swee
Fo)

Some Concerns andTechniques in Ming
Sagas

明传奇中的一些䎔注和技巧

341 1981.8

Li YouCheng

李有成

On Sima Qian's View of 论司马䥆的文学观
Literature

362 1983.7

Mei ShuZhen

梅淑贞

Reading Six Records ofa Floating Life363 1983.8

Mei ShuZhen

梅淑贞

Reading The Legend of 读《海上花列传》
the Sea Flower

368- 1984.1372 1984.5

Hao Yi Min 郝毅民

A Peek into the Poetic
Mind of Du Fu

杜诗心态窥测

383- 1985.4388 1985.9

Hao Yi Min 郝毅民

Literature andEroticism

文艺与情欲

384 1985.6

Li YouCheng

李有成

Zhong Rong Talks
about ʻTasteʼ钟嵘论 “味”

388 1985.10

Wei Zi Yun

魏子云

The Real Society in The 《金瓶梅》中的现实社会
Plum in the Golden
Vase

395 1986.9

Chou
周昭明
Chao-Ming ( 南柯子(translated 译 )by Nan Ge
Zi)

谢䈻墇山水诗的
The Extrospective
Mode: The Art of Hsieh 外观模式Ling-yün's Shan-Shui.
Poetry.

401- 1987.3403 1987.5

Hao Yi Min 郝毅民评高适̶论
Review of Gao Shi: onthe artistic and《少年行》的艺
psychological images of 术心理形象
the Youth's Journey408 1987.10

Mai KeWho Understands the
Taste of Obsession

谁解痴中味

411 1988.2

Huang Yun 黄润岳
YoThis is how it was, Hao
Liao Ge“好了歌” 原来如
此438 1990.10

Huang Yun 黄润岳YoRamblings on Old
Poetry旧诗漫谈439 1990.12

Huang Yun 黄润岳
YoJing Jie in the HumanWords

从《人间词话》
中的境界谈起442 1991.6

Huang Yun 黄润岳
Yo

The Crystallization ofEastern Wisdom: Yi
Ching

东方智慧的结
晶：《易经》

451 1992.12

Huang Wei 黄维䖻
LiangMusicality in Literature 文学的音乐性

455 1993.8

Wei Hao韦晕

The Characterisation of 《儒林外史》的The Scholars
人物造型

477 1997.4

Lim Chooi
Kua

林水檺

The Prose Achievement 勇禹锡的散文成
of Liu Yuxi
就

梅淑贞

迈克

读《浮生六记》

The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in, 1955‒1999

Hong Kong and Taiwan to teach at Nanyang University.
2. Issues 78 to 201 (April 1959 to July 1969)
In Issue 78, Chao Foon saw its first major revamp, explicitly advocating “humanist
literature” and “individualist literature”, thus star ting the first wave of the modernist
movement in Malaysian literature, with a strong effort to introduce Western literature andmodernism. For about five years after this revision, classical literature reviews almost
completely disappeared from Chao Foon, except for Ji Wei (季薇) (89, 90) and Wen Zichuan(温梓川) (119, 123). It is noteworthy that in the “Editorʼs Note” 〈编者的话〉() in Issue 91, theeditor had stated his views on Chinaʼs literary heritage: “(We) already parted ways with theold literature forty-one years ago. We can absorb ancient literature to some extent, but wecannot apply it today” (Chao Foon, 1960.5:2). Clearly, the editor of Chao Foon at that time(perhaps Huang Si Cheng (黄思骋), who had just arrived in the south at the time),deliberately rejected classical Chinese literary criticism in favour of absorbing and studying
the works of famous Western writers in terms of the implications for modern literar y
production.
It was not until issue 143, a considerably expanded “renewal” issue, that classicalChinese literature reviews were brought back to life in Chao Foon. It started publishing aseries of essays on characters of Water Margin（《水浒传》）by the famous Hong Kongnovelist Yue Qian (岳骞, whose real name is He Jia Hua, 何家骅), a total of 32 articles (143–175). At the same time, from Issues 150 to 201, Chao Foon also published a series of 43
articles on the characters of The Dream of the Red Chamber 《红楼梦》() by Yi Teng (依藤)8.
Chao Foon added a column entitled “Writersʼ Mailbox” (作家信箱) during this period,in which it invited several Taiwanese scholars to discuss classical Chinese literature, such as
Su Xue Lin (苏雪林) (152, 156–158), Lao Kan (劳榦) (159, 160), Xu Shi Ying (许世瑛) (163),
Ye Qing Bing (叶庆炳) (165), and Ye Jia Ying (叶嘉莹) (166). These articles injected asignificant amount of classical Chinese literature into Chao Foon during this period, and twoor three articles on classical Chinese literature were often published in the same issue,
bringing the “classicality” of Chao Foon to its first peak.
3. Issues 202 to 300 (August 1969 to February 1978)
Yao Tuo (姚拓), Bai Yao (白䐖), Li Cang (李苍, alias Lee Yu Cheng, 李有成) and Mu
Ling Nu (牧羚奴, alias Tan Swie Hian, 陈瑞献) took over the editing of Chao Foon from Issue
202, reforming it once again, and focusing on the promotion of Chao Foon in modern
8

His real name is Wang Kaijing (汪䇖竞). His other pen name is Nan Dao Ju Shi (南岛居士).

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literature as before. Over the following three years, articles on classical Chinese literature
were almost completely absent from Chao Foon. It was not until Issue 237 (November 1972)
that this silence was broken by Lai Swee Foʼs article. Since then, the number of articles onclassical literature criticism in Chao Foon has increased rapidly, with Liu Chuan (流川, alias
Tan Sen Kwel, 陈生贵), Zheng Bai Nian (郑百年, alias Tay Lian Soo, 郑 良 树 ), and Zhen
Zhen actively publishing articles on classical Chinese literature.
Particularly noteworthy are the two consecutive issues of Chao Foon, Issues 261 and
262 (November and December 1974), in which a number of classical Chinese literature
reviews were published, including classic essays by renowned scholars, Chen Shi Xiang (陈世骧) (262) and Xia Zhi Qing (夏志清) (262).
This was the period in the histor y of Chao Foon when the most frequent andvoluminous reviews of classical Chinese literature were published.
4. Issues 301 to 443 (March 1978 to July 1991)
After peaking in the early 1970s, reviews of classical Chinese literature in Chao Foon
entered a long period of stability, with articles not appearing in as large a volume as before,
but continuing in a steady stream. In Issue 301 (March 1978), Qiao Ling (悄凌), Zhang Ailun(张爱伦 alias Tee Kim Tong, 张锦忠) and Sha Qin (沙禽) took over as editors of Chao Foon,
which was again revamped. After this, Chao Foon went through a number of editorialchanges, with May Soo Chin (梅淑贞), Zi Yi Si (紫一思), Tee Kim Tong, Zhou Qing Xiao (周清啸), Wu Mei Cai (伍梅彩), Wang Zu An (王祖安) and Khor Ewe Pin (许友彬) all taking
part in the editorial duties one after another. Although they all had different editorial ideas,
the publication of classical literature reviews in Chao Foon remained relatively stable during
this period with a regular column on “Classical Literature”, and it continued publication ofclassical Chinese literature reviews.
During this period, Zheng Bai Nian, a leading Malaysian scholar of traditional Chinesestudies, continued to contribute to Chao Foon, publishing a series of essays on Sima Qianʼs(司马䥆) The Records of the Grand Historian 《( 史记》), ten essays in total, and on Liu
Zongyuanʼs (柳宗元) The Eight Records of Yongzhou 《( 永州八记》, four essays in total. In
addition, Hao Yi Min (郝毅民), another important critic of classical Chinese literature, alsobegan to contribute to Chao Foon, publishing a number of essays on Tao Yuanming ( 陶渊明 )and his poems (309, 310). Hao also published a series of essays on Du Fuʼs ( 杜甫 ) poems(368-372).

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The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in, 1955‒1999

5. Issues 444 to 488 (September 1991 to January 1999)
In September 1991, after Xiao Hei (小黑) and Duo La (䯳拉) took over the editorshipof Chao Foon, the publication of Chinese Classical Literature reviews became significantly
less frequent, and there was no longer a column for “Classical Literature”. Moreover, during
the six years they edited Chao Foon, there were only a few articles in Chao Foon that could
be classified as Chinese classical literature reviews, including Wong Wai Leung (黄维䖻)(451), Wei Yun (韦晕) (455) and Lim Chooi Kua (林水檺) (477), of which Huang Wei Liangʼsarticle is not yet a typical essay on classical literature (it only discusses the musicality ofliterature, mainly using classical poetry as an example). Wei Yunʼs article was published by
Chao Foon after Wei Yun was awarded the Malaysian Literary Award.
After Xiao Hei and Duo La, Lim Choon Bee (林春美) took over the editorial duties of
Chao Foon in 1998. There were no more reviews of classical Chinese literature at all in Issues
482 to 488, which she edited. It is clear that during the last seven years of the Union Press
period, Chao Foon had almost completely disassociated itself from “classicality”, and the
majority of literary criticism at that time was mainly on Malaysian Chinese literature, whichshows that the authors of Chao Foon had shifted the focus of their literary discourse to the
local community, and that the criticism of classical Chinese literature had clearly lost its
vitality.

Ⅱ Why Chao Foon is “Classical”:
the Combined Role of Editors, Authors and Readers
An examination of the publication of classical Chinese literary criticism in Chao Foon
over time reveals a clear pattern: when Chao Foon was revamped or changed editors,
classical Chinese literar y criticism tended to disappear for a while. This may be due toeditors reviewing its positioning and overhauling its content ever y time Chao Foon wasrevamped, and they usually deliberately adjusted it towards “modernity”, especially in Issues
78 and 202, both of which had a markedly “modernist” tendency.
Why, then, did classical Chinese literary criticism slowly reappear in Chao Foon? The
editors, authors and readers of Chao Foon all played a part in this process. Such mutual
relations resulted in Chao Foon being neither too close nor too distant from classicalliterature.
1．Editorʼs Attitude
As mentioned, the early editors of Chao Foon, either because of the idea of “pure95マレーシア研究第 12 号（2023 年）

Malayanisation” or because of their focus on modern literature (from Issue 78 onwards), on
the whole did not attach much importance to classical Chinese literature, and even statedoutright that classical Chinese literature no longer had any practical relevance incontemporary writing (Chao Foon, 1960.5: 2). However, as time passed and editors changed,
the editorial principles and positioning that they initially set out may gradually loosen,
coupled with the editorsʼ desire to enrich the diversity of Chao Foon, or the fact that some ofthe editors themselves retain a certain affection for classical literature.
After its renewal in Issue 78, Chao Foon did not publish a review of classical Chinese
literature until Issue 119 (September 1962), when it published an article by Wen Zi Chuan. In
this issue, the “Editorʼs Note” states: “We have long said that this jour nal has no
preconceptions about modern or classical literature, or Oriental or Western literature; we
recognize that literature should have a vertical side as well as a horizontal side, and that onlywith the complementarity of both vertical and horizontal sides can literar y works shine
brilliantly” (Chao Foon, 1962.9: 2). This statement, which is already very different from the“Editorʼs Note” in Issue 91, expresses the inclusive editorial attitude of Chao Foon and its
affirmation of the ancient Chinese literary tradition.
Later, in Issue 143, Chao Foon saw a diversification, starting with the serialisation of
Yue Qianʼs essays on the Characters of Water Margin 《水浒传》(). Before that, the “EditorʼsNote” in Issue 140 announced that “in terms of content, we will not only expand the length asmuch as possible, but also try to accommodate works of various genres and forms” (ChaoFoon, 1964.8). It declared a more inclusive and pluralistic editorial direction, covering
literature from both East and West, as well as modern and classical literature. In Issue 150,
Yi Teng made his debut in Chao Foon, and began publishing a series of articles on thecharacters of The Dream of the Red Chamber. The “Editorʼs Note” in that issue advocated that
the Chao Foon will treat classics and modern literature equally (Chao Foon, 1965.4). By Issue
202, Yao Tuo, Bai Yao, Li Cang and Mu Ling Nu had taken over the editorship of Chao Foon,
with Bai Yao penning the current issue of “Windy News” 〈风讯〉(), stating that “We have nointention of shouting slogans about traditional, modern, realistic or romantic literary schools,
we respect all different styles of work” (Chao Foon, 1969.8).
Issues 261 and 262 were published as “Issue(s) for Classical Literature”, which shows
the ultimate expression of the editorʼs respect and tolerance for Chinese classical literature.
In “Windy News” in Issue 261, the editor expressed his intention to break Chao Foonʼsmodernist label. The editor began by quoting readersʼ observations that Chao Foon was, inthe general opinion of the time, a journal of modern literature, to which the editor responded:“This is a sort of biased impression. We examined the content in back numbers and foundthat many of the articles were in classical literature. Nonetheless, this is the readerʼsimpression and it is worth considering them” (Chao Foon, 1974.11). The editor was aware
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that Chao Foon was already perceived by many people at the time as too modern, so hedeliberately introduced “Issue for Classical Literature” in order to re-establish the image of
Chao Foon as a diverse literary journal that is eclectic and straddles modernity and tradition.
The open-mindedness of the editors of these two issues on classical literature isnotable; however, there unfor tunately is no record identifying who the editors were.
According to the famous Malaysian literary historian Lee Kim Chong (李锦宗), Yao Tuo and
Bai Yao should have been the executive editors of Chao Foon from 1973 to 1975 (Lee, 2010).
On the other hand, in the “Windy News” of Issue 259, there is the phrase “Lai Swee Fo,
editor of this magazine” (Chao Foon, 1974.9), so it is likely that Lai Swee Fo was also involvedin the editing of those two issues.
Neither Yao Tuo nor Bai Yao agreed with the label of modernism attached to Chao
Foon. Yao Tuo published an article in Issue 458 (January 1994), in which he said:
In 1970, after Huang Ya (黄崖) left Chao Foon, Bai Yao edited it and began publishingmodern poetr y. Later on, when Zhou Huan (周唤) was chief editor, Chao Foon
publication published V-Shape of Beauty 《( 美的V形》), containing a large number ofmodern poems, which led to Chao Foon being called “modernist”. Chao Foon has
always been diverse, publishing both modern and nonmodern works. Works andarticles by Huang Yun Yo (黄润岳), Tay Lian Soo (郑良树) and myself were “notmodern” at all. (Yao, 1994)
Tee Kim Tong pointed out that Bai Yao was an important driving force behind Chao
Foonʼs inclusion of other kinds of literature, in addition to modernism. Tee even recalled:
One day, Brother Liu [Bai Yao] brought a copy of Ming Pao Monthly 《( 明报月刊》)
and asked me to read an essay by Xu Fu Guan (徐 䐾 观 ) on Wang Guo Weiʼs (王国维)Human World and the Ci Theory 《人间词话》(). He thought that this was a nice essay
and talked about Xuʼs writing and literary theory. At that time, it did not occur to me
that Liuʼs literature course had already entered the section of opening classical books.
(Tee,2015)
Bai Yao was a great admirer of classical literature and related commentaries. Lai Swee
Fo, a graduate of the Department of Foreign Languages at the National Taiwan University,
published or translated a number of reviews of Western literature in Chao Foon in the early
1970s, but later turned his academic interest to ancient Chinese literature and history. Laiʼsopinion may have been influenced the decision to publish Issues 261 and 262 as “Issue(s) for
Classical Literature”, which became a major reversal of Chao Foonʼs long-standing modern
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literary style.
2. Authorʼs Influence
In addition to the role of the editors, the role of the authors, who could contribute tohigh-quality essays on classics, was also significant in the publication of review articles onclassics by Chao Foon. In fact, the threshold for writing literary criticism is usually higher
than that for creative writing in general, and Chinese classical criticism in particular isdifficult to do without professional disciplinary training or long-term reading and research,so much so that the editors of Chao Foon have pointed out their lack of classical literature
contributions several times. Therefore, having a group of excellent classical literature review
writers, is another important reason Chao Foon has been able to maintain a certain level ofclassical literature content.
In addition, the contributions of some heavyweight scholars, with their academic
reputations and the value of their articles, were sufficient to break the established editorial
line of Chao Foon and make the editor willing to publish their papers in classical Chinese
literature. In its early days, Chao Foon emphasised “pure Malayanisation”, for example, in its
guidelines for contributions (稿约). In Issue 71, it stated: “All literary works with Malayan
background, such as novels, essays, plays, new poems, etc., … are all welcome” (Chao Foon,
1958.10: 9). However, in Issues 70 and 71, Professor Pan Chong Gui devoted a significant
amount of space to a typical and highly academic essay on classical Chinese literature.
According to the “Reader-Author-Editor”, the editors asked Pan during his visit to Nanyang
University in Singapore to write articles on the review on The Dream of the Red Chamber by
Hu Shih (胡适). The editor of Chao Foon also chose to make an exception by publishingarticles by another scholar, Su Xue Lin (156-158), who had come from Taiwan to teach at
Nanyang University.
Huang Yun Yo described his 28 years of writing columns for Chao Foon by saying,“Once, a reputable writer said to me, ʻEven though the style of Chao Foon keeps changing, it
still publishes your articlesʼ. He did not know that all of the previous editors-in-chief of Chao
Foon had been close personal friends with me” (Huang, 1985: 11). It is clear that the close
relationship that some authors have built with Chao Foon over time is one of the reasons
they have been able to influence its editorial orientation. Lai Swee Fo, for example, began tocontribute poetry and literature to Chao Foon in the late 1960s, and he published a number oftranslations and reviews of Western literature in Chao Foon in the early 1970s. Later, around1973, he also participated in the editorial work of Chao Foon. He had been focusing his
literar y interests on Chinese classics since at least 1972, when one of his articles was
published in Issue 237. It was the first article on classical Chinese literature published in
98The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in, 1955‒1999

Chao Foon in more than three years after the revamp of Issue 202. Subsequently, Lai
translated and published a number of essays on classical Chinese literature by Western
scholars in Chao Foon (238, 322, 328).
In fact, the launch of the “Issue(s) for Classical Literature”, Issues 261 and 262, hadbeen suggested by authors. In a letter enclosed in the manuscript, Zhen Zhen, who
contributed an article on the classics in Issue 260, suggested that Chao Foon publish a
special feature of the classics. The editorial team took this suggestion in good stride (ChaoFoon, 1974.10: 94). Like Lai Swee Fo, Zhen Zhen was also a fairly active writer in Chao Foon,
having published modern poetr y in Chao Foon since the late 1960s, and translatedcommentaries by Western writers. He enjoyed a friendship with the editor. He subsequently
became interested in the study of Chinese classical literature, and began to send relevant
essays to Chao Foon for publication, suggesting that the editor publish special issues onclassical literature.
Another important author of commentaries on classical Chinese literature in Chao
Foon is Zheng Bai Nian. Zheng, whose real name is Tay Lian Soo, was a renowned Sinologist
born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, with a Ph.D. in Chinese from the National Taiwan University.
He had taught at the Chinese Depar tment of the University of Malaya, the Chinese
Department of Hong Kong Central University, and the Chinese Department of SouthernCollege in Malaysia. In 1974, while teaching at the University of Malaya, he made his debutin Chao Foon with the publication of a review article on classical works entitled “Discussion
on Sun Tzu s Art of War 《孙子兵法》()” in Issue 258. Since then, Zheng has maintained a very
close relationship with Chao Foon for a long time, having been in charge of four serial
columns on Chinese classical literature: “Learn and Think (学与思)”, “Literature and History(文史丛谈)”, “Bai Nianʼs Column (百年专栏)”, and “Essays on Hong Kong (香江随笔)”. He
was one of the most important writers of Chao Foon, having publishing nearly 100 articles in
the journal, and has been one of its editorial advisers since June 1986. Zheng was aware that
Chao Foon had a modern literary tone; however, he consciously injected classical elements
into the publication. He expressed his views on the relationship between classical andmodern literature in his “Windy News” article in Issue 304:
Modern literature depends on classical literature for its nourishment and innovationin modern literature. Writers of Malaysian Chinese literature should have a goodunderstanding of classical literature in order to be able to blend it with modernity andbecome first-class writers. (Chao Foon, 1978.6: 116)
He was therefore moved by Chao Foonʼs lack of attention to classical literature, andpublished a number of articles on classical Chinese literature and culture in the hope of99

マレーシア研究第 12 号（2023 年）

drawing the attention of Malaysian Chinese writers to classical literature.
3. Readersʼ Interest
Readersʼ interest and demand are also important factors in the publication of Chineseclassical literature reviews in Chao Foon, as the purely modernist style inevitably has alimited audience. Therefore, the editor of Chao Foon should take into account the interests ofreaders and publish such articles to increase Chao Foonʼs market size and to promote sales.
For example, in the mid-to-late 1960s, when Huang Ya was the editor-in-chief, Chao
Foon, while strongly promoting modernism, devoted an extended period of time to serialising
Yue Qianʼs series of essays on the characters of Water Margin and Yi Tengʼs series of essays
on the characters of The Dream of the Red Chamber. One reason for this was that the series
received considerable attention from readers at the time. The “Reader-Author-Editor” section
published in Issue 156 commented that Yue Qianʼs essays had attracted the attention ofreaders since the first article (Chao Foon, 1965.10: 75). Also, the “Reader-Author-Editor” inIssue 179 commented that Yi Tengʼs essays were the most popular columns among readers
outside Malaysia (Chao Foon, 1967.9: 179). In response to readersʼ preferences, editors
published classical Chinese literary reviews, which opened a broader market in addition to
the “modernist” and “purely Malayan” lines.
In Chao Foonʼs 152nd issue, a new column, “Writerʼs Mailbox”, was created forreaders to ask questions of interest to them, and the editor invited relevant writers andscholars to respond thereto. Interestingly, most of the questions asked by readers at thattime were related to classical Chinese literature. For example, one reader asked, “What are
the characteristics of Li Yi Shan (李义山)ʼs poems?” Articles written in response to thesequestions were published in Issues 152 to 166.
There were also many submissions on classical literature, with some articles not fully
published in the “Issue(s) for Classical Literature” (Issues 261 and 262). In order to publish
these articles, Chao Foon frequently published a “Classical Literature Review” column afterIssue 263. This indicates that many readers were interested in classical literature, andsupported the publication of classical literature in the third period.
In the mid-1970s, Zheng Bai Nian and Huang Run Yue published several articles onclassical literature. Some articles indicated that their writings were popular among readers(Chao Foon, 1975.1: 83). Such perpetual support from readers can motivate Chao Foon tocontinue publishing articles on classical Chinese literature.

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Ⅲ Tendencies and Characteristics of Articles
on Classical Chinese Literature Published in Chao Foon
Chao Foon focuses on modern literature and the development of Chinese literature in
Malaysia. There are relatively few ar ticles on literar y theor y and analysis of works.
Therefore, reviews of classical Chinese literature are less suitable for Chao Foon. In manycases, however, articles in the classical literature on Chao Foon have distinctive tendencies
and characteristics.
1. Analysis Based on New Perspectives and Approaches
In publishing articles on classical Chinese literature, the editors of Chao Foon werealert to the development of new methodologies for analysing literature. “Windy News”, Issue
275, wrote as follows: “Classical Chinese literature has a rich heritage. However, it can only
be enjoyed by approaching it using new methods and finding new perspectives” (Chao Foon,
1976. 1: 96).
The new methods and perspectives here mostly refer to Western theories andperspectives, such as psychoanalysis and mythology, which differ from traditional Chinese
literar y studies. For example, Liu Chuan (249) explained Liu Xieʼs (勇勰) “divine
imagination” (神思) theory by supporting the theoretical views of Western literary critics
such as Eliot, Spencer and Hume. Li Nan Fa (279) also discusses Classic of Poetry 《诗经》()
on the basis of mythological theory.
There are articles discussing the influence of Chinese classics on Western literature,such as those by Luo Jin Tang (罗锦堂) (248) and Liang Zong Dai (梁宗岱) (325). Lai Shan
Fang (赖山舫) (293) advocates the importance of the method of comparative literature inunderstanding classical literature. Ho Khai Leong (何包良) discusses the challenges oftranslation, using an English translation of Su Dong Poʼs (苏东坡) Water Melody 《水调歌头》()
as an example (285).
The introduction of numerous studies of classical Chinese literature by Englishspeaking scholars is another indication of Chao Foonʼs emphasis on new methods andWestern theoretical perspectives. These articles include James J. Y. Liu (238), Ma Youwoon(322), and Cyril Birch (328).
Hao Yi Min (郝毅民), who has contributed many articles discussing the poetry of Tao
Yuan Ming (陶渊明) and Du Fu (杜甫), makes extensive use of Western theory, including
Freudian theory, biological theory and psychology, to analyse the classics (401, 402).
However, in classical Chinese literature, the content of these essays still carries astrong sense of modern thinking and standards of literary criticism, seeking to extract values101マレーシア研究第 12 号（2023 年）

from classical works that are in line with modern aesthetics.
2. For the Sake of the Development of Modern Literature
Articles on classical Chinese literature by Chao Foon often focused on contemporary
relevance, particularly in relation to modern literar y creation. In the mid-1960s, in his
forward serialised articles on the characters of Water Margin in Chao Foon, Yue Qian wrote:
Water Margin is the most successful of the old Chinese novels in terms ofcharacterisation. I intended to write this essay not so much to introduce thecharacters as good or bad, strong or weak, virtuous or unworthy, but rather to see
how Water Marginʼs depiction of the characters can ser ve as a model for writing
novels (Yue, 1964.9: 50).
It is clear that Yue Qianʼs series of ar ticles on the Water Margin was intended
primarily to introduce creative methods for reference by contemporary writers of fiction. The
editors of Chao Foon were satisfied with publishing such commentaries in the expectationthat they would inspire and help contemporary writers. Another example is the article by Xia
Yu (夏语) (198), which introduces the poetry theory of the Qing poet He Shao Ji (何绍基) as
an example of a theory of literary creation.
Both Zheng Bai Nian and Liu Chuan, important authors of classical literature criticism
in Chao Foon, emphasise that modern literature cannot abandon the traditional nourishmentof classical literature; thus, they publish relevant articles in Chao Foon with the intention of
injecting classical aesthetic heritage into modern literature, and bridging the gap between
classical and modern literature. Liu Chuan said:
Many modern poets, including the early Yu Guang Zhong (余光中), attempted todemolish traditional poetr y, but as soon as they entered the colourful garden of
traditional poetry, their strong stance immediately melt away. They no longer want tomourn the death of the tradition. When they understand traditional poetry, which isas vast as the ocean, they realise that traditional poetry has many positive influenceson the development of modern poetr y and promotes the productivity and driving
force of modern poetry. Therefore, modern and traditional poetry are not confronted
with each other but are tightly integrated (Chao Foon, 1985.10: 3).

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3. Focus on Popular Literature, Especially Vernacular Novels and Operas
According to the authorʼs statistics, among the 276 articles on classical Chinese
literature in Chao Foon, apart from those on synthesis, specific writers, literary theory andcultural essays, there are a total of 191 articles that focus on specific literary categories orworks, of which 52 are on poems, lyrics and songs, 13 on ancient prose, and 126 on novels
and operas (including myths and fables). Of these 126, a vast majority are popular vernacularnovels or operas.
The ancient Chinese concept of literature is different from the current concept of pureliterature. Traditionally, in China, literature was considered a tool for Confucian ethics andmorality, and had to be of practical benefit. In contrast, in Chao Foon, the main focus of
discussion was on the beauty of expression and the portrayal of feelings, characterisation,and emotions. At the time, editors, authors, and readers were familiar with the concepts ofmodern Western literature. Classics such as the Confucian scriptures, and the ancientphilology, phonology and exegesis, had too narrow a readership. What was more likely to
attract readers were well-known popular literature such as Water Margin, Dream of the Red
Chamber and Romance of the Western Chamber (《 西 厢 记 》). Although these are classics,
they also were vernacular novels. Therefore, they were closer to modern novels andprovided many references for creative techniques.
4. Reader-friendly Essays that Concisely Summarise Difficult Arguments
Chao Foon is, after all, not a serious academic journal and does not target literary
professionals as its audience. Therefore, to make classical literary criticism more accessible
to readers, the editors of Chao Foon generally welcome articles that are profound in content
but very easy to understand and not too formal or heavy. Some authors have kept this in
mind.
Zheng Bai Nian is the most notable example of this. Zhang specialises in the study ofChinese classics. However, he writes extensive articles in an easy-to-understand manner.
Zhengʼs writing style is flexible and lively, with clear expressions, and the light of the authorʼsthoughts can be seen everywhere, attracting many readers. Zheng (261, 265, 266) is a good
example, as are May Soo Chin (梅淑贞) (312, 334, 362) and Huang Yun Yo (411, 439, 442).
5. Cross-border Knowledge Sharing and Cross-referencing
Most of the writers of classical literature reviews in the early years of Chao Foon wereliterati or scholars from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Wang Hui was former editor of the103マレーシア研究第 12 号（2023 年）

Humanity Magazine (人生杂志社) in Hong Kong, who came to Malaya around 1957 to teach.
Professors Pan Chong Gui and Su Xue Lin are university teachers who came to Singapore forteaching. Yue Qian was a Hong Kong novelist originally from Anhui Province, who also went
to Taiwan. Yi Teng had long settled in Penang, and was already considered a local writer in
Malaya, but was, in fact, a literary figure who hails from China. As late as Issue 388 (October1985), Chao Foon published an article written by Taiwanese scholar Wei Zi Yun (魏子云),
submitted from Taipei.
In addition, there are many articles on classical Chinese literature in Chao Foon thatwere reprinted from Hong Kong and Taiwan publications, such as Yue Heng Jun (243),
which was reprinted from the Chung-Wai Literary Monthly 《中外文学》(). Luo Jin Tang (248)
was reprinted from The China Monthly 《中华月报》(), Hong Kong. Hao Yi Min (310) was
reprinted from Ming Pao Monthly 《( 明报月刊》), Hong Kong. Chou Chao-Ming (395)translated and reprinted an article published in 1985 in Studies in English Literature &Linguistics, Department of English, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan.
Articles on classical Chinese literature by Chao Foon have been published in thecontext of multi-layered interrelationships in the creation and transmission of literar yknowledge in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan. Scholars from Hong Kong andTaiwan published in Chao Foon while teaching in Malaysia and Singapore. Some deliberately
sent their articles to Chao Foon from outside Malaysia. Some of the reprinted papers havebeen published in other journals in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Those who received academic
training or taught Chinese classical literature in Hong Kong and Taiwan, such as Zheng Bai
Nian, also disseminated knowledge of Chinese classical literature in Hong Kong and Taiwan
to Malaysia through their contributions to Chao Foon. Chao Foon was both a product andplatform of the cross-border network of classical Chinese literary knowledge among Hong
Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.
It is worth mentioning that those engaged in Chao Foon in Malaysia are not always on
the “receiving end” of the dissemination of classical literature. For example, Yi Tengʼs serial
essay The Dream of the Red Chamber, published in Chao Foon, was popular with readers
outside Malaysia. Knowledge of classical Chinese literature produced in Malaysia has been
disseminated abroad.

Conclusion: The Entanglement of “Modern” and “Traditional”
of Malaysian Chinese Literature
Chao Foon has been an important publication of contemporary Malaysian Chinese
literature since 1955, but also published a number of reviews and essays on Chinese classicalliterature, as well as two issues of “Issue for Classical Literature”. Classicism cannot be
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The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in, 1955‒1999

ignored in Chao Foonʼs history.
The tendency to publish articles on classical Chinese literature varies by publication
period. In the early years, Chao Foon published ver y few articles on classical Chinese
literature, as it was promoting “purely Malayanisation”. In addition, in the renewal Issues 78
and 202, Chao Foon moved in the direction of modernist literature, and articles on classicalChinese literature disappeared for a while. However, some time after the renewal, a numberof essays on Chinese classical literature appeared in the period from Issues 143 to 201 andfrom Issues 237 to 300. From Issues 301 to 443, essays on Chinese classical literature appear
in Chao Foon recurrently. There were almost no articles in Chinese classical literature in
Issues 444 to 488.
Interactions among editors, authors, and readers supported the publication of articles
on Chinese classical literature in Chao Foon. The editors were sufficiently broad-minded toaccept all articles, even those with conflicting characteristics. The authors were aware of theneed to promote traditional literature and cultures as many readers liked and were familiar
with the classics.
Chao Foon placed emphasis on studying classical literature using Western literary
theories and novel research methods, such as comparing Chinese and Western literature. In
particular, there are many articles on popular literature, especially vernacular novels anddramas, which are similar to contemporar y literature. The significance of referring toclassical literature in the creation of contemporary literature is emphasised. This is in linewith the aim of Chao Foon, who was oriented towards modern literature.
The ar ticles on Chinese classical literature in Chao Foon reflect a network oftransnational production and dissemination of knowledge of Chinese classical literature
among Hong Kong, Malaya/Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan from the 1950s to the 1990s.
Articles on Chinese classical literature by scholars and writers from Hong Kong and Taiwan
often appeared in Chao Foon. Classical literature articles by local literati in Malaya/Malaysia
and Singapore can also be disseminated to Hong Kong and Taiwan through Chao Foon. Chao
Foon functioned as a platform for the exchange and sharing of knowledge of classicalChinese literature in Hong Kong, Malaya/Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan.
As a literary journal known for its modernist stance, the articles on classical Chinese
literature in Chao Foon are noteworthy aspects that reveal the contradictions and pluralism
within the journal. It is the entanglement of modernity and tradition in both theor y andcreative practice of Chinese-language literature in Malaya/Malaysia. Reflecting the clash
between locality and Chineseness and the contestation between modernists and classicists inthe theoretical discourse and critical consciousness of Chinese-language literary circles in
Malaya/Malaysia, an afterglow of tradition emerges in Chao Foon. Here, we see a complex
attitude that oscillates between the inheritance and innovation of classical Chinese literature105

マレーシア研究第 12 号（2023 年）

while actively seeking the locality and subjectivity of Malaysian Chinese-language literature,
inheriting Chinaʼs May Fourth New Literature Movement and Western modernist literature.

〈References〉
【

《蕉风》】

Chao Foon, 1958.10〈稿约〉，《蕉风》第 71 期，1958 年 10 月，9。
- , 1960.5〈编者的话〉，《蕉风》第 91 期，1960 年 5 月，2。
-, 1962.9〈编者的话〉，《蕉风》第 119 期，1962 年 9 月，2。
-, 1964.8〈编者的话〉，《蕉风》第 140 期，1964 年 8 月，inside front cover.
-, 1965.4〈读者 · 作者 · 编者〉，《蕉风》第 150 期，1965 年 4 月，63。
-, 1965.10〈读者 · 作者 · 编者〉，《蕉风》第 156 期，1965 年 10 月，75。
-, 1967.9〈读者 · 作者 · 编者〉，《蕉风》第 179 期，1967 年 9 月，2。
-, 1969.8〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 202 期，1969 年 8 月，94。
-, 1972.11〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 237 期，1972 年 11 月，92。
-, 1974. 9〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 259 期，1974 年 9 月，94。
-, 1974.10〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 260 期，1974 年 10 月，94。
-, 1974.11〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 261 期，1974 年 11 月，94。
-, 1975.11〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 263 期，1975 年 1 月，83。
-, 1975.3〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 265 期，1975 年 3 月，82。
-, 1975.4〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 266 期，1975 年 4 月，82。
-, 1976.1〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 275 期，1976 年 1 月，96。
-, 1978.6〈风笺〉，《蕉风》第 304 期，1978 年 6 月，116。
-, 1985.10〈风讯〉，《蕉风》第 388 期，1985 年 10 月，3。
-, 1987.3〈读者 · 作者 · 编者〉，《蕉风》第 401 期，1987 年 3 月，25。
【Books and articles】
Bai Yao 白䐖（1998）〈现实主义的蕉风〉，《蕉风》第 486 期，1998 年 9 月，75-77。
Chow Tse-Tsung 周策纵 (1989)《东南亚华文文学的 “双重传统”、“多元中心”和困难问题》，《香
港文学》第 53 期，1989 年 5 月。
Hong Shu Ling 洪淑苓（2019）〈台湾文学在《蕉风》的呈现与意义（1955-1999）〉，《韩江学刊》第 1 期，2019 年 2 月，1-36。
Huang Yun Yo 黄润岳 (1985)〈蕉风三十年〉，《蕉风》第 384 期，1985 年 5 月，11。
Lee Kim Chong 李锦宗 (2010)〈姚拓与蕉风〉，《南洋商报》，2010 年 1 月 9 日。
Li Nan Fa 李南发 (1976)〈诗经中的桑树研究〉，《蕉风》第 279 期，1976 年 5 月，66。
Lim Choon Bee 林春美 (2021) Chao Foon and the Non-leftist Mahua Literature《蕉风与非左翼的马华文学》台北 : 时报文化出版。
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The Afterglow of Tradition: Chinese Classical Literature Articles in, 1955‒1999

Liu Chuan 流川 (1978)〈传统与现代的结合̶析论淡莹的 “怀古五首”〉，《蕉风》第 301 期，
1978 年 3 月，8。
Ng Yan Leng 伍燕翎（2007）〈被翻译的 “现代性”：《蕉风》与译介―以 1969 年̶1975 年《蕉风》为个案〉，《中文人 • 现代马华》，2007 年 11 月，第 4 期，17-22。
Shinozaki Kaori 篠崎香織 , Masutani Satoshi 舛谷鋭 and Yamamoto Hiroyuki 山本博之 eds.
(2022) Banana, Coconut, and Hornbill: Chao Foon Magazine and the Chinese
Publication Network in East and Southeast Asia during the Cold War『蕉風・椰雨・犀鳥声―冷戦期の東アジア・東南アジアにおける華語出版ネットワーク』京都大学東南アジア地域研究研究所（CIRAS discussion paper No. 108）。
Tee Kim Tong 张锦忠 (2015)〈二一七路十号细说从头，勇哥与我〉，《星洲日报 · 文艺春秋》，
2015 年 6 月 28 日。
Tee Kim Tong 张锦忠, Ng, Kim Chew 黄锦树 and Lee, Soo Chee 李树枝 eds. (2022) Cold
War, Indigenization, and Modernity: Collection of Academic Papers on Chao Foon《冷战、本土化与现代性：《蕉风》研究论文集》高雄：国立中山大学出版社。
Yao Tuo 姚拓 (1994)〈闲笔说《蕉风》〉，《蕉风》第 458 期，1994 年 1 月，4。
Yue Qian 岳骞 (1964)〈水浒人物散论（前言）〉，《蕉风》第 143 期，1964 年 9 月，50。

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