Tatming: An Enlightened and Sagacious Chinese in Edmonton

Self-portrait of Yee Tatming

【CMHnews post】 Shortly after I arrived in Edmonton, I noticed the Chinese name Yee Tatming 余逹明 since his calligraphy and painting works were posted in the hotels, Edmonton Chinatown Chinese Library and all Chinese restaurants that I visited. Calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting are pure Chinese art forms. Hence, for me, a Chinese woman with a passion for the Chinese culture, I was deeply touched by his name in a foreign land. Later, I read several articles published by him in the local Chinese newspapers. All of these indicate that he is quite an influential figure in Edmonton’s Chinese community.

        Finally, I had the chance to meet him in person. I always felt that it was meant to be. On a balmy summer day, Jiani, the librarian in the Chinese library, invited Mr. Yee to meet with me and my husband in the library. Mr. Yee looked very much like a painter, I thought — tall and strong build, with a well-proportioned face, kind and clear eyes, and particularly the broad forehead, which, like a drawing board, left a large room for imagination. Yet, his well-defined lips, like the gate to a closed treasure house, seemed to hold rich and inexhaustible treasures. For this, I believed that he also possessed the essence of a writer.

        The rows of bookshelves and the aroma of books created a very good atmosphere for communication. With a cup of tea in hand, we talked and talked, from painting and calligraphy to literature, from the experience of immigration to feelings of reminiscence. I admired Mr. Yee in silence for his broad and solid knowledge and the wealth of experience, a true treasure in his heart. I could not help but exclaim, “Is there anything more joyful than making a new friend on the same wavelength?” ( Note 1 )

        Later, I read his essay published in the local newspaper, 《红豆汤圆》(“Red Bean Rice Ball”), which won him a Bing Xin Literature Award. It was based on his experience of eating red bean rice ball on three different occasions with his adopted mother, who shed tears each time. The essay described the deep relationship between a mother and a son, highlighting the images of a mother inspiring reverence and a son being affectionate and grateful in return. The writing is fluent and spirited, imbued with deep emotions and profound meaning. Through the essay, I learned more about Mr. Yee’s life trajectory and his rich inner world. Deeply touched, I wrote an article to respond, 《红豆的另一种相思》 (“Alternative Longing of Red Beans”), which was published in the Chinese Journal（《光华报》）.

        Mr. Yee was born during the second Sino-Japanese War and suffered hardships from an early age. He was taken in by an orphanage in Hong Kong. At the age of 12, he was adopted by his foster mother. Under his foster mother’s careful nurturing, he completed his higher education and graduated from the Department of Fine Arts at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.

        In the essay, he describes his first impression of his foster mother, who is “nearly sixty years old at the time. Tall and slender, with a straight back and not a hint of obesity. Wearing a gray-blue cheongsam, with her thick black hair neatly combed back, she carries a black bag on her arm, and her oval face is lit up by a gentle smile.” Mr. Yee mentions several times her “straight back” and “gentle smile”.

        His foster mother was diagnosed with cancer when she was 93 years old. She said to the doctor, he wrote, “It's very simple actually. Instead of treating this cancer as an enemy, I regard it as a guest, an unwelcome guest living inside me. Now that I cannot drive it away, I had better treat it well, ... make it feel at home. Let it live its way, and I live mine. We two live harmoniously. No invasion, nor violation. We thrive together. Ha ha ha....”

        Like wielding a brush in painting, Mr. Yee sketches out with just a few strokes his foster mother’s strong and optimistic character and her shining qualities. This kind, upright, and knowledgeable woman deeply affects Mr. Yee and influences him his whole life.

        Even in his octogenarian years, Mr. Yee still remembers his mother’s kindness and teachings. Once at a coffeehouse, he mentions again his foster mother. He says: “My mother once told me that the reason people are respected as the noblest of all creatures is not because they can accumulate material possessions, but because they can overcome the misfortunes that fate imposes and challenge the fate! One must be kind and loving. Without action, the so-called kindness and love are meaningless.” It is exactly because of his foster mother’s influence that Mr. Yee became a diligent, determined, kind, and loving man.

        Mr. Yee worked in Hong Kong, East Africa, and other places. In 1975, he immigrated to Canada and settled down in Edmonton, Alberta. He worked at many jobs including architectural designer and university lecturer. He established his own studio to teach both Chinese and Western painting and held personal and group exhibitions. Amy Lau, the famous Chinese writer living in Edmonton, once studied painting with Mr. Yee. In her book, 《蓦然回首看爱城》 (Looking back: My Seven Years in Edmonton ), she writes, “Mr. Yee has a profound understanding of both ancient and modern art. He possesses noble artistic cultivation and integrity. ... With humor, he explains principles of painting, and in light-hearted conversations, he teaches painting techniques. ... Students not only gain insights into painting skills and calligraphy methods, but also enhance their personal artistic cultivation.”

        Mr. Yee also engaged in literary creation and teaching. For over two decades, he has served as a columnist for the Edmonton Chinese News（《爱华报》）and the Chinese Journal（《光华报》）in Edmonton. He has also been the host of the “Cultural Lecture” on the Chinese radio station. Mr. Yee integrated his great love into his teaching, imparting knowledge with warmth and dedication.

        I once attended Mr. Yee’s lecture about literature, and wrote a report on behalf of the Edmonton Chinese Writing Club. The title is “Life and the First-hand Materials of Literary Creation.” As a well-established painter and writer in Edmonton, Mr. Yee possesses rich artistic sensibilities and creative experiences. He applied his painting techniques to writing, interweaving the virtual and the real with moderate embellishment, and fully revealed the relationship between life and the first-hand materials. He also taught the methods of collecting materials and their value orientation. His interaction with the audience made the lecture both profound and engaging.

        Mr. Yee believed that life is the most important source for literary creation, for example, family, love, life, and death. Each person’s experience is unique and that uniqueness is the wonderful and authentic source. Many literary works are unsuccessful because of their selection of first-hand materials. Topics that are too old and lack novelty are boring. This is related to the author’s limited ability to select authentic life experiences and their comparatively shallow understanding of life. Drawing on traditional Chinese culture and Western rational and emotional knowledge, Mr. Yee wrote down particularly the following three groups of characters: 天（heaven）, 人（human）, 地（earth）; 心（heart）, 人, 物（object）, 知（knowledge）, 感（sensation）; 人, 天使（angel）, 魔鬼（devil）, etc., to illustrate his understanding and perception of the world.

        Mr. Yee concluded by emphasizing the importance of ethics in collecting first-hand materials. He stated that one could not steal others’ materials, nor write about others’ private affairs without permission. We seek materials in order to write, but what is literature for? He asked. It is for love, he responded, the love of people, the love of freedom, and the love of peace. Most importantly, he added, writing should be done with a heart full of love; only then could one produce works with eternal value.

        In the summer of 2013, knowing that I was about to leave Edmonton, Mr. Yee prepared for me a piece of calligraphy, a poem he produced especially for me, with his seals stamped on it. A Chinese friend exclaimed, “Wow, what a precious gift! In Edmonton, people usually pay him 100 Canadian dollars for one character.” I brought it back to Beijing, framed and hung it in our living room. Whenever I see it, I think very fondly of Mr. Yee.

Calligraphy of Mr. Yee’s Poem

竹影扫階塵不動，月輪穿沼水無痕。水流任意境常静，花落虽频意自闲。

The shadow of bamboo brushes the steps, yet the dust remains still; the moon pierces the pond, yet the water shows no trace. The water flows at will, yet the surroundings remain tranquil; flowers fall frequently, yet the mind remains at ease.

        Our communications continue even today. He sent to me his autobiographical novel,《珍珠串》(The String of Pearls ), which presents stories of his legendary life. He uses a string of pearls as a metaphor to describe each person he met and he is grateful to. He inscribed his gratitude on the book cover: “Without love, there is nothing left in our life.” Communicating with him is always inspiring and comes from the deep bottom of our hearts. Here is an example, a message he sent in WeChat :

A person’s conscience and moral awareness together form a flower of the soul, which can be put simply as a “heart flower.” The fragrance emitted from the heart flower is the charm of one’s personality. The eternal value and the hope of the human being come entirely from a mature and good-hearted spirit. Only those who, with an upright and compassionate heart, have the wisdom of judging right and wrong, be good at reflecting and observing one’s own thoughts and behavior, seeing others as oneself ... could emanate the charm of personality, and make people feel like the spring breeze touching their face when interacting with others.

This is exactly how I feel when communicating with him, the spring breeze touching my face.

        On September 17, 2024, Mr. Yee sent me a message that the municipal government of Edmonton held a grand opening ceremony for his calligraphy for the Chinese archway. Over four hundred people attended the event. Above the red Chinese archway, there are four golden characters on a black horizontal plaque, 天下为公, which looked so powerful, with a grand and imposing aura. The quote, from the Confucian classic — “The Great Harmony” in “Liji”（《礼记·礼运大同篇》）, was taken by Sun Yat-sen, the builder of the Republic of China, as a political ideal, and it was engraved and passed down until today. Mr. Yee wrote down these four characters, which revealed, to some extent, his personal vision — to treat the whole world as one community.

Unveiling Mr. Yee’s Calligraphy, Chinatown, Edmonton, 2024

        Just as his name, 逹明, indicates, Mr. Yee has been striving for his whole life in order to arrive at the other bank of enlightenment. I once wrote him a seven-character acrostic to celebrate his eightieth birthday in 2019. The poem, embedded with his literary works and names he once used in the past, summarized my understanding of his eighty years’ vicissitudes and attainments, and expressed my sincere blessing for his future:

致志丹青江长流，

余霞催波弄扁舟；

达观神韵妙笔挥，

明慧情真佳文留；

八斗通古串珍珠，

十分融今说红豆；

寿桃仙境仁者寿，

诞辰春生乐悠悠！

Dedicated to the art of painting like the flowing river, without an end,

The evening glow stirs the ripples to play with a solitary boat;

With an open mind, the divine charm is created with wonderful strokes,

With intelligent and true feelings, done with brilliant articles;

The pearls were strung with wisdom of past and now,

Even the red beans are very much in harmony with the present.

In the fairyland of longevity peach, the benevolent lives long,

With the coming of spring, birthday brings long-lasting delight!

【This essay was originally written in Chinese by Li Yuzhen 李玉真 and translated into English by Guo Rong 国荣, with abridgment. Tatming, the first name of Yee Tatming 余逹明，which literally means “open-minded, wise and intelligent; arriving at the high level of enlightenment”.】

Note 1 ：The original Chinese, “乐莫乐兮新相知,” is quoted from Qu Yuan屈原（340-278 BC）, a patriotic poet and statesman during the Warring States Period in ancient China, whose most famous works is “The Lament 离骚,” a long poem expressing his political ideals and criticism of the corrupt government of his time.