名人教你讲英文：Fung Ping Shan

名人教英文：fung ping shan

fung ping shan: the man, his life and his library (《庋藏远见 —— 冯平山》) is a riveting (饶有兴味的) and meticulously researched biographical story written by cornelia lichauco fung (冯美莲) and dr wan yiu-chuen (尹耀全).

it is published bilingually in english and chinese, complete with an annexed chronology (附录年谱), the fung family tree (冯氏家族表) and some rare pictures of china and hong kong at the turn of the 20th century.

the story spans seven decades, from 1860 to 1931 when fung ping shan was born in xinhui (新会) to a family of modest means, to the time of his death in hong kong as a legendary entrepreneur, banker and philanthropist (传奇的创业家、银行家及慈善家).

a self-made (白手兴家的) man, he was much admired for his vision in establishing new businesses and for his open mind in deploying new technologies.

his steadfast refusal to trade in opium established his reputation as a man of integrity and conscience. (他正当从商，拒售鸦片，心安理得，取信不阿。）

life in colonial hong kong
in the book, there are well-researched descriptions of the toughness of life then.

a quotation below shows how flat bottom boats were pulled by half-naked men to travel up the river:

"the lively cry of the trackers rings in your ears (纤夫震耳吆喝). the trackers mark time with this cry (他们的吆喝当拍子), swinging their arms to and fro at each step (每一步，前后挥动上臂), their bodies bent forward so that their fingers almost touched the ground (俯身向前，五指几乎着地)."