Professor Wang Gungwu’s “Roads to Chinese Modernity”

More than 20 years ago, when I was a student at the Australian National University, I was thrilled to discover the writings of Professor Wang Gungwu, especially those on the Chinese diaspora.

I continue to follow his works until this day, and have had the honour of hosting Prof Wang, the grand doyen of Chinese history, on several occasions, as well as listening to his lectures.

The lecture he delivered in Penang back in 2010, on the founding father of modern China, Dr Sun Yat-sen (孙中山), and philosopher Gu Hongming (辜鸿铭) was the best I had the pleasure of listening to.

Born in 1866, Sun Yat-sen who was educated in Hawaii adapted western ideas into Chinese, and had advanced these ideas to change China. Gu Hongming, born in 1857 in Penang, who was brought up in an entirely Western tradition and went to universities in Scotland, Germany and France, before turning up in China. But as the republican revolutionary fervour was brewing in China, Gu became a conservative seeking to preserve Chinese traditions.

Prof Wang masterfully juxtaposed Sun and Gu by linking them to Penang and China in a perennial debate between reform and revolution, and the birth of a new order for China and its implications to the world.

It is my deep honour to endorse his latest book “Roads to Chinese Modernity: Civilisation and National Culture”. At 95, Prof Wang continues to write lucidly. This book is indeed a tour de force.

He takes the readers through the contours and torturous detours of Chinese history, and predicts the future, of which he is cautiously optimistic. It is a wonderful read, and I hope you enjoy the book as much as I do.

By the way, a little bird told me that he is working on another book, which is expected to hit the shelves next year.