The Gemini AI generated picture above shows an East
Asian boy scared of jumping into the deep end of a pool.
This was the year 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan began his High School, or what is known in Malaysia, as "Secondary School". The family had then shifted to 怡保 Ipoh, the capital of the state called 霹雳州 Perak. 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan would spend the next seven years of his life in 怡保 Ipoh, in a school named the Anglo-Chinese School.
The Anglo-Chinese School Ipoh
The Anglo-Chinese School Ipoh got its name from its founding as a school with a dual focus: providing a British-style education ("Anglo") to the local Chinese community. It was established by the Methodist Episcopal Mission, with significant funding from local Chinese businessmen. The first school opened in a small Malay house in 1895 CE.
As a new student of the school, 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan had to complete part of the registration process in the office. On his visit to the office, he noticed a portrait of a man of cloth on the wall. He looked at the name of the portrait. The Rev WE Horley.
Swimming
The Anglo-Chinese was a well-reputed school. It boasted of a hall where musicals were performed, a gymnasium and a swimming pool. Swimming lessons were compulsory and for 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan, it was on Monday. He could not swim and so, at the beginning, he dreaded - actually, feared - the sessions. This was particularly so because the Swimming Teacher was the Discipline Master, Mr. Ryan Fernandes. Mr. Ryan Fernandes was erroneously called a Serani. He was actually a Kristang or a Portuguese-Eurasian. "Serani" is a Malay term derived from the Arabic word "Nasrani," which means "Christian" or "follower of Jesus the Nazarene." But for the less initiated, the names "Serani" and "Eurasian" were often used interchangeably. Mr. Ryan Fernandes was always carrying a thick cane. And he did so while instructing students how to swim. He forced the students - including 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan - to jump into the deep end of the pool, fully knowing that they had not mastered the swimming strokes and breathing techniques. This was a time when school teachers had much more say and authority.
Criticised by some as being overbearing and even dictatorial, the methods used by Mr. Ryan Fernandes was the reason why 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan could swim the width of a swimming pool without the need of lifting his head above water.
Many years later, while swimming with sharks -- to be more specific, while swimming with baby sharks -- this ability to hold his breath for a period of time would save his life.
Go fly kite
The name of his English Language teacher was Mr. Dras. One could say that Mr Dras was rather bored with his job. To entertain himself and to make his lessons less boring, he would teach the students crude and offensive phrases. He could not share obscene words because to be caught doing so would mean he would be terminated from his job. So, he found phrases that could be read as vulgar like "Go fly kite" to "teach" his students. To go fly kite can be regarded as a vulgar slang to mean masturbate.
One day, the son of the principal of the school (a classmate of 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan's) misbehaved in class and was reprimanded by Mr. Dras. Ritcher. The classmate Peter S. shouted in response: "Go fly kite!" Mr Dras was at a lost of what to do.
Pornography
This was the year when 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan was introduced to pornography when one of his classmates brought lewd cards to school. The back of the cards looked like any normal deck piece. But instead of the numbers and shapes on the other side, there were pictures of Westerners having sex. At a time when many of his classmates were undergoing puberty, the cards drew a lot of attention. Interestingly no one was caught gawking at them. Many would have an erection looking at them. The word "erection" was not commonly used them. The boys in the class used "steam" instead.
Nicknames
Alternative names were a hit among the Secondary Year 1 students of the Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh. Nicknames were used not out of affection or familiarity. Instead, they were used to as a form of insult and bullying to make fun of others.
杨丕源 Yang Piyuan was called Pigeon because, somehow, to some of his classmates, Piyuan spelled like the bird. Another boy was nicknamed Jakun, the name of an aboriginal tribe in Malaysia. His name was 吉坤 Ji Kun. Another was called Flu Gun because his name was 惠颜 Fui Gan. Among the many who had nicknames, 吉坤 Ji Kun was the one who was truly offended by it. One day, he punched the boy who called him Jakun in the face. That stopped many from calling 吉坤 Ji Kun by his nickname.
杨丕源 Yang Piyuan and 惠颜 Fui Gan did not care much about how they were called. One could say that they were above the fray and not bothered by petty minds. Six years later in 1982 CE, 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan was elected the Head Librarian. 惠颜 Fui Gan became the Head Prefect the same year. Who would have thought a bird would lead the librarians and a gun that causes influenza would head the prefectorial board of a prestigious school?
This was the year 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan began his High School, or what is known in Malaysia, as "Secondary School". The family had then shifted to 怡保 Ipoh, the capital of the state called 霹雳州 Perak. 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan would spend the next seven years of his life in 怡保 Ipoh, in a school named the Anglo-Chinese School.
The Anglo-Chinese School Ipoh
The Anglo-Chinese School Ipoh got its name from its founding as a school with a dual focus: providing a British-style education ("Anglo") to the local Chinese community. It was established by the Methodist Episcopal Mission, with significant funding from local Chinese businessmen. The first school opened in a small Malay house in 1895 CE.
As a new student of the school, 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan had to complete part of the registration process in the office. On his visit to the office, he noticed a portrait of a man of cloth on the wall. He looked at the name of the portrait. The Rev WE Horley.
Swimming
The Anglo-Chinese was a well-reputed school. It boasted of a hall where musicals were performed, a gymnasium and a swimming pool. Swimming lessons were compulsory and for 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan, it was on Monday. He could not swim and so, at the beginning, he dreaded - actually, feared - the sessions. This was particularly so because the Swimming Teacher was the Discipline Master, Mr. Ryan Fernandes. Mr. Ryan Fernandes was erroneously called a Serani. He was actually a Kristang or a Portuguese-Eurasian. "Serani" is a Malay term derived from the Arabic word "Nasrani," which means "Christian" or "follower of Jesus the Nazarene." But for the less initiated, the names "Serani" and "Eurasian" were often used interchangeably. Mr. Ryan Fernandes was always carrying a thick cane. And he did so while instructing students how to swim. He forced the students - including 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan - to jump into the deep end of the pool, fully knowing that they had not mastered the swimming strokes and breathing techniques. This was a time when school teachers had much more say and authority.
Criticised by some as being overbearing and even dictatorial, the methods used by Mr. Ryan Fernandes was the reason why 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan could swim the width of a swimming pool without the need of lifting his head above water.
Many years later, while swimming with sharks -- to be more specific, while swimming with baby sharks -- this ability to hold his breath for a period of time would save his life.
Go fly kite
The name of his English Language teacher was Mr. Dras. One could say that Mr Dras was rather bored with his job. To entertain himself and to make his lessons less boring, he would teach the students crude and offensive phrases. He could not share obscene words because to be caught doing so would mean he would be terminated from his job. So, he found phrases that could be read as vulgar like "Go fly kite" to "teach" his students. To go fly kite can be regarded as a vulgar slang to mean masturbate.
One day, the son of the principal of the school (a classmate of 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan's) misbehaved in class and was reprimanded by Mr. Dras. Ritcher. The classmate Peter S. shouted in response: "Go fly kite!" Mr Dras was at a lost of what to do.
Pornography
This was the year when 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan was introduced to pornography when one of his classmates brought lewd cards to school. The back of the cards looked like any normal deck piece. But instead of the numbers and shapes on the other side, there were pictures of Westerners having sex. At a time when many of his classmates were undergoing puberty, the cards drew a lot of attention. Interestingly no one was caught gawking at them. Many would have an erection looking at them. The word "erection" was not commonly used them. The boys in the class used "steam" instead.
Nicknames
Alternative names were a hit among the Secondary Year 1 students of the Anglo-Chinese School, Ipoh. Nicknames were used not out of affection or familiarity. Instead, they were used to as a form of insult and bullying to make fun of others.
杨丕源 Yang Piyuan was called Pigeon because, somehow, to some of his classmates, Piyuan spelled like the bird. Another boy was nicknamed Jakun, the name of an aboriginal tribe in Malaysia. His name was 吉坤 Ji Kun. Another was called Flu Gun because his name was 惠颜 Fui Gan. Among the many who had nicknames, 吉坤 Ji Kun was the one who was truly offended by it. One day, he punched the boy who called him Jakun in the face. That stopped many from calling 吉坤 Ji Kun by his nickname.
杨丕源 Yang Piyuan and 惠颜 Fui Gan did not care much about how they were called. One could say that they were above the fray and not bothered by petty minds. Six years later in 1982 CE, 杨丕源 Yang Piyuan was elected the Head Librarian. 惠颜 Fui Gan became the Head Prefect the same year. Who would have thought a bird would lead the librarians and a gun that causes influenza would head the prefectorial board of a prestigious school?
这是杨丕源第二次到访台湾。他此行的目的是前往阿里山徒步旅行。阿里山位于台湾中南部的嘉义县东
部，坐落在中央山脉西麓，大致介于台北与高雄之间的南段。
