Glimpses into Chinese Immigration in Canada The New Republic & The World Journal Vancouver Newspapers

小移民成長故事 《系列報導之十三》(上)


Abstract:
Chinese--Canada ; Immigrant children--Canada--Social conditions ; Children of immigrants--Education--Canada
Subjects:
Chinese--Canada ; Immigrant children--Canada--Social conditions ; Children of immigrants--Education--Canada
Subjects Facet:
Chinese--Canada;Immigrant children--Canada--Social conditions;Children of immigrants--Education--Canada
Creator:
張宜中 ; Zhang, Yizhong
Date:
1996-01-25
Date searchable:
1996-01-25
Date searchable:
1996-01-25
Genre:
articles
Genre Facet:
articles
Format:
image/tiff
Language:
Chinese
Language Facet:
Chinese
Relation:
Article from: World Journal(世界日報)
Rights:
Contact UVic Archives for access to the original resource and for reproduction requests (fee for reproductions).This material is made available on this site for research and private study only.
Title-Alternative:
The Stories of Young Immigrants 《Article 13 of a series of reports》(Part one)
Description-Abstract:
Keywords: He, Xinchang
Location(s):
British Columbia--Vancouver
Location(s) Facet:
British Columbia--Vancouver
Transcript:
小移民成長故事 《系列報導之十三》(上) 何信昌 闖出一片自己天空 建築師何信昌一九六八年隨全家移民溫哥華時,雖當時的家鄕台北,並不像現今一般繁華,但是與到處均環繞著自然景色、人口分佈又相當鬆散的溫哥華相較, 連十二歲的他都感覺自己好比一個「城市人」來到鄕下,但這也是當初雙親決定移民溫哥華的原因,就像何信昌父親所說的「此處地大物博,深具發展潛力」。 剛來的時候,何信昌在台灣才唸了幾個月的初中,英文能力實在有限,只有先就讀類似現今的ESL課程。他記得該課程的名稱爲新加拿大人班(New Canadian Class),顧名思義,班上的成員全來自世界各地,包括香港、日本、南斯拉夫、印度、捷克等。二年的就讀時間裡,他並不覺得學到了很正統的英文,反倒是對各方言中,兒童喜歡用來駡人的詞語學了不少。 一位希臘來的同學在班上常找他麻煩,有一次被逼急了,他擺出會功夫的哥哥所傳授的幾招「花拳繡腿」來嚇唬對方,而老師見狀也同意兩人可稍做比劃,結果在同學的圍觀下,「西方拳擊與東方武術較量賽」正式開鑼。他模仿從電影中看來的李小龍招式,一面高呼「阿達!」以壯聲勢,一面還踢出連環飛腿,老師看了連忙喝令中止比賽。自此以後,該名同學再也沒有來煩過他,這件事給他很深的感觸,了解到人不能老是以退讓牽就來處理難題,漸漸地,他摸索出在西方世界的處事之道。 上了正式中學後,他與一位加拿大同學走得很近,在他的幫助下,何信昌的英文突飛猛進,也逐漸不再害羞,而敢在課堂上主動發表意見。兩人的友誼一直持續到高中畢業,因該名同學並未繼續升大學,隨著時光變遷,也就漸無往來。 在學科方面,何信昌對於數學、科學最是得心應手,或許是遺傳了建築師父親的因子,他對於設計也相當有興趣。在八年級時,他製作了一個孔雀,其尾巴是用一把傘骨撑起,可自由張合,因外貌栩栩如生,被老師大大誇獎了一番。 在高中二年級時,他利用暑假,獨力將家中未完工的地下室裝修好,這兩個經驗,再加上哥哥的鼓勵,使他決定走向建築設計的方向。 (待續) 本報記者:張宜中 【圖片】:何信昌在高中二年級的暑假,獨立完成家中地下室的工程,特地自拍一張照片,以資留念。 (圖由何信昌提供) 【圖片】:何信昌在八年級時,設計製作了一個巧妙又栩栩如生的孔雀。(圖由何信昌提供) English translation: The Stories of Young Immigrants 《Article 13 of a series of reports》(Part one) He Xinchang Made His Own Way Architect He Xinchang immigrated to Vancouver with his family in 1968. At that time, his hometown Taipei was not as prosperous as it is today. However, compared with Vancouver, which is surrounded by natural scenery and has a fairly low population distribution, even the 12-year-old [Xinchang] felt like a “city slicker” coming to the countryside. But this is also why his parents decided to immigrate to Vancouver. As He Xinchang's father said, “this place’s territory is vast and has abundant resources and great potential for future development.” When he first arrived, He Xinchang had only been studying in junior high school for a few months in Taiwan. His knowledge of English was limited and he had to take a class similar to an ESL course today. He remembers that the course was called the New Canadian Class. As the name implies, its members came from all over the world, including Hong Kong, Japan, Yugoslavia, India, the Czech Republic, and so on. During his two years of study, he did not feel that he had learned very orthodox English. Instead, he learned a lot of words that children like to use to swear in various dialects. A classmate from Greece often harassed him in class. Once when he was pushed too far, he showed some “showy but not practical martial arts” taught by his brother, who knew Kung Fu, with a hope to frighten that classmate away. The teacher saw and said they could have a small competition. As a result, the "Western Boxing and Oriental Martial Arts Competition" was officially launched under the watch of their classmates. He imitated Bruce Lee’s moves from his movies, shouting “Ada!” to make his voice strong while doing a series of high kicks. Seeing [his actions], the teacher quickly suspended the game. After that, that classmate never bothered him again. This incident made a deep impression on him. He understood that you can't always deal with difficult problems by retreating. Gradually, he found out how to deal with things in the western world. After joining the normal middle school curriculum, he became very close to a Canadian classmate. With his help, He Xinchang’s English progressed quickly. He was no longer shy. Now he dared to express his opinions in class. Their friendship continued until they graduated from high school. As the classmate did not continue on to university, contact between them whithered as time went by. In terms of disciplines, He Xinchang is most comfortable with mathematics and science. He is also very interested in design, perhaps because his father is an architect. In grade eight, he made a peacock whose tail was propped up with an umbrella rib and was free to open. He was greatly praised by the teacher because of the peacock’s lifelike appearance. In his second year of high school, he used his summer vacation to decorate the unfinished basement in his home. These two experiences, together with his brother's encouragement, made him decide to go in the direction of architectural design. (to be continued) By Zhang Yizhong, journalist of World Journal Vancouver [Photo]: He Xinchang completed decorating the basement of his home in the summer of his second year of high school. He took a photo as a souvenir. (Photo provided by He Xinchang) [Photo]: He Xinchang designed and made an ingenious, lifelike peacock in grade eight. (Photo provided by He Xinchang)