Dear Editor:

The map of Singapore in the illustration on industrialization in Southeast Asia in the "Book of the Month" section (page 117, July issue, Southeast Asian edition) was inaccurate. The map shows a famous tourist attraction--Sentosa--and not the whole of the country. Perhaps the island of Sentosa was mistaken for Singapore because it is so famous.

I enjoy seeing words and expressions in the Southern Fukienese dialect in your magazine, but it would be best to add an explanation of them in Mandarin so that more readers can understand them--especially foreigners like myself, who learned standard Mandarin, not a dialect.

Could you add a feature introducing Fukienese and northern folk songs? I love northern folk songs but unfortunately have no access to them. And could you print some of the words in Chinese, Japanese, English and Spanish? in addition, I wonder whether you intend to publish a Chinese-French edition. French is an important language among us foreigners and a common language in Europe.

I hope you will kindly consider the above corrections and suggestions. I would be grateful if you would correct any mistaken characters or poor grammar I may have used.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Raymond Lee, Singapore

Editor's Note: The illustration you refer to was a design using familiar images of the Four Little Dragons and not intended as a map of the region. As for the use of words and expressions in the Fukienese dialect, we try to explain them in Mandarin as much as possible, but there must still be places we have overlooked. Your other valuable suggestions will be given careful consideration. Thank you for your letter.

Dear Editor:

I am a resident of the mainland who is currently studying in Italy. I have always been interested in Chinese affairs. The Chinese people have created a splendid culture but have also suffered great hard-ships. As a youth who grew up on the mainland during the Cultural Revolution and during the following period of relaxation, I have experienced a host of mixed emotions that I bottled up inside until finally expressing them in poetry.

My poems are not intended to attack or defend any certain ideology; I only want to make a true record of what I have personally thought and witnessed. I firmly believe that my thoughts also reflect the fate and thinking of the Chinese people under special historical conditions.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 Hu Ssu, Italy

Bus

1.

Roaring all day long

they still can't produce the sound of the sea

deep shadows fall

across the uneven road

the weary passengers

have learned to sit still

over the bumps

Burgeoning blossoms outside the windows

in sight but out of touch

the slanting sunlight

carries a touch of chill

they're grateful no end

it's chill and not icy cold

2.

The volume of passengers handled

way out of proportion

to the seating capacity

the doors difficult

to open and close

speed bound up together

on a fixed route

only the destinations

can't be unified

3.

Curled up in our closed-off little world

we're not sardines

we're crystals formed under high pressure

with increased value

holding up the balance of life

Moths

Day and night bewitched by the sun

superstitious belief in life across the Styx

a bridge built by precious lives

if not silent

impetuous

A fiery red trap

flashing in a halo of light

it's not a flawless piece of work

why still madly adhere to it

The lawn with its waving flowers

scattered in wind and ash

that splendid lofty plane

only a legend