It's hot in Singapore in October, but the windows of the department stores are all displaying fall and winter clothes anyway, and the red lanterns and the banners declaring "Study Chinese, Know Culture," which appear at this time every year as part of the Promoting Chinese Campaign, are swaying like the shadows of trees.

Miss Huang, a 27-year-old lawyer, is imitating the strokes of her Chinese painting teacher on a Saturday afternoon. She says timidly, "My Chinese isn't good--I've no chance to practice." Both at work and at home she speaks English. Now, in a Chinese painting class, the teacher uses Chinese, so she's picked up a bit and can say a few simple phrases.

When Taiwan passengers ask for directions, Mr. Chang, a cab driver in his forties, pauses for a moment and says, one word at a time, "My Chinese isn't good. I was educated in English. Please speak to me in English." The Taiwanese passengers look at him in astonishment.

While both have limited Chinese, the two hold completely different kinds of attitudes. They are the main characters in this year's Speak Mandarin Campaign: Singaporeans educated in English.

"Give them a key to open the treasure chest of their ancestors, and they will benefit forever," says Ho Kah-Leong, chairman of Singapore's Promoting Chinese Campaign Committee. As for strategy, he mentions that besides the taped telephone instructions and special columns in newspapers promoting Chinese that were brought into being in years past, there are also some new methods that are easier and more lively--such as karaoke competitions, the Miss Chinatown contest, group telling of stories etc.

"I hope they take hold of this opportunity to study Chinese to enter the cultural domain represented by this language," he says.

Those familiar with the Promoting Chinese Campaign know that Ho is talking about a relatively new concept. While the campaign has been put on for twelve years, this year, in addition to targeting those educated in English, its focus has shifted somewhat--from the practical measure of giving speakers of dialect a common means of communication to advancing toward a deeper cultural understanding. The English slogan describes it this way: "For Singaporean Chinese, Mandarin is more than just a language."

For many Singaporeans, the month-long campaign has already become old hat and now serves just as a reminder. But the refocusing this year may be a harbinger of what is to come. Stated simply, a turn was taken from "language, not culture" to "the language is the culture." Why the change?

Using Chinese to Replace the Dialects: "The Promoting Chinese Campaign of 12 years ago was aimed at breaking through the barrier caused by dialects. Now the greatest obstacle to the movement is the attitude held by some English speakers," analyzes Toh Lam Huat, the deputy editor-in-chief of the Lianhe Wanbao.

The original early immigrants to Singapore formed communities of separate dialects, and communication was not easy. As a result, the government promoted Mandarin to replace such dialects as Fukienese, Hakka and Hainanese and serve as a common language for all Chinese. There are visible results today: In such public places as bazaars, food stall centers and hotels, the number of people who can speak Mandarin has grown. But the suppression of the dialects did not raise the status of Chinese within society as a whole. The struggle between English and Chinese in Singapore has historically been the source of deep wounds.

English vs. Chinese: "When Singapore was an English colony, the colonial government instituted a policy of divide and rule, forming the beginning of Chinese and English schools," says Professor Ow Chin-Hock, a member of Parliment and former chairman of the Promoting Chinese Campaign. "After independence, those who studied English formed the core of the government. They introduced foreign investment and technology in great scale, and English was stipulated as the common language to be spoken for the native Chinese, Malaysians, and Indians. It became the language of government, technology, and the economy. On the other hand, a "bilingual" system of education was implemented. And it gradually became that English was first and one's mother tongue second.

By the beginning of the 80s, this multi-ethnic country with a population that is three-fourths Chinese had already consciously changed itself into an English-speaking country. Because of these linguistic trends, those who had received an English education became society's movers and shakers and the government officials, outstripping their compatriots who had been educated in Chinese.

"At the time, the conflict between English and Chinese was great. Chinese was always getting the short end of the stick and its speakers had a great feeling of isolation," says Tu Kuo-chun, assistant recreation director of the Singapore Chin Kang Huay Kuan and self-described unsuccessful small businessman, with a sorrowful laugh.

Neither East Nor West: In the 20 years since independence, the deep wounds caused by this big gap have gradually healed--or at least are not as painful as they once were.

For the new generation around the age of 20 that has been raised under this policy of bilingual education, Chinese was only an unimportant course they had to take. Although it seems as if Mandarin has become more widely spoken, its level has declined. High school graduates who can read Chinese newspapers are exceptional, and even college Chinese departments use English to study Chinese. They have already grown accustomed to thinking in English, regarding themselves as part of the English world. Those speaking English at home are growing in number--from 10 percent in 1980 to 21 percent in 1990.

The problem is "How much of Western culture have we actually taken in?" asks Ow Chin Hock. He observes that many people's absorption of Western culture stops at "Hollywood, hamburgers and jeans." Those who have a deep understanding of its spiritual values are few.

"It's as if we lack a cultural heritage and just live here honestly for the moment," says a member of the literary world. At the same time people have lost touch with the roots of their own culture and are unable to speak or write Chinese. "When many people go overseas, foreigners see that they have black hair and yellow skin, and recognize them for Chinese, to the point of speaking to them in Chinese. Only then do you know what it really means to speak Chinese," says Ho Kah-leong.

Thoughtful Singaporeans worry that their country is a fake Western society that is "neither Chinese nor Western," "successful neither East nor West." At the end of 1980, the government finally realized the inappropriateness of earlier policies "to teach Confucianism In English" and "promote the spoken Chinese and suppress the written." It realized that language is not just a set of symbols but rather an inseparable part of one's culture. At this point, the value of Chinese began to be recognized once again.

Emphasizing Chinese Once Again: "The history of Singapore is very short, but if we speak Chinese, we can link ourselves to the 5000-year history of China," said Prime Minister Goh Chok- tong at the opening of this year's campaign.

Second Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng- cheong echoed this sentiment, saying, "English is the language used by many different ethnic groups to communicate, and it has brought us development and progress, but the mother tongue is what brings self respect and a sense of identification." This kind of advocacy was taboo just three to five years ago--it could not have been voiced publicly. But today it is considered all so reasonable, and the issue it is addressing is being discussed openly by everyone.

The economic value of Chinese and Chinese culture has also been gradually affirmed. The Asian- Pacific economic area is one of the most active in the world, and the two major economies on either side of the Taiwan Strait both use Mandarin. In recent years, antique scrolls of Chinese calligraphy have continued to rise in value around the world. "If you want to collect a scroll, at least you should be able to read it," says Nai Swee-leng, owner of the Wenlan Art Gallery. And according to the most recent statistics, Taiwan has replaced Japan as Singapore's largest source of tourists. The Mandarin of Taiwan has to some degree or another had an impact on Singapore. In the Promoting Chinese Campaign of 1990, Mandarin was declared an official language for government, high-level business firms and international exchange.

The rise of the status of Chinese has caused some English speakers to panic and hit back. They worry that their privileges will be affected.

A Pit in the Stomach of English Speakers: Some people, as soon as they hear the suggestion to install quadrilingual English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil signs in the subways and airports, cry foul, shouting "linguistic chauvinism" or "a third China." And the local newspapers report that some parents say that studying the mother tongue will only add to children's work and prevent students from studying English. If their children have no interest in the hard work of studying Chinese, some of these parents will move their families abroad. There are those who affirm that Singapore should set its sights on the future, not the past, and use English to mold a completely new "Singaporean culture." The war of nerves between English and Chinese speakers shows no signs of abating.

In this year's September elections the ruling People's Action Party lost four seats in the parliament for the first time, and Low Thia-khiang met with unexpected success as someone who had received a Chinese education. Does this mean that linguistic appeal can carry weight with the majority Chinese. Has "the silent majority" of Mandarin and dialect speakers used the ballot box to express its pent-up dissatisfaction for the first time?

Second Deputy Prime Minister Ong Teng- cheong has broken ground in stating that the government should help this silent majority of Chinese who have been economically disadvantaged by their inferior English. "This is the first time their struggles have been acknowledged," stated an editorial in the Straits Times." "English speakers have got to understand what the Chinese speakers are feeling. . . they don't want to be left behind but they don't want special treatment either--they just want a place for themselves in the sun."

Chinese Is Important but English More Important: "Understanding" is perhaps the best way to get rid of these feelings of hostility. This year's Chinese movement is providing channels for fostering such understanding.

Yet it is extremely difficult to get the English educated or the new generation, who learn Chinese at school but use it neither there nor at home, to speak Chinese and partake in a seemingly alien culture. "The situation is all too clear," says an observer who wishes to remain anonymous. "Prime Minister Goh used Chinese to open the event, encouraging everyone to speak Chinese and identify with a 5000-year-old culture. But the thrust of it was that Chinese is important but English is more important. There's really no choice in the matter."

In the foreseeable future English is still going to be dominant--still used for communication between ethnic groups, still the language that makes society tick and the one used for international exchange.

As a result, the English educated can handle this English world with ease. And for the long period in which "people with no Chinese have been able to get along nicely both socially and professionally," Chinese has been lacking in practical value.

"Half of my friends aren't Chinese," says Wu, a 26-year-old government worker, "and the other half are Chinese who can't speak Chinese. I can't think of any reason to study Chinese."

Even where there is a desire to study, there may be practical obstacles. According to an informal survey about studying Chinese conducted by The Straits Times, one third of those responding cited a lack of opportunities to practice. Some people are too busy to take a Chinese class, and others, with no time to study outside of class, quit when they find that they can't keep up.

Of course, there are those who find compelling reasons to study. One military officer admits frankly that while he usually speaks English, his girlfriend speaks Mandarin and he does his best to speak Chinese with her. "There are of course good reasons for speaking Chinese. To come to think of it, if I didn't speak Chinese, I might never have met her!"

Chinese Via Hobbies: Starting where there is interest seems to be a short cut. Some people love karaoke, studying pronunciation a phrase at a time and going a step farther to understand the words written on the musical score. And those with a life- long love of Chinese opera join local opera societies. Their enchantment with singing brings them to study Chinese and grow familiar with the stories of their heritage. Then there are those like Miss Huang, that lawyer, who study Mandarin because of an interest in Chinese painting.

Among these various examples, the story of Chen Tien-shih is particularly moving.

Thirty-three this year, he speaks Chinese fluently and is fond of using ancient idioms. Who would guess that he went to traditional English-language schools through high school?

"That was an English world." Practically no one spoke Chinese in the entire school, and no one thought that Chinese ought to study Chinese. The class in Chinese was treated in a perfunctory manner. "If a student got good marks in Chinese, his classmates would rag on him for wasting his time." He himself graduated with a low opinion of the language.

In 1982 he entered a theological seminary. When he got out and started working, he would often drop by coffee shops, public housing, and food stall centers, and it was only then that he discovered the world of Mandarin and Chinese dialects. For his work, he needed to study Mandarin. But when he entered this culture and realized its depth and breadth, he was dumbfounded! From the its classics to its calligraphy, painting and relics, the Chinese culture was one of unlimited philosophy and wonder.

"Only speaking Chinese is not enough--one has got to be able to read it to truly understand the culture." Since he had an interest in reading kung-fu novels, he started there, going on to study the stories behind Chinese idioms. "In this way, I was able to understand myself through the culture and was finally able to understand the world through the eyes of a real Chinese."

Chen Tien-shih feels that his friends who can only speak English seem to have lost themselves. But since they feel no tangible threat, they haven't the motivation to start studying and reading Chinese.

Sorrow and Melancholy: What do the Chinese feel about the change in focus this year?

Those who can't forget the sour taste of being at a linguistic disadvantage say bitterly, "It's a big lie. They say they want Chinese spoken everywhere in society, but in fact those who speak Chinese are thought of as being low class and are given a lower status."

And there are those who condescendingly say that the only reason they studied Chinese was to do business with Taiwan and the mainland.

Pong Siew-moi, host of the NTUC radio show "Heart," gets pretty upset about this: "It's a little bit laughable to have a campaign to promote Chinese in a Chinese society--it's also a little tragic. The old split between English and Chinese wasn't needed, but neither is it necessary to interrogate the English educated about ulterior motives for studying Chinese. It's good enough that they are willing to study and don't resist."

Much to her delight, some of her English speaking friends have started speaking Mandarin--albeit with broken grammar and lots of English and dialect words thrown in. "That doesn't matter. You've just got to encourage them because what they need most is to remove their own internal obstacles."

Yeong Yoon Ying, the deputy director of the Ministry of Information and the Arts, is leading a group of fellow Chinese in a game of "Pick That Idiom." For a picture of someone with an odd expression looking in the mirror, the answer is "sao shou nung shih": to stroke one's hair coquettishly. She also designed a series of activities for this year's campaign, leading the English educated to "study Chinese the easy way."

Enthusiasm: The Promoting Chinese Campaign is after all an annual activity that starts from language. For the long term, Preventing enthusiasm from waning and expanding participation are extremely important.

"The key thing now is to get the Chinese themselves to wake up. In the past there were indeed quite a few Chinese-educated in self-imposed exile. Maybe my election can give them some encouragement," says Low Thia-khiang.

Chinese newspapers have been a big force in the promoting of Chinese. "Based on market considerations, Chinese newspapers are of course completely supportive of Chinese," says a smiling Toh Lamhaut, deputy editor-in-chief of Lianhe Wanbao. "A newspaper is a lot like a kung-fu novel, making use of action-packed plots to transmit ideas."

But he holds that if you want to struggle to get the English educated to study Chinese, the government published Straits Times is even more important. "Since it is mainly targeted at the English educated, it can be used for advocacy and for correcting misconceptions."

The clubs for those whose ancestors emigrated from the same place in China also have power that should not be overlooked. The government has recently been encouraging these clubs to expand their scope of activities to reflect the concerns of the Chinese community and preserve and promote traditional Chinese culture.

At one such club, the Singapore Chin Kang Huay Kuan on China Street, classes are held on sunday afternoon in Chinese music, folk dancing and calligraphy. The assistant director of entertainment Mr. Toh, points out that back in the lonely days when Chinese schools were being eliminated, those of his generation did not throw in the towel, spending more than NT$12 million on cultural activities within ten years. Recently, the club has turned its second floor into a karaoke friendship hall in order to bring in the young.

"The source of cultural energy lies with the people," he says. "But folk culture can be described as just a show. With whom are young people supposed to identify? This is the key point."

A Step at a Time: There has been some good news about educational policies, which are, after all, what any country uses to sustain itself. After days of endless discussions and petitions, the Ministry of Education has accepted a proposal by the Chinese Educational Review Board that changes once more the planned educational revisions and makes English and one's mother tongue of more equal importance. English will no longer be so revered and will be given less weight in the primary four streaming exam, which divides students into classes of different abilities. Students put at a disadvantage by weak English could select their mother tongue as their first language, which is at least preferable to their being weak in both languages.

From the early period, when English and Chinese schools were separate, to the period of required bilingual education, one language has made gains at the expense of the other. After undergoing long suppression, the mother tongue has another chance to stand in the sun and attain equality with English. It is nothing less than a major break-through.

And what is to come? In truth no one dares predict. Driving down the highway to the future, Singapore is now looking back and seeing the footsteps of its ancestors, which it had been intentionally forgetting or carelessly overlooking. Take it a step at a time, Singapore.

[Picture Caption]

Originally aimed at breaking down the barriers imposed by different dialects, the Promoting Chinese Campaign has taken on a broader cultural dimension this year.

In recent years collecting antique scrolls of Chinese calligraphy and painting has been "in" in Singapore--leading some to want to learn to wield the brush themselves .

What does the Chinese music group of the Singapore Chin Kang Huay Kuan do on Sunday afternoons?--practice, practice, practice.

Previously dialect was the principal method for passing down the Chinese cultural legacy in Singapore. Similarly, for some of its fans, opera in dialect has today become a route to knowing how to read Chinese.

For the Chinese of Singapore, Chinese is not just a means of communication; it's also the key to the treasure chest of heritage.

A multi-ethnic country taking English as its common language has the tough test of not reducing the relative importance of its mother tongues.

Full of meaningful significance, Chinese calligraphy has become increasingly alien to most Singaporeans.

Under the policy of linguistic separation, those speaking Mandarin or a Chinese dialect have been the silent majority, restricted in development.

Taking Singapore by Storm this year, Karaoke has played a major role in promoting Chinese.

This time around, the Promoting Chinese Campaign has taken a relaxed approach, using fun to encourage the English educated to start speaking Mandarin and enter the world of Chinese culture. (photo courtesy of Singapore Press Holidays Group Lianhe Bao Limited)

Originally aimed at breaking down the barriers imposed by different dialects, the Promoting Chinese Campaign has taken on a broader cultural dimension this year.

In recent years collecting antique scrolls of Chinese calligraphy and painting has been "in" in Singapore--leading some to want to learn to wield the brush themselves .

What does the Chinese music group of the Singapore Chin Kang Huay Kuan do on Sunday afternoons?--practice, practice, practice.

Previously dialect was the principal method for passing down the Chinese cultural legacy in Singapore. Similarly, for some of its fans, opera in dialect has today become a route to knowing how to read Chinese.

For the Chinese of Singapore, Chinese is not just a means of communication; it's also the key to the treasure chest of heritage.

A multi-ethnic country taking English as its common language has the tough test of not reducing the relative importance of its mother tongues.

Full of meaningful significance, Chinese calligraphy has become increasingly alien to most Singaporeans.

Under the policy of linguistic separation, those speaking Mandarin or a Chinese dialect have been the silent majority, restricted in development.

Taking Singapore by Storm this year, Karaoke has played a major role in promoting Chinese.

This time around, the Promoting Chinese Campaign has taken a relaxed approach, using fun to encourage the English educated to start speaking Mandarin and enter the world of Chinese culture. （photo courtesy of Singapore Press Holidays Group Lianhe Bao Limited）