AN IRISH journalist has written a book to let the world know about a dozen remarkable men -- all born in the backwaters of what was to become Zhuhai -- who helped lift China into the modern world.
Mark O'Neill is a freelance reporter and adjunct lecturer of international journalism at Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC). Based in Hong Kong, he has just published the book, The Second Tang Dynasty: The 12 Sons of Fragrant Mountain Who Changed China.
O'Neill hopes that Chinese readers, especially those in Zhuhai, get know more about these great historic personalities and the roles they played in modernising China.
The Second Tang Dynasty's extraordinary men include five surnamed Tang who were born in Tangjiawan. The area was then part of Xiangshan (Fragrant Mountain) County, which is today's Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Macao.
The 12 locals played major roles in politics, business, education, diplomacy, medicine and the military. For example, Rong Hong (Yung Wing) (1828-1912) was the first Chinese graduate from an American university, Yale; Tang Shaoyi (Tong Shao Yi) (1862-1938) was the first prime minister of the Republic of China; Huang Kuan (Wong Foon) (1829-1878) was the first Chinese doctor of Western medicine; and Tang Guo'an (Tong Kwo On) (1858-1913) was the first president of Tsinghua University.
"They were extraordinary, not only because they had made remarkable achievements in life, but because they made the achievements in a turbulent, unstable and regime-changing period," said O'Neill. "They've changed China and helped the country to take on a long journey towards modernisation. Unfortunately, most of them are unknown and there's no record in history textbooks either in the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong or Taiwan."
The biographies are based on research O'Neill did in libraries, museums and in the figures' former residences in Zhuhai. His mother-in-law, who was born in Tangjiawan, told him that her family once had many famous neighbours in Xiangshan. She cited Tang Shaoyi, whom at that time he had known nothing about. After some Internet research, O'Neill found that Tang was the first prime minister of the Republic of China. "Wow, he was really somebody," he exclaimed. Anyway, it was the source to inspire him to write the book, O'Neill recalled.
O'Neill has accompanied his wife to tomb sweeping (during the Qing Ming Jie holiday) in Tangjiawan since the 1980s. After working at UIC, he had more time to visit local seniors and thus learned more about the historic figures. As a result, he authored the book based on storytelling and documentation. His work shows concern about the people's fate, their glory, joy and sorrows during the period.
They were confronted with various difficulties. For example, Wong Foon had studied medicine in Scotland; he could have remained there as a doctor, but instead returned to work in a hospital in Guangzhou where he continued to help patients in his unwed lifetime. Likewise, Yung Wing graduated from Yale, the best college in the US, and he could have stayed and enjoyed life there forever, but chose to return China to render service to his country. Issues concerning patriotism can be sensitive, but the 12 pioneers definitely had deep affection to their home country, he pointed out. "All Chinese, in particular Zhuhai people, should not forget these who had spared no effort in dedicating their life to China's prosperity."
O'Neill focuses on little-known history and has written five non-fiction English books -- Tzu Chi: Serving With Compassion, Frederick: The Life of My Missionary Grandfather in Manchuria, Chinese Labour Corps, From the Tsar's Railway to the Red Army, and now The Second Tang Dynasty.
Frederick is a fascinating biography of his missionary grandfather, who lived for 45 years in Faku, a small town in Northeast China, since 1897. Based on his grandfather's work reports and diaries, O'Neill tells the hard life story of Irish missionaries in China.
Born in London and educated at New College, Oxford University, O'Neill has worked as a journalist in Asia since 1978. He has been based in China, Japan and India, writing for Reuters, the BBC, Macao Magazine, Hong Kong Economic Journal's ejinsight.com, and as a correspondent for the South China Morning Post.
The book is available at Joint Publishing, a major bookstore and publisher at 9 Queen Victoria Road, Hong Kong. It is printed in both English and traditional Chinese, with which O'Neill is fluent.
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