——The honorary citizen of Chaozhou City, industrialist, philanthropist, calligrapher, patriotic Hong Kong compatriot Mr. Lin Xiyan posthumously remembered
Mr. Lin Xiyan was born in 1932 in Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, to a family of scholars. He died in December 2020, at the age of 88. Mr. Lin is the former chairman of Hong Kong Minghong Group, the chairman of the Hong Kong International Chaoshan Calligraphy and Painting Association, the honorary president of the China Academy of Calligraphy and Painting, the honorary chairman of the Chaozhou Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the first honorary citizen of Chaozhou City.
In the early spring of 2017, Mr. Lin Xiyan delivered a speech at the "Six Woods and One Roots" calligraphy exhibition to promote the art of calligraphy.
Time flies. In the blink of an eye, it has been more than two years since Mr. Lin passed away, but Mr. Lin's kind and pleasant, humble voice and smile are still in front of him. Shortly after Mr. Lin's death, on the eve of the Spring Festival last year, the author, together with Ms. Yuan Yuxian, secretary general of the Calligraphy and Painting Research Association of the University for the Elderly, went to the Songlin Ancient Temple to meet with the abbot of the temple, the energy monk, and interviewed Mr. Lin Junlao, the former president of the Yingyuan Calligraphy and Painting Society, Mr. Lin Xiyan's close friends - Mr. Lin Junlao and Chen Youqun Wenyou. Everyone recalled Mr. Lin Xiyan's humility and interaction with him, and the feelings of nostalgia were filled with nostalgia. Before Mr. Lin's death, Chen Youqun collected and sorted out relevant information on his life, and when he talked about it, he was full of emotions. The abbot of Songlin Ancient Temple, the Energy Grand Monk, was even more praised as Mr. Lin Xiyan as "a bodhisattva of the Chaozhou side". He said: Mr. Lin is not only happy to donate and advocate good deeds, but also bows down to promote the Dharma, which is admirable. These sincere emotions and words from the heart, as well as the good reputation spread by me in many public occasions to meet Mr. Lin Xiyan and the public, make people can't help but have a deep respect for Mr. Lin again! Mr. Lin Xiyan is gone, but his footprints of hard work, hard work, charity and reverence, enthusiasm for public welfare, love of books, dedication to carry forward Buddhist culture, patriotism and love for Hong Kong and love of hometown are still engraved on the land of Chaozhou, and the spirit will never hang!
DuYe: Don't forget the difficult years of the past
As the saying goes: copper money out of the pit. "It's not a cold bone, how to get plum blossoms smelling" (Mr. Lin Xiyan's honorific book Lotus Yi Master French). Every successful person in his career is bound to experience a down-to-earth and long-term struggle of arduous process, and Mr. Lin Xiyan is no different. Although Mr. Lin was born into a scholarly family, he was not a rich and noble family in the past. The teenager Lin Xiyan also had a time when he lacked money to pay tuition fees and almost dropped out of school.
According to his recollection, there was a semester in the first hour of reading, and the school opened, but he was unable to go to school for a long time, and his heart was unhappy and powerless. Xi Yan is a smart and studious student with excellent character and excellent character, leaving a good impression among teachers and classmates, why did he not return to school for a long time? This attracted the attention of the principal Wang Zuoshi, so he asked Mr. Xiyan's classmate Toujia to inquire. Mr. Lin Xiyan replied that his family could not even pay the tuition fee, how could he go to school?
Cheng Xiaohong, chairman of the Chaozhou Municipal Federation of Literature and Literature, and Mr. Lin Xiyan exchanged ink treasures and exchanged calligraphy art.
Principal Wang Zuoshi loved his children like sons, how could he let an excellent student drop out of school, so he beckoned Mr. Xiyan to his own apartment. Say to him: Xiyan classmate, the principal has no way to let you enroll for free. Why not, this semester a bucket of rice tuition principal first for you to pay, you still go back to school to class?! The principal's words made the young Lin Xiyan grateful, and he did not want to increase the burden on the family. When will this bucket of rice be returned in the future? I felt very embarrassed and couldn't come up with an idea for a while. In the midst of hesitation, he suddenly saw that the principal was concentrating on studying ink and learning words, and he was in a hurry, so he asked earnestly: "Principal, I will study ink." Can I help you study ink every day and become a book boy?! To tell the truth, the principal did not expect XiYan to return the rice. I was happy to see this smart, studious and astute student! Perhaps it was because the xizi was too immersed in the gods or the respect of the teacher, Principal Wang did not have a positive and direct answer, and continued to meditate on the practice of the word. For a long time, although he did not answer or object, he looked kind. When Mr. Lin saw the situation, he stepped forward and studied ink on the side. The disciples of the gentleman responded in their hearts, and thus acquiesced to each other. At the beginning, Mr. Xiyan helped the principal to study ink every day, and he also studied books seriously, and the principal of Wang Zuoshi was not only a teacher, but also an important enlightener of Mr. Lin Xiyan's calligraphy. In this way, his boy skills have laid the foundation step by step. When I was a child, I studied and learned to be a teacher, and my gratitude was always haunting. More than eighty years have passed, when Mr. Lin Xiyan and Chen Youqun tasted tea, they recalled the original scene, and they still remember it vividly!
Doing Good: Three generations of a family have passed on the torch
Perhaps it is precisely because of the hardships and tribulations of life in the past years that there is the ambition and perseverance of entrepreneurship. The young Lin Xiyan spent time in Hong Kong. As a helper, shop assistant, hard work, footprints all over the country, unremitting struggle to gradually accumulate a family business. When the business was successful, Mr. Lin struggled to return to his hometown. After the reform and opening up, Mr. Lin was one of the first Hong Kong businessmen to invest in his hometown. With the attention and support of the relevant departments and his efforts, Chaozhou Minghong Building rose from the ground on Chaofeng Road, and solely invested in the establishment of Chaozhou Minghong Ceramics Co., Ltd., with an investment of more than 20 million yuan. More enthusiastic support for public welfare undertakings such as education in the hometown. Adhering to his father, Mr. Lin Guoying, who loves the country and the hometown, he took the lead in donating funds to build the Chaozhou Overseas Chinese Federation Building "Guoying Building" and personally inscribed the name of the building. It has donated more than 30 social welfare undertakings such as Fengxi Chongli Primary School, Chaozhou Zhengrong Middle School, Zhengrong Primary School, Zhengrong Kindergarten, and Chaozhou Education Fund. He also donated a huge amount of money to rebuild the large-scale Chaozhou Songlin Ancient Temple, which is well-known. At present, Songlin Ancient Temple has become a new Buddhist temple and cultural tourist attraction in Chaozhou.
His eldest son Lin Xuming and second son Lin Xujunle made outstanding contributions to the public welfare and construction of their hometown, and the Chaozhou Municipal People's Government awarded them the honorary titles of "The Third Honorary Citizen of Chaozhou City" and "Philanthropist".
"Destroying delusion with sincerity and removing falsehood from truth" is the "business essentials" set by Mr. Lin Xiyan for his family Xuxin Company. "Sincerity, sincerity" is a kind of inheritance of family style, family training and the spirit of xingye, is the motto of Mr. Lin's handling of people, and it is also the true portrayal of his hard life. In 2008, the financial crisis swept the world, Hong Kong Minghong Group suffered a heavy blow, the chain reaction owed a debt, but the company kept its promises, and had to liquidate assets in a timely manner. Afflictions see sincerity! Won the industry and society high praise. It has also accumulated customers and wide popularity for the revival of the company. Mr. Lin said: There is no money to earn again, but the integrity is damaged, and it is difficult to restore popularity!
Shu Zen: Carry forward the excellent traditional Chinese culture
Mr. Lin has been intelligent since childhood, diligent and studious, with deep family roots, and is deeply immersed in and benefited from the excellent traditional Chinese culture. He is versatile, can sing and dance when he is young, he once wrote plays, and his love wife Ke Zirong met and knew each other in the drama club and then entered the marriage hall. Mr. Lin is also a player on the basketball court. Mr. Lin Jun is an old friend of Mr. Lin Xiyan and an active member of the court. More than seventy years have passed, and during the interview, Mr. Lin Junlao recalled that in that year, Mr. Lin Xiyan, who lived in Fengxi, rushed to Chaocheng every afternoon when he had free time, and he was still excited, laughing, and overflowing with joy.
Mr. Lin Xiyan led the people to rebuild the Songlin Ancient Temple, and the couple encountered a car accident "born of great difficulties", and deeply felt that the world was unpredictable and fragile. The Buddhist meaning of "cause and effect" makes it deeply understood. Looking back at life and the merits and deeds of the ancestors, I felt that the Blessing of the Buddha had survived the difficulties, so I made a wish. Songlin Temple was founded in the Tang Dynasty, and after the reform and opening up, the religious policy was implemented, and the relevant departments built it according to the evidence of excavated relevant cultural relics. The name of the "Songlin Ancient Temple" is taken from the famous Yongjing poem of Chaozhou Ancient County: "Head rests on Songlin Peak, foot on Huangzhi Lake." Hold the pen holder in your left hand and the gourd in your right hand. "After years, a magnificent and magnificent Buddhist temple in the western suburbs of Chaozhou has been completed and illuminated, the Law is solemn, and the ancient county is shining!
Propagation of the Dharma: Practice Zen and learn the art, and practice it
Mr. Lin Xiyan loves calligraphy and has been diligently pursuing it for many years. Located in the "Yi Garden" on Paifang Street, Mr. Lin Xiyan's residence is also a place for him to study calligraphy. He sent his love to the "Yi Garden", practiced Zen and learned art, and did not quit the pool, enjoying himself. He wrote a joint book for Yi garden - "Yi Xing sings the grand world, and the garden contains beautiful spring breeze". Integrate health care, dharma promotion, calligraphy, morality, and yangshan into one, and bend down to practice. In the early spring of 2017, the author had the honor to participate in the "Six Woods and Roots" calligraphy exhibition jointly organized by Mr. Lin Xiyan and his close friend Mr. Lin Jun, the director of the Hong Kong Chinese Art Museum, the executive vice chairman of the International Chaoshan Calligraphy and Painting Federation, and the famous Chaozhou calligraphy and painting artist Mr. Lin Minen, which was admired by each piece of calligraphy and painting. The calligraphy group exhibition was a complete success and became a good story of the Chaozhou Literary Circle Bookstore.
In the early spring of 2017, Mr. Lin Xiyan accompanied the city leaders and other guests to watch the "Six Woods and One Roots" calligraphy exhibition.
In the winter of 2019, Lin Xiyan, Lin Jun, Lin Min'en and three old friends gathered at Mr. Lin Min'en's Chaozhou apartment to taste tea and enthusiastically brew the second and third "Six Woods and Roots" calligraphy joint exhibition. Mr. Lin Min'en was in charge of the book "Six Woods and One Root"; Mr. Lin Jun wrote "Tea Zen One Taste". Then, Mr. Lin Xiyan wrote down the words "All Good Practice". Since then, Mr. Lin has invited his close friend Mr. Lin Jun to the "Yiyuan" book house of his apartment for many times, to understand Zen and discuss books, work together to create, and reminisce about the old friendship. However, just as the joint exhibition was being organized in an orderly manner, it was shocking to hear the bad news of Mr. Lin Xiyan's past life, which was regrettable!
Mr. Lin Xiyan is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Chaoshan Calligraphy and Painting Association, the Honorary President of the China Academy of Calligraphy and Painting, the Consultant of the East Guangdong Creation Center (Yuedong Calligraphy and Painting Institute), the Honorary President of the Chaozhou Calligraphers Association, and the Consultant of the Chaozhou Yingyuan Calligraphy and Painting Society. He studied at home, loved poetry and calligraphy, and carefully copied the Fa Ti and Yan Liu Bao Su's calligraphy styles, which had been tempered over the years and deeply enriched into his own calligraphy style. He has successively published "Lin Xiyan Calligraphy", "Chinese Contemporary Masters - Lin Xiyan Chinese Calligraphy Creation Techniques", "A Brief Explanation of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra", "Lin Xiyan's Thousand Characters in Kaishu", etc., with profound intentions. Mr. Sun Tieqing, president of the Chinese Poetry Society, a famous poet and a calligrapher, praised Mr. Lin's calligraphy as "drawing on the ancient and the present, handsome and elegant". Sun Jianmin, president of the China Academy of Calligraphy and Painting, praised Mr. Lin's calligraphy as "exquisite and fragrant, and has the style required by the times" ,... It is not difficult to see his unique artistic language and personality image that expresses truth, goodness and beauty... Books and character are harmoniously unified." "Books are paintings for the heart", President Sun Jianmin commented that Mr. Lin's calligraphy contains a kind of calligraphy spirit of "great responsibility and demeanor, clean morality".
"Han Mo Tong Zen", "Zen in the pen, Zen in the art". Over the years, Mr. Lin has integrated the promotion of calligraphy art with Buddhist culture, put it into practice, and is committed to carrying forward the essence of China's excellent traditional culture. An imposing ancient temple in the pine forest is actually a magnificent buddhist cultural treasure hall. "Solemn Fa Xiang", "Heavenly King Hall", "Jizo Hall", "Garan Hall", "Yuantong Treasure Hall", "Drum Tower", "Bell Tower"; "Linyan Pine is like a diner, leaning on stream flowers like a water person", "Green bamboo and yellow flowers are Buddha nature, Qingchi Haoyue illuminates the Zen heart", "The northern country has not disappeared thousands of miles of snow, and the pine forest first repays a branch of spring"... In the temple, the plaque is linked, and everywhere you can see mr. Lin Xiyan's elegant calligraphy handwriting of Park Maojin.
Mr. Lin Xiyan's "Heart Sutra" written by Mu Hand.
The Buddhist classic of the Diamond Sutra by Mu Handjing is the best song of Mr. Lin's calligraphy works in his later years. Gurudwara Pine Forest Ancient Temple, the author looks at the newly completed and brilliant "Diamond Sutra" gold stone carved stele forest, which is shocking. Tens of meters long roll, iron bone silver hook, word pearl, into the stone three points, golden light sparkling! And this is from the hand of Mr. Lin Xiyan, who is eighty-eight years old. The work is vivid as a rainbow, and the spirit is shocking and moving, which is amazing! This is also the treasure that Mr. Lin Xiyan left to the world and the town temple of Songlin Ancient Temple!
The cornice arch in front of the mountain gate of the ancient temple of The Pine Forest is magnificent. On the front wall, Mr. Lin Xiyan paid homage to Tang. The Bird Zen Master taught the Bai Gong Lotte saying "All evil is not done, all good is practiced" Eight lines of the book are simple and beautiful, and the meaning is profound. This is also Mr. Lin Xiyan's lifelong dedication, humility, charity, and dedication, and the concept of human life that he strives to practice, and perhaps his sincere exhortation to believers in the world!
postscript:
Interviewed Mr. Lin Xiyan for the remaining years ago, and asked mr. Lin Xiyan to answer. Helplessly, the author has lived in Sui City for a long time, and the time is not long. And when the tide returned, Mr. Wen had already returned to Gu Xian and could not help but strangle his wrist. The comfort is that Mr. Yin's kind appearance still remains in the world's long-standing memory! It is another year of Qingming Festival, and the above text is a little remembrance of Mr. Lin's point.
Sincerely thank you friends for providing relevant information!
Note: Thanks to Yuan Yuxian, Secretary General of the Calligraphy and Painting Research Association of the Municipal University for the Elderly, for providing some of the photos with text.
(Gulou Linfeng Nongyin Before Qingming Yu Sui2022.3.1)