Distant Call
遥远召唤

Title: Leaving Home I (2004) 
Size: 35cm X 45cm      
Medium: Acrylic

作品名称：离家 II (2004)
尺寸：35cm X 45cm
媒材: 丙烯   

The interlocking lattice with arrowhead design connotes the rickshaw coolies left their homeland for Singapore.

“Between 1880 and 1940 millions left the two adjacent provinces of Fukien and Kwangtung in south-eastern China by sea, bound for the Nanyang.  Among these men, mostly under indenture, leaving from Swatow, Amoy, and Hong Kong on bat-winged junks and tramp steamers for Singapore, were represented all the major dialect groups.  There were Cantonese, Hokkiens, Teochius, and Hainanese, as well as a far smaller proportion of Hengwah and Hockchew speakers who were to supply much of the labour required for the expansion of the rickshaw enterprise.” pg. 15

带有箭头设计的连锁格子寓意黄包车苦力离开家乡前往新加坡。

“1880 年至 1940 年间，数百万人从中国东南部的福建和广东两个相邻省份出发，经海路前往南阳。这些人大多持有契约，从汕头、厦门和香港乘坐蝙蝠翼帆船和不定期轮船前往新加坡，他们代表了所有主要方言群体。其中有广东话、福建话、潮州话和海南话，还有一小部分讲兴华话和福州话的人，他们为人力车企业的扩张提供了大部分劳动力。” 第15页

Title: Living In I (2004)
Size: 35cm X 45cm
Medium: Acrylic  

“The lives of the rickshaw coolies and their families were bounded by the cubicles they lived in.  The interior of the cubicles became their whole world: a small world of gloom in which the dust settled heavily, the air became stale, and the light dim, even in the middle of the day. pg.205”

“黄包车苦力和他们家人的生活都被他们所居住的小隔间所束缚。小隔间的内部成了他们的整个世界：一个阴暗的小世界，灰尘沉沉，空气污浊，光线昏暗，即使是在中午。第 205 页”

Title: Going to Work I (2004)
Size: 35cm X45cm  
Medium: Acrylic

This Chinese lattice design with four distinctive cross design depicts four major rickshaw strikes.

“Singapore faced four major rickshaw strikes in the twentieth century: in 1903, 1919-20, 1935 and 1938.  The anatomy of each of these strikes is somewhat different, but rent capital, public authority, and the world economy were all distinctive factors, in differing combinations. pg.105”

这个中国格子设计有四个独特的十字图案，描绘了四种主要的人力车罢工

新加坡在 20 世纪经历了四次人力车罢工：1903 年、1919-20 年、1935 年和 1938 年。每一次罢工的具体情况都有些不同，但租金资本、公共权威和世界经济都是独特的因素，以不同的组合。第 105 页”

Title: Pleasure of Self-Indulgence (2004)
Size: 62cm X 91cm
Medium: Acrylic

“A rickshaw coolie sitting on the floorboard of his rickshaw, smoking an opium pipe…pg.203”

“一个黄包车苦力坐在黄包车的地板上，抽着鸦片烟……第203页”

Title: All They Have (2004)
Size: 62cm X 91cm
Medium: Acrylic

“If one visited the cubicle of a puller one might see a sleeping mat, red blanket, teapot, a cracked dish or two, possibly an opium pipe and one or two changes of clothes lying about.  That was all. pg.199”

“如果有人参观拉车工的小隔间，人们可能会看到一张睡垫、红色毯子、茶壶、一两个破裂的盘子，可能还有一根鸦片烟斗和一两件换洗的衣服。就这些。第 199 页”

Title: Refreshing Time (2004)
Size: 35cm X 46cm
Medium: Acrylic

“Two bowls, one filled with water and the other containing empty Chinese teacups, gave the weary rickshaw-pullers…. the opportunity of refreshing themselves with a drink whenever they walked past the homes of those Babas.  The bowl of water was for them to wash the cups after they had their drink.  This gesture of offering relief to hardship suffered by the less fortunate stemmed from the advice given to the Babas by priests, in whom they had great faith. pg.198”

“两个碗，一个装满了水，另一个装着空的中国茶杯，送给疲惫的车夫…… 每当他们走过巴巴人的家时，就有机会喝一杯提神醒脑。 这碗水是给他们喝完之后用来洗杯子的。 这种为不幸的人提供救济的举动源于巴巴们对巴巴们抱有极大信心的神父们的建议。 第 198 页”

“They retained their traditional garb-tight-fitting coolie blue shorts or black baggy pants and straw hats-adding the loose-fitting coat-shirt to cover up he strain, sweat and nakedness. pg.199”

“他们保留了传统的服装——紧身的苦力蓝色短裤或黑色宽松的裤子和草帽——加上宽松的外套衬衫来掩盖他的紧张、汗水和裸体。 第 199 页”