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Former Foreign Minister George Yeo launched the Chinese edition of the book, “George Yeo: Musings” Series One on Feb. 24, in which he touches upon the notion of the Singapore identity, his views on China and India, and his work with the Eurasian community.

Four guests spoke, including Lee Huay Leng, Editor-in-chief of the Chinese Media Group of SPH Media Group, and Ker Sin Tze, former Minister of State for Education, Information and the Arts.

Both spoke about his views on Chinese culture and history in Singapore.

Advocated keeping Sun Yat Sen memorial hall

Lee shared in her speech that she was struck by the former's minister's advocacy for conserving the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang memorial hall during an interview.

According to Yeo, the memorial hall was much more than a place where Sun made friends and raised funds for his revolution in China.

Instead, it showed that Singapore was able to play a part in influencing the trajectory of China's future, a reversal of the previous dynamics that existed between the two countries.

Additionally, as China housed one-fourth of the world's population at the time, Singaporeans played a role in changing the course of world history by supporting the revolutionary and his movement.

Yeo is 'helplessly optimistic': Lee

Besides regarding Yeo as an insightful observer, Lee also considered him a "helplessly optimistic" person for his belief in the resilience of Chinese culture in Singapore.

Over the years, many have expressed their concerns that some Singaporeans, especially the younger ones, only possess a superficial understanding of history.

Yeo, on the contrary, saw a resurgence of interest in Chinese culture and traditions amongst the youths, citing a musical he watched at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) which showcased Chinese nationalism in the face of the Japanese invasion as an example.

He theorised that the students wouldn't have invested so much time and energy into creating, rehearsing, and performing the musical if they were not moved by the turbulent historical period.

Together with his other observations, Yeo contended that the Chinese culture in Singapore only submerged itself when Singapore decided to prioritise economic development instead.

To Lee, Yeo's optimism is necessary for bringing forward positive changes in a position like his.

"If you believe that changes will happen, it will happen eventually, it just needs time. If, however, you push for them without a guiding vision, either no progress will be made, or you may end up at a place where you didn't intend to," explained Lee.

Holding onto "Nantah" despite being English-educated

Those who only knew Yeo from his résumé might be surprised by his faith in Chinese culture, as the latter actually received his education in English.

His understanding and attachment towards Chinese culture were a result of his upbringing under his mother, who was originally from China, explained Yeo's former colleague, Ker Sin Tze.

For Ker, this attachment also motivated Yeo to advocate for using "Nantah (南大)", instead of "Lida (理大)," as the Chinese abbreviation for the Nanyang Technological Institute (NTI), which was built on the premises of the Nanyang University after the latter merged with the University of Singapore.

In fact, Yeo even went one step further to call for Nanyang University to be rebuilt.

However, Yeo's suggestion was met with objections from some of the elders and esteemed Nantah alumni who saw no point in re-building their alma mater as they considered it "gone for good," recounted Ker.

In parliament, Yeo's renaming campaign also didn't gain much traction as the Members of Parliament, many of whom were English-educated, considered the differences between "Nantah" and "Lida" to be inconsequential.

Nevertheless, Yeo's wish to refer to NTI and the subsequent Nanyang Technological University as "Nantah" eventually came true with the help of the press, Ker shared.

As a graduate of Natah, Ker was moved by Yeo's strong affinity towards Nanyang University.

He encouraged everyone to ask themselves two questions in situations in which they encounter someone they disagree with: does the other person have a point, and is their opinion going to be useful for my family, friends, and Singapore?

"This way, everyone will benefit [from these exchanges of different ideas and opinions]," Ker said.

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You can also watch Mothership's interview with Yeo when he launched the English version of his book here too: