HKU Bulletin February 2004 (Vol. 5 No. 2)

31 30 PEOPLE C hina needs to be confident enough to pick and mix from the best of the world’s diverse cultures as well as its own if it is to keep growing and fulfill the vision of Sun Yat-sen. This was the key message of the world-renowned scholar Professor Wang Gungwu as he marked the unveiling of the Sun Yat-sen statue with a distinguished lecture. Returning to the Universi ty where he served as Vice- Chancellor, Wang stressed that China could only be strong if it drew strength from a broad base of cultu R re e s ly . ing solely on China’s traditional ‘political culture’ of Confucian orthodoxy of elite officials who rule and the rest, who are ruled, was no longer enough. Wang said: “New opportunities to remake a different but no less vibrant Chinese package of cultures can be found everywhere. “The impact of the revolut ion started by Sun Yat-sen shows that pol i t ical cul ture is but one par t of Chinese heritage.” To forge a future political culture China needed to look to pol i t ical participation and urban populism, as wel l as commercial competition and scientific imagination. In his lecture – Chinese Pol itical Culture: The Impact of Revolution – Wang pointed at the life and times of Sun as proof positive of the effect of diverse cultures. Sun, Wang argued, was shaped by a world in which the western powers were conquering and colonising the world thanks to industrialisation, commerce and science. Wang said: “This comes out most clearly in his statement about the secret of European wealth and power. “‘Ren neng jinqicai, di neng jinqili, wu neng jinqiyong, huo neng jinqiliu’ “If I may paraphrase this, it means ‘maximising talent in human resources, maximising benefits from natural resources, maximising the use of material products, and maximising the flow of cash and goods’.” Sun went further than his contemporaries, noted Wang, by stressing the importance of science and invention, and support The Impact of Revolution and protection for merchants and commerce. It did not stop there argued Wang. Sun also looked to better transport, trade, manufacturing and, crucially, modern farming techniques to help China compete on a level footing. But Wang believed that external factors alone do not help explain Sun’s development. From a humble peasant background, Sun came up against the suf focat ing pol i t ical cul ture of mandar ins and thei r r igid brand of Confucianism. In his late 20s Sun lobbied senior Qing off icials wi th his reformist but conventional ideas but quickly realised that the son of peasant would never capture their ear. Wang said: “Thus he came to realise that the prevailing mindset was probably incapable of change and this led him to abandon his fai th in the dominant political culture.” Within a matter of months Sun went to Hawai i where he set up a revolutionary society and on returning to China began agitating for rebellion in Guangzhou. Thus Sun was set on a path of populism – appealing to the masses to overthrow the old regime – and showing an infinite capacity to adapt to changing dem W an a d n s g . said this “qualifies him to be called the first modern professional politician of China, certainly the first who consciously saw himself as a revolutionary.” This meant Sun setting up his own revolutionary party but the Guangdong activist soon realised that in China political power rested in the barrel of a gun. Once deposed by China’s warlords Sun never regained power but Wang believed Sun would surely approve of a nation where modern education, trade and science prosper. For China, Wang believed, the lessons of the past also hold lessons for the future. Wang said: “Even with a revolution, a great heritage is never lost. Its inspiration is always on offer and the best of it will invariably survive.” F rom the Triad infested dens, through the checkpoints of the Imperial Japanese Army and onto Free China, the escape of the University Seal has the stamp of fiction about it. But only now – 61 years later – is the true story of the two Hong Kong agents who helped smuggle the seal out of the occupied colony beginning to emerge into the light. It centres on the incredible bravery of Agent 36 Lau Teng Kee and Agent 63 Raymond Chang who found themselves working for the secret British Army Aid Group (BAAG). This was set up in China to help escapees from occupied Hong Kong, aid the Chinese forces and gather intelligence on the Japanese through a network of agen L t a s. u was sent into the devastated colony in 1942 to make contact with RC Rober tson, who was a Professor of Pathology at the University and who had been asked to hide the Seal. The University authorities were eager to keep i t safe because i t was sole remaining piece of regal ia f rom i ts inception in 1913 and used to validate all contracts, as well as degrees. At great risk to himself, Lau made contact wi th Rober tson at the then Bacter iology Inst i tute of Hong Kong Medical Department – now the Museum of Medical Sciences – where he was watched by guards. Lau, however, was then forced to seek out the help of Triads in Yau Ma Tei because he was not confident that he could smuggle the heavy Seal out of Hong Kong. When the seal failed to arrive in Waichow, where the BAAG regional HQ was stationed, Lau was forced to return to territory to find out what had gone wrong. This time Lau returned with a companion – Raymond Chang, Chang was a former University student and gunner with the Hong Kong Volunteer Defence Force who had managed to escape arrest in the aftermath of the invasion. The pair discovered that the frightened smuggler had been forced to bury the seal in the face of repeated security sweeps by the Japanese army. While Lau managed to round up 23 University students and lead them out of the territory and into comparative safety, Chang smuggled out their belongings, including the seal. Secret Agents Rescue University Seal This incredible story has only emerged thanks to the pioneering research of Lady Elizabeth Ride, whose father Lt Col Lindsay Tasman Ride headed the BAAG in China. Ride, who was brought up in Hong Kong but now lives in Norway, is forensically pulling together all the records of the BAAG, which has largely been forgotten since the war. At a lecture given at the University in November, Ride praised the ‘ordinary men and women of Hong Kong’ who made up the vast majority of BAAG agents. Ride said: “I think it is important that the actions of these people are not forgotten. This story is a perfect illustration of the bravery of people who worked for BAAG.” This bravery would, however, eventually cost Lau his life. Recruited by the British Special Operations Executive, he was landed in Japanese occupied Malaya by submarine. He and his party were never heard from again, and it is presumed that they were executed, probably in Changi Prison in Singapore. Chang is believed to have survived the war and returned to Hong Kong. • If you know what happened to Raymond Chang could you please contact Lady Elizabeth Ride c/o Dr Peter Cunich, Department of History. Lady Elizabeth Ride with the Seal.