James Poy Wong 黃培正
"In the lineage of our race we are not a people fond of moving. Each time a move by a family is almost as serious as having a revolution because all family histories begin on the day of moving to a new place."
"Moving" - 1946
搬屋
我生平最怕搬屋，但是最喜欢帮人搬屋。 自己搬屋自必然有许多烦恼，而且还要割爱所抛去许多曾伴自己渡过孤独时光的物件。 恋念自不能免，惆怅也不会少。 但是别人搬屋，在我看来，总是愉快的，因为如果不是结婚，定是添丁。
我们这支民族的血统，并不是喜欢搬动的。 一家人每次的搬迁都几乎是革命般的严重，因为家庭的史略都是从那一次搬屋说起的。 无论那一个人，在搬屋的时候，都希望得到帮助， （不得已时就要雇人）。 帮助别人本来是人的本性， 然而不适事宜的帮忙是讨厌的。 有人曾经这样写过：一个真心的朋友，在你繁荣快乐的时候，要请才肯来，但是当你遇到不幸时，他不请自己也来的。
朋友曾经这样说过，屋子装修得很美丽了。 但不知家庭能不能够快乐呢？外表和底细是两件事，世人每每以外表来判断内底，似乎常常都失之于肤浅。 富人可以装饰一座宫殿般的屋子，可以天天在里面演锣鼓戏。 穷人的草茅屋或者有点简陋，但是这不能阻止快乐与融和生长。 人生最没趣的事莫如天天回到一个仇敌般的家里去。 人生最难堪的是莫如外表装着快乐，里面却充满痛苦。
人云人云，面子面子，常常造出许多不需要的悲剧。 因为人人以为自己这个家庭快乐，就要拼命地撑持面子，自己找苦吃，正是哑子吃黄连。 我宁愿来得坦白点，事实告诉我们，撑持的结果就是大崩溃。
那一天，乘车驶过卜加利埠的住宅区，看到每家门前绿柔柔的一片草地， 每间墙脚长出的美丽花朵，不觉为之垂涎。 这不是因为目前找屋子困难，却是羡慕那和平笼罩着的空气，那大的窗子，丰富的阳光，和孩童的欢笑。 这不是富人的所在，只是中等阶级的做工人。孩子伴着狗儿游玩，牵着手称兄呼弟，不会自小就学会了骂 “他妈的”。 或者加上一个成年的人和他们玩球，为什么不能够呢？ 你以为这是退化的思想吗？ 为什么布尔乔亚和普罗列塔利亚就不能够过着人的生活吗？
撑持面子的中国大厦快倒了，风水先生是救不起的，还是来几个建筑工程师吧！ 世界上最可怜的人，就是建筑工程师。 一生他建筑多少美丽的屋子，然而都是他人的，但是他还得在大厦的废墟上筑新的楼台啊！
Moving
All my life I hate to move my residence, but I am most happy to help others move. Naturally there are many troubles when I myself move; moreover, I have to abandon many beloved belongings that have kept me company in my lonely days. I can’t avoid a sense of attachment from them, and my feeling of melancholy is no less. But to me, it is always pleasant to see people move into a new place because usually it is either for a wedding or for adding a new baby.
In the lineage of our race we are not a people fond of moving. Each time a move by a family is almost as serious as having a revolution because all family histories begin on the day of moving to a new place. Everyone hopes to receive assistance when they are moving; (in the last resort, they would have to hire movers.) Helping others is originally human nature, but helping at the wrong time is annoying. Someone has written it this way: A genuine friend will have to be invited to be willing to come when you are prosperous and happy, but when you encounter misfortune he will come uninvited.
A friend has said: The house is beautifully renovated, but who would know whether the family is happy? The external appearance and internal facts are two different matters. People usually judge the inner substance by the outer appearance, and very often they seem to be wrong for being superficial. A rich person can decorate his house like a palace, and everyday they can have musical performances inside. The poor people’s thatched cottages may be quite simple and plain, but that does not prevent them from living happily and in harmony. The most unpleasant thing in life is no other than returning to a hostile home every day. The most embarrassing thing in life is no other than pretending to be happy in appearance, but full of pains inside.
Echoing the view of others and maintaining face and personal reputation often induce many unnecessary tragedies. Because everybody believes he has a happy family, he would risk his life to prop up his face, thus asking for misery just like a mute person tasting bitter herbs. I would rather be more frank, as we learn from factuality that the result of maintaining face is a complete debacle.
One day I rode through the residential area in Berkeley and saw in front of every house a field of soft, green grass. I could not help feeling envy from seeing beautiful flowers growing in the corner of the houses. I was not envious because finding a house is difficult at the present time, but I admired that environment surrounded in peace, those big windows, abundance of sunshine, and the laughter of children. This is not where the rich people live; they are just middle class workers. The children are playing with dogs, holding hands and calling each other brothers. They will not learn at this young age to swear “His mother’s”! Perhaps an adult will join in to play ball with them. And why not? Do you think this is a regressive thought? Why shouldn’t the bourgeoisies and the proletarians be able to live a human life?
The huge structure of the Chinese face-maintenance is collapsing soon, and no fengshui master can save it. It is better to have a few engineers for the task. The most pitiful people in this world are the structural engineers who spend a lifetime building many beautiful houses that belong to other people. And yet they would still have to construct new buildings and pavilions on the ruin of the fallen structure.