Gunasheelan is a tall, thin, attractive Indian Malaysian child, whose strong suit is track and field. Because he lives next to Chinese, he followed along with them and studied in a Chinese language primary school ever since he was young. Now in his third year at Foom-Yew Secondary School, he likes to listen to the songs of Huang Chan and is a fan of the Taiwan movie star Wang Tsu-hsien. His father feels that there is a better future if he studies Chinese, so his two younger brothers will also enter the Foom-Yew Secondary School to study.

Annie is a third year student at Foom-Yew, and is native Malay. Her father believes that there is a better chance that one will be employed by a government agency if one understands Chinese, so she has always studied in Chinese language schools, with very good grades. But there is a little problem at home: her family loves to watch Malay language television, but she likes to watch the Chinese language shows from Singapore.

The number of non-Chinese students like Gunasheelan and Annie in the 5,400-student Foom-Yew Secondary School--the largest Chinese language secondary school in Malaysia, and indeed anywhere in the non-Chinese world -- while not large, is increasing every year.

Mixing In, Maintaining Traditions: The main reasons that non-Chinese look highly on the Chinese language are the opening of the mainland Chinese economy and the rise of investment from Taiwan in recent years. According to statistics of the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority, Taiwan has already surpassed Japan to become the number one foreign investor in Malaysia. Given this economic trend, many people have decided that the fad for the Chinese language will only get stronger, or in any case shouldn't decline.

On the other side of this practical calculation, the 170-year historical complex about the Chinese language among Malaysian Chinese is very complicated.

According to histories, the earliest contact between China and the peoples of Southeast Asia can be traced back as far as the Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty (206B.C.-220A.D.). But it was only 500 years ago, when Cheng Ho of the Ming dynasty went to the South China Sea, that Chinese and Malays came into close contact. Three hundred years ago, colonial powers including England and Holland, looking to develop the rubber plantations and tin mines of southeast Asia, sought workers among the densely packed, poverty-stricken Chinese populations of Fukien and Kwangtung along the southeast coast of China. This created a huge wave of economic migration.

The special features of this wave of immigration were that the people had low degrees of education and were going overseas in order to make a better life for themselves. But after one or two generations of laborious accumulation, they began to have some surplus, and turned their attention to the great determinant of the life of the next generation--education. One hundred and seventy years ago, the Wu Fu Academy, established in Penang and staffed with teachers recruited from China, marked the beginning of Chinese language education in Malaysia. Thereafter, small private schools and academies were set up in halls or temples in every area; Hakkanese, Chaochow natives, and Fukienese all used their own regional dialects to study and memorize the cream of Chinese culture, from the Three Character Primer to the Book of Family Names to the Four Books and Five Classics.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being: "Although we live well here, we want to understand the difficulties, creativeness, and spirit of cooperation of our ancestors when they came southward. That's definitely in the best tradition of us Chinese," affirms Li Yeh-lin of the Malaysian Chinese. Resource and Research Center. "We want to pass this culture on to the next generation; this is the only way Chinese can have roots and have strength."

Nevertheless, maintaining the traditional culture has become the "unbearable lightness of being." In 1957, Malaysia became independent of the British empire, and although it is stipulated in the constitution that all peoples have the right to freely study their mother tongue, the highest objective of education has adopted a standard of "one language and one system." Thus Chinese language schools have received differential treatment in educational funding, the teaching license of Chinese language education enthusiast Lin Lian-yu was revoked, and so on.

However, these setbacks for Chinese language have, on the other hand, forced the Chinese of different dialects to unite.

They would rather rely on their own resources to start up schools than cut off transmission of the traditional culture. Thus were Chinese language "independent secondary schools," which cannot get government subsidies and whose diplomas are not recognized, established. Chung Tien-hsiang, senior correspondent for Asiaweek magazine in Malaysia, recalls when the Chinese language educator Lin Lian-yu, who was stripped of Malaysian citizenship for pursuit of Chinese language education, died in 1985, Kuala Lumpur Chinese sent countless memorials, declared the day "Malaysian Chinese Education Day," and inscribed "Soul of the Race" at the burial site. "You can see how seriously Malaysian Chinese take Chinese language education," he says.

Getting to the Top: Today there are 1200 Chinese language primary schools throughout Malaysia, and sixty independent secondary schools of which Foom- Yew, which has more than 5,000 students, is the largest.

"There are a lot of students because Johor Bahra County in Johor state only has this one independent Chinese language middle school," explains Chang Pa-chuan, current principal. In 1969, after the anti-Chinese riots in Kuala Lumpur, many Chinese moved southward. As a result, Chinese secondary schools in the north had trouble recruiting a sufficient number of students, but Foom- Yew had to adopt examinations to control the number, with only about a fifty percent rate of admission. In the second place, Johor Bahra has five major factions of Chaochow, Cantonese, Fukienese, Hainan, and Hakka people, all of which strongly support education, which has enabled Foom- Yew to become strong and grow continually. "We expanded the school premises for three consecutive semesters beginning in 1973," states Principal Chang with pride.

For parents and students, the main reasons they prefer an independent middle school are that the controls are strict and the teaching intensive and earnest. "The rules are lax in the average Malaysian middle school, and the method of teaching is to allow students to do their own thing, with great variations in quality and results," contends Hsu Chih-hung, head of the Foom- Yew Alumni Association of Taiwan Universities and Colleges. Malaysian Chinese Chang Shun-lien, who had studied in a public middle school, says that she only got determined enough to study in an independent school when she still hadn't received her textbooks after sixty days.

At present, the Foom- Yew secondary school has 2,900 students at middle school level and 2,500 at high school level. "Ninety percent of the teachers studied in Taiwan," says Chang, so that their Chinese language ability is quite good.

Tri-Lingualism: But it's not enough to have good Chinese. The children at the Foom- Yew school must simultaneously study English and Malay; this is the school's idea, so that students will have an easier time making a career later on. Because the diplomas conferred by independent secondary schools are not recognized by the government, many parents realize that it is not easy for Chinese to enter government service, and it is necessary to be skilled in all three languages for private organizations, so they also take this into account in sending their children to the independent secondary school.

"It is necessary to use all three languages in daily life from a young age, but they must all be given equal consideration, so there's a great deal of pressure; perhaps as a result of this, all three languages are only half-learned, none fluently," says Hsu Chih-hung. Li Mei-lien, a third-year middle school student, says that classical Chinese and rhetoric both give her trouble. Classmate Peng Teh-chiang is less than happy with his Mandarin: "When I hear how perfect the Mandarin is when it is spoken by Taiwanese or mainland Chinese, I feel self-conscious and inferior."

It is inevitable that overseas Chinese will have some unique accents when speaking Mandarin, but compared to other independent secondary schools, the students at Foom-Yew already speak very precise Mandarin. This is partly the result of fortuitous geography--Singapore, just a bridge away, broadcasts a variety of programming in Chinese, and with this kind of "extracurricular guidance," naturally the results will be better for the Foom-Yew students.

With a foundation in three languages, in the future they can participate in Malaysian government examinations, test into Malaysian universities though the quota for Chinese is not large), or they can go overseas to study in English or Chinese language areas. Although it is arduous, it is necessary to keep one's nose to the books for the sake of making a living in the future.

Fortunately, extracurricular activities are wellestablished, providing some balance to the pressures of schoolwork.

Happy as a Sultan: Because space is inadequate at most independent secondary schools, it is common for students to go only half days. Although Foom-Yew has no shortage of room, it is no exception, and the afternoon is entirely devoted to extracurricular or athletic activities. So-called "extracurricular activities" just means clubs, indicates Hsu Chih-hung, a Foom- Yew alumnus now studying in the Department of Horticulture at National Taiwan University. At Foom- Yew he participated in the horticultural club, and discovered he had a great interest in horticulture, thus determining what he would study in college. Liang Jih-sung, another Foom-Yew alum studying chemical engineering at NTU, is a skillful Flutist, so you can see how effective their club activities are set up. Of them, the most unique it the sailing team.

Foom- Yew is just across the Johor Straits from Singapore, and the coastline is exquisitely beautiful, and many students find it irresistable during school. The Sultan of Johor state also loves this area, and often comes here to sail. But it's more fun in groups than by yourself, and he donated ten sailboats to the Foom- Yew school to encourage them to set up a sailing club.

Why didn't he encourage Malay students? "Because Malays are in general a more gentle, moderate people, and don't favor highly stimulating activities," offers sailing instructor Yeh Kui-hsing. The sailing team must spend two afternoons a week training and swimming; the training is strict and there are not as many people who would like to join as you might imagine. Right now the sailing club has forty members and thirty-five boats.

When you go by Foom- Yew secondary school on a Saturday afternoon, you are bound to see the vibrant colors of the sailcloth rippling across the marine blue sea, as well as lots of people watching from the shore. But there it one chair where it is absolutely forbidden to sit--that is the Sultan's spot, and it is guarded by police.

Soliciting by Students: Besides club activities, like most independent secondary schools, Foom- Yew also has a crucial extracurricular activity -- fund-raising. According to statistics of the Alliance of Boards of Malaysian Chinese Schools, the total shortfall in funding for all the independent secondary schools in the country is about ten million Malaysian dollars, and the deficit must be made up by Chinese society. So independent school students have the additional job of fund-raising.

In the tea houses and drinking establishments of Malaysia, you can often see independent school students in their uniforms going from table to table with donation forms. "Chinese have long seen these donations as a second income tax," states Chung Tien-hsiang, and many Malays and Malaysians of Indian descent will also contribute.

But some people are not so thrilled with the way the students go about soliciting funds.

"Students go to school to learn, but nowadays they have to spend at least three months a year on fund-raising activities," says an alumnus who would prefer to remain nameless. If you also subtract various vacations and examination periods, they end up going to class less than half the year, so what can they learn? "The students account for 70% of fund-raising, and the board of directors for only 30%, so some people say that the students are the real bosses of the school," says this alum with feeling--so the board of directors had better watch out!

But from the point of view of the board and the administration, this is all part of an education in life. Huang Fu-sheng, a board member, argues that when the students understand that it is not easy to raise funds and that educational opportunities are precious, they will be even more devoted to the collective and work even harder at studying. Hsiung Su-chiao, chairperson of the Department of Chinese, adds that the effort the students invest in fundraising, the lobbying skills they sharpen, and the experience they gain in selling something will give them far stronger adaptability than "hothouse flowers" when they go abroad or get into the workplace in future days.

And what do the students themselves think? Annie, who once sold vegetables with all her classmates to raise money, says she felt a great sense of accomplishment, earning a clear profit of 4,000 Malaysian dollars per day. Hsu Chih-hung's memorable experience involved going to seafood restaurants late at night to solicit funds; because at that time of night a lot of Singaporeans and tourists have come to eat the inexpensive and generous servings, "you can see people of a different nationalities and social backgrounds, with different mindsets and attitudes, and you develop more and more courage." Hsu agrees that fund-raising is hard work, but getting in touch with society a little sooner helps you grow up. Liang Jih-sung feels it is essential to let the students raise money, so that they can directly have a sense of participation and be "all for one and one for all" with the school.

Despite the fact that the majority of students feel that the pros outweigh the cons, "middle school students are still a little too young, and I think they should only begin with high school," stresses Hsu Chih-hung.

Teach with Foom and Yew: Afer a baptism of tri-lingual education, club activites, and fund-raising, what are the prospects like for Foom-Yew "Secondary School students after graduation?

"About 30% of the students go on to advanced education," says principal Chang. The US and Japan are the main areas students go to for study abroad, and 100 go to Taiwan each year. But this year the number of students to Taiwan is down 30%, "because the cost of living has gone up too much." Principal Chang says that the second reason is that Kuala Lumpur has added new schools which have joint programs with the US, UK, or Japan, and students can go there after two years ot study, increasing the opportunities for study, so there has been a considerable reduction in students going to Taiwan.

As for those students who go into the marketplace, "very few are unemployed, because they are not picky about their jobs," says Chang, revealing the Chinese sense of confidence that they can do well by working hard anywhere in his sketchy comments. "And they have the tool of three languages."

"Teach with tolerance (foom) and gentility (yew)." The name of the school comes from this famous quote from the master of Confucian thought Confucius himself. How is it that Malaysian Chinese have been able to secure Chinese language education over 170 years? Perhaps it is this wisdom of gentleness, patience, and tolerance, which has enabled them to taste the sweetness in Chinese language education, and made them willing to devote themselves to passing it on to future generations.

[Picture Caption]

(Left) An affinity for the Chinese language is no longer "the unbearable lightness of being" for Malaysian Chinese.

(Right) Most of Foom-Yew's teachers have studied in Taiwan, personally coming in contact with the mother culture and making them more demanding of their students' Chinese ability.

(Below right) Only education can make overseas Chinese so united: Foom-Yew combines the strengths of a variety of groups, making it the largest overseas Chinese-language school in the world.

(Left, right) A variety of extracurricular activities balance out the pressures of classwork.

No pain, no gain! After Foom- Yew students have experienced their baptism of ethics, knowledge, physical education, and group interaction, they can expect to beat the competition in society in the future.

Malaysian Chinese have a much deeper fondness for the traditional arts and crafts than Chinese at home.

Donating money to support the school is a "second income tax" local Chinese willingly pay.

On the lovely beaches of Johor, Foom-Yew students often "share a mutual interest" with the Sultan.

（Right） Most of Foom-Yew's teachers have studied in Taiwan, personally coming in contact with the mother culture and making them more demanding of their students' Chinese ability.

（Below right） Only education can make overseas Chinese so united: Foom-Yew combines the strengths of a variety of groups, making it the largest overseas Chinese-language school in the world.

（Left, right） A variety of extracurricular activities balance out the pressures of classwork.

No pain, no gain! After Foom- Yew students have experienced their baptism of ethics, knowledge, physical education, and group interaction, they can expect to beat the competition in society in the future.

Malaysian Chinese have a much deeper fondness for the traditional arts and crafts than Chinese at home.

Donating money to support the school is a "second income tax" local Chinese willingly pay.

On the lovely beaches of Johor, Foom-Yew students often "share a mutual interest" with the Sultan.