|
An Interview with
Dir. Leung (continued)
The Chinese are a smart and
hardworking people, and someday they will catch up, but at this point ICLP still
has a huge advantage in terms of continuity and teaching experience.
BKB: What changes are in store for ICLP in the
near future?
Leung: In the past the majority of our students
came from PhD programs at top US schools, and the curriculum and
style of ICLP has always reflected this.
With the greater importance of Chinese in the twenty-first century,
we’re increasingly seeing students with different goals. This doesn’t mean that they are any less
motivated or intelligent, but that they may be looking to acquire a
different skill set, for instance, a journalist. We are working to diversify the
curriculum to accommodate a wider range of needs. At the same time we will always preserve
the core curriculum and pedagogy that has ensured ICLP’s
success for decades.
BKB: You are originally from Hong Kong,
right? How did you end up here?
Leung: I was born to a family of modest means in
Hong Kong, and advancing my education there wasn’t possible. As a young man I worked as a lab attendant.
At the time, “lab attendant” sounded like such an impressive title
to me—that’s how little English I knew.
I came to Taiwan to study English and other foreign languages at
NTU. I was such a bookworm, such a
nerd, always indoors poring over the dictionary. [editor
note’s: The Director was always number one in his department, his wife
number two.] You pay a social cost
for that kind of dedication to language study! But English was my opium; I had to read
English every night before bed.
I took
my doctorate at Texas A&M and then taught English literature and writing
there for several years. I asked NTU
if they had a position for me when I returned, and I got it. Looking back maybe I should have asked to
be President! [laughs]
BKB: At NTU and beyond you wear many hats,
serving as Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (外國語文系主任、所長), as well as Advisor to
International Affairs (國際事務處諮詢委員).
What else about yourself could you share with our readers?
I write Tang-style
poetry, the real old stuff. If a
poetry expert saw my work he would think that I must be eighty years old to
have that kind of emotion [laughs].
Nowadays everyone is busy, and it’s too easy to equate one’s work
with one’s life. In Chinese, xiaohun (銷魂) is a kind of release and often
refers to corporeal pleasure. But xiaohun perfectly describes my attitude
toward poetry; it is nourishment for the soul.
Visit
Dr. Leung’s blog
|