people emocratic stalwart, dedicated shares memorable experiences and From then on, Szeto had a keen educator, proud patriot - these talks about his lifelong beliefs. sense of the difficulties his country Dare all terms that can be Szeto’s values were shaped by his faced and started to cultivate a used to describe Szeto Wah, known experience of the Sino-Japanese War. patriotic heart. “We need a strong affectionately as Wah Suk or Uncle Wah. When Hong Kong fell to the Japanese country to escape from all these At 79, and with late stage lung cancer, on Christmas Day in 1941, his mother tortures,” Szeto says. Szeto has had to slow down in recent took her seven children back to her home But for him, patriotism does not months. But he is attacking the disease village in China to escape the occupation. mean love for any alliance, authority with the same determination he has What should have been a three-day trip or leader. Instead it should be a love for shown to the causes he has championed turned into a 14-day trek. fellow citizens, traditional culture and in public life. the natural environment. At the time of Varsity’s visit, In order to love fellow citizens, Szeto had started his fourth “We need a strong we need to understand their hardships. chemotherapy course. He still keeps country to escape from For instance, Szeto believes Hong up a daily exercise regime but the Kong people should care about the once daily swimmer has been told to all these tortures.” impoverished farmers in China’s quit public pools to avoid infection. remote rural areas, and be concerned Instead, he walks everyday for 45 “Most cities we walked past had about jailed mainland dissidents like minutes at a nearby park and does fallen into enemy hands,” he says. and Tan Zuoren. simple qigong exercises. “The Japanese were fierce and cruel, Szeto also believes that people The home Szeto shares with the people were miserable. People who need to know more about Chinese his younger sister, who like him walked past the Japanese troops without culture. Unless they understand the is unmarried, is compact and tidy. immediately bowing were badly beaten history of China, they will not be able The walls are lined with books and and thrown to the ground.” to nurture the kind of feelings Szeto hangings of thought-provoking Chinese “Every morning, we brought food has for his country. calligraphy. As he slowly flips through with us and hid in a mountain hideout, Last but not least, Szeto says we leaflets produced by the Hong Kong waiting for the armies to leave. By the should learn to love the country’s Alliance in Support of Patriotic time we returned home in the afternoon, natural environment, rather than pollute Democratic Movement in China, he we usually found it ransacked.” its rivers and raze its forests. Courte of Szeto wah Szeto of sy

Szeto attends the Lunar New Year fair 2010 at Victoria Park and discloses his illness. Varsity MAY 2010 ISSUE 116 MAY 2010 ISSUE 116 Varsity Courte Ni Ni Courte c c o o l l e Pu e Pu of Szeto wah Szeto of sy sy n n of Szeto W Szeto of ah

Szeto holds the Hong Kong Alliance newsletter. Szeto talks about the childhood experiences that shaped him. Szeto with his students. Szeto at the 1997 mass rally organised by the Alliance.

Apart from the war, Szeto’s I can think flexibly,” he explains. Szeto was also moved by Lu Xun’s the English stream, or one year in the 1989 and established the Hong Kong “Doing meaningful things. Getting character has also been shaped by his “Also, the feeling of inferiority love for his country. “He cared about and Chinese stream. He told the interviewer Alliance in Support of Patriotic results, seeing progress in the things family background. He is the third reminded me to strive for progress helped the youth. He loved our country, he wanted to graduate as soon as possible Democratic Movements in China, of you have done. Making many friends child of seven siblings in a family that with determination, thus I studied but also saw the weaknesses of China,” and chose the Chinese option. which he is chairman. who share your ideals.” could not afford to educate them all. hard because I did not want to lag he says. “Instead of blindly supporting “And he immediately said I was “The road to Chinese democracy Szeto Wah is not a man for regrets, The young Wah had the worst academic behind anymore.” the country, he pointed out the mistakes too eager to focus on short-term gains,” is rugged, winding and long. The but looking back on his life, there is one results and almost failed to complete Szeto received his secondary and dangers that existed in China.” Szeto recalls, laughing. more we persist, the closer we are to thing he says he regrets. his schooling. at Queen’s College and When he graduated from Queen’s Szeto worked in education for 40 the goal of vindicating June 4, and “During the summer holiday in developed a habit of reading books. College, Szeto embarked on what years, nine years as a teacher and 31 building a democratic China,” he says. “The most important Primary Three, my father lost his Lu Xun is his favourite writer and his was to become a vocation - teaching. years as a headmaster. Although he “Vindicating June 4 is only the first step job. Among the four children who role model. One of his proudest achievements is gives the impression of being a serious for China to move towards democracy. thing teenagers should were going to school, two had to be the establishment of the Hong Kong and stern headmaster, he clearly enjoys The Chinese government needs to admit do is to learn, either withdrawn,” he says. “My father chose Professional Teacher’s Union. In fact, the respect of and an affectionate their fault and correct their mistakes my elder sister because of the male- “Instead of blindly it was his work with the union in the rapport with his students. before they arrive at true democracy.” by reading books or by dominated society and myself, because supporting the country, 1970s that propelled him into social “My old students treat me very He adds that young people need to trying and practising.” my academic results were poor when activism. But what few may know is well. The naughtier the student was in continue learning and know their goal compared with my brothers.” he (Lu Xun) pointed that teaching was only his second best the old days, the closer the relationship if they are to continue building the path “I used to study in an English Szeto remembers how he cried and career choice. we have now.” Szeto laughs as he towards democracy. out the mistakes and language school, but after I graduated, hid himself at home on the first day “When I was young, I wanted to be recalls that one of his students likened “The most important thing teenagers I did not read any English books or of school for Primary Four when his dangers that existed in a sailor. I hoped to widen my scope of their relationship to the one between the should do is to learn, either by reading speak English. That is why I have classmates knocked on his door to ask life and enrich my exposure. Life on a monk Tang Sanzang and the Monkey books or by trying and practising. Both China.” nearly forgotten all the English I have him why he had been absent. boat is quiet and therefore I thought it King in the classic Chinese epic novel ways require careful thinking or you Journey to the West. will end up with nothing.” learnt,” he says. Luckily for him, an uncle stepped “When I was around 16 years old, was a good place to read and write on Apart from his work in education, He also urges them to set life goals, Szeto says he will fight his illness in to send the children back to school. I read the books of Lu Xun. He is the my own,” says Szeto. Szeto has been a mainstay in politics. build their own characters and form with his “usual composure” and However, Szeto says the experience most influential person in my life,” Szeto fell into teaching almost by He entered the Legislative Council in their own world views. positive attitude. changed him forever. He became much he says. “I am deeply impressed and chance. He had applied to study wireless 1985 and was appointed to take part in Szeto has spent his life struggling for On the wall of his sitting room hangs more introverted and developed a sense influenced, not only by his well-written transmission but he could not afford the drafting the in democracy, freedom, human rights and the a framed work with of inferiority. articles, but also by his attitude towards high tuition and the two years it would the same year. Szeto left the drafting rule of law. He may not have achieved all eight characters that sum up his attitude “There is an advantage to being life and his work. He persisted in his have taken. Teacher training college was committee after the crackdown on his goals but he is happy with his life. For towards life: “Accept all and be great; be introverted - I have more time to think own principles and was fearless in the free. When he enrolled, he was offered the Tiananmen Square protests in him happiness consists of three things: selfless and be indomitable.” independently. I do not talk much but face of absolute power.” the chance to study for two years in

Varsity MAY 2010 ISSUE 116 MAY 2010 ISSUE 116 Varsity