Dr Liang Wern Fook (; born 1964 in Singapore) is a
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
Singaporean writer, musician, singer and researcher in
Chinese literature and
pedagogy
Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...
. He was one of the
pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
figures in ''
xinyao
''Xinyao'' () is a genre of songs that is unique to Singapore. It is a contemporary Mandarin vocal genre that emerged and rose to fame in Singapore between the late 1970s to 1980s. ''Xinyao'' songs are composed and sung by Singaporeans and it is a ...
'' (Singaporean Chinese
folk songs) movement in the 1980s and 1990s.
Biography
Early life
Liang grew up in a music-loving household, along with his two younger siblings. His father, a
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
, and his mother, an
acupuncturist
Acupuncture is a form of alternative medicine and a component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in which thin needles are inserted into the body. Acupuncture is a pseudoscience; the theories and practices of TCM are not based on scientif ...
, were always playing the
records
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
of singers like
Bai Guang
Bai Guang (27 June 1921 – 27 August 1999), also credited as Pai Kwong, Bai Kwong and Bai Kwang, was a Chinese actress and singer. By the 1940s, she became one of the Seven great singing stars.
Biography
Bai Guang was born Shi Yongfen () in 192 ...
and
Zhou Xuan.
Liang received his primary and secondary school education at
Catholic High School
Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...
. He started taking
piano lessons at the age of 10, and went on to attain a Grade 8 certificate. Liang wrote his first song at the age of 16, and he became more prolific once he started attending
Hwa Chong Junior College
The Hwa Chong Junior College () was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The school merged with The Chinese High School on 1 January 2005 to form the integrated Hwa Chong Institution.
History
Founding
Hwa Chong Jun ...
(now
Hwa Chong Institution
Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) is an independent secondary educational institution in Bukit Timah, Singapore. Formed by the merger of The Chinese High School (1919–2004) and Hwa Chong Junior College (1974–2005) in 2005, it provides secondary edu ...
), often performing with schoolmates in addition to heading the
student council and Chinese society drama club. Many of the songs he wrote then, mainly about
friendship
Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague.
In some cultures, the concept o ...
and
camaraderie, are still popular among the school's students today during gatherings, where different singing groups would often perform together.
Liang later attended the
National University of Singapore, where he was the top student for both his major,
Chinese studies
Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ...
, and in the
Arts faculty in 1988. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with
Honours
Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...
in
Chinese Literature in 1989 and a
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...
in 1992 from the
National University of Singapore. In 1999, he received his
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in
Chinese Studies
Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ...
from the
Nanyang Technological University.
In 1992, he married Liu Xiu Mei, a former Chinese language teacher of
The Chinese High School
The Chinese High School () was an independent school in Singapore offering secondary education. The school merged with Hwa Chong Junior College on 1 January 2005 to form the integrated Hwa Chong Institution.
Founded on 21 March 1919, The Chine ...
, whom he met in university. They have no children.
Musical and writing career
As a singer-songwriter, Liang's first song "Sing a Song for Hwa Chong" () was written in 1981 after he lost in an inter-school
debating
Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...
competition at Hwa Chong Junior College.
His first commercial song, "A Song for You" () was released in 1984 on the Ocean Butterflies () label. During his ''xinyao'' phase from 1986 to 1992, he released five albums, some of which sold as many as 20,000 copies. Among these, ''Door'' () was the first Singaporean
Mandarin album to be completely
composed and written by the same
artiste. The song "One Step at a Time" () sat for six weeks at the top of the
charts
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tab ...
in 1987, while "Love's Refuge" () was at the top for 29 weeks in 1986, an unbroken record for a local pop song.
[Tommy Koh ''et al.'' (2006), '' Singapore: The Encyclopedia'', Editions Didier Millet and National Heritage Board, ] To date, Liang has over 200
musical compositions and songs to his name.
Liang's particularly iconic composition is the song "Negotiations And Love" (). He penned this in the aftermath of the
1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, and Taiwanese singer
Wen Zhang
Wen Zhang (, born 26 June 1984) is a Chinese actor. He graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 2006. Wen ranked 58th on ''Forbes'' China Celebrity 100 list in 2013, and 45th in 2014.
Career Rising popularity
Wen first became known for h ...
recorded it. The song became popular in Singapore, Taiwan and
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
.
He has composed television serial
theme song
Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...
s for the then
Singapore Broadcasting Corporation
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
, now
MediaCorp
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
. Since the 1990s, Liang has also written hits for
Cantonese
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...
and Mandarin
pop stars
''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
such as
Jacky Cheung
Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Dubbed the " God of Songs", he is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong pop music. Cheung is known for his technically skilled vocals, lengthy tours, and ...
,
Andy Lau
Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
,
Leon Lai
Leon Lai Ming SBS BBS MH (born 11 December 1966), is a Hong Kong actor, film director, businessman and Cantopop singer. He is one of the " Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. He uses his Chinese name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming", whi ...
,
Tony Leung,
Alex To
Alex To (born Alejandro Delfino on 10 February 1962) is a Hong Kong- and Taiwan-based singer and actor. He is the winner of the 4th annual New Talent Singing Awards in 1985. He has released numerous albums throughout his career and mainly has ...
,
Eric Moo
Eric Moo Chii Yuan (born 9 February 1963), better known as Eric Moo or Wu Qixian, is a Malaysian Chinese award-winning singer-songwriter and record producer.
Personal life
Moo was born in Mambang Diawan, Kampar, Perak in 1963. He moved to ...
,
Kit Chan
use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) -->
, death_place =
, death_cause =
, body_discovered =
, resting_place =
, resting_place_coordinates ...
,
Joi Chua
Joi Chua (, born 3 August 1978) is a Singaporean female pop singer. Her most famous songs are "Waiting for a Sunny Day" (《等一个晴天》), "Watching the Sunrise With Me" (《陪我看日出》), the Chinese version of "Nada Soso" and "Win ...
and
Stefanie Sun
Stefanie Sun (, born 23 July 1978) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. In 2000, she released her debut album, '' Yan Zi'', which won her a Golden Melody Award for Best New Artist. In 2004, she released her eighth studio album, '' Stefanie'', ...
. In 1996, he
wrote and composed the songs for Singapore's first Chinese musical ''December Rains'' ().
In the following year, Liang wrote the theme song "Are You Still There" (你是不是还在) for Singapore film ''Track'' ().
In August and September 2007, Liang's songs were featured in a local Chinese musical "If There're Seasons", presented by The Theatre Practice.
In April 2015, Liang held his 1st solo concert ''For Music, For Life... Liang Wenfu Concert 2015'' at The Star Theatre.
Liang is also a poet, essayist and a former columnist for ''
Lianhe Zaobao
''Nanyang Sin-Chew Lianhe Zaobao'' (; literally "Nanyang Sin-Chew Joint Morning Paper"), commonly abbreviated as ''Lianhe Zaobao'' (; literally "Joint Morning Paper"), is the largest Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper with a daily circu ...
''. He has over ten publications in various genres of creative writing. His works, such as the essay collection, ''The Last Years of Kreta Ayer'' (, 1998)- which is also used as a GCE
A Level
The A-Level (Advanced Level) is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education, as well as a school leaving qualification offered by the educational bodies in the United Kingdom and the educational au ...
text in Singapore; poetry collection ''In Fact I am in Love with Time'' (, 1989); and short story collection ''The 21 Dreams of Liang Wern Fook'' (21, 1992) showed a new direction for Singapore Chinese literature. These books recorded the changes in modes of feeling and
expression
Expression may refer to:
Linguistics
* Expression (linguistics), a word, phrase, or sentence
* Fixed expression, a form of words with a specific meaning
* Idiom, a type of fixed expression
* Metaphorical expression, a particular word, phrase, o ...
brought about by the
peer pressure
Peer pressure is the direct or indirect influence on peers, i.e., members of social groups with similar interests, experiences, or social statuses. Members of a peer group are more likely to influence a person's beliefs, values, and behavior. A g ...
and complexity of life in a
post-modern
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...
society.
Today, Liang runs a Chinese language
enrichment centre for primary and secondary school students, set up in 1997, with his wife He is also an adjunct associate professor in the Division of Chinese at Nanyang Technological University.
Liang is still involved in the
music business
The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...
through writing one to six songs a year. He would offer his work to the singer whom he thinks is most suitable for the
tune. His most recent popular hit was Joi Chua's "Watch The Sunrise With Me" (), released in 2004.
In 2015, he created the theme song for
Life- Fear Not.
In 2016, Liang released his first album in 24 years, ''I Hear The Sound of Dawn'' (). It contains 15 tracks and features Singaporean singers such as
Stefanie Sun
Stefanie Sun (, born 23 July 1978) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. In 2000, she released her debut album, '' Yan Zi'', which won her a Golden Melody Award for Best New Artist. In 2004, she released her eighth studio album, '' Stefanie'', ...
,
Joi Chua
Joi Chua (, born 3 August 1978) is a Singaporean female pop singer. Her most famous songs are "Waiting for a Sunny Day" (《等一个晴天》), "Watching the Sunrise With Me" (《陪我看日出》), the Chinese version of "Nada Soso" and "Win ...
,
Tay Kewei
Tay Kewei (; born 18 August 1983) is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. She has released songs in English, Chinese, and Japanese.
Professional background
In 2006, Tay Kewei joined local singing competition Project SuperStar, initially getting in ...
,
Alfred Sim
Alfred Sim Chee Hao (born 4 October 1981), is a Singaporean singer and athletics coach. He is best known for being the overall winner of the third season of reality singing competition '' Project SuperStar''.
Singing career
Sim auditioned for th ...
and younger performers
ShiGGa Shay
Pek Jin Shen (born 12 September 1992), better known by his stage name Shigga Shay ( stylised as ShiGGa Shay—the capitalised "GG" representing "Grizzle Grind"), is a Singaporean hip hop artist, songwriter, director and music producer.
He has ...
and
Tosh Zhang.
Academic career
Liang went into
academia
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
in 1990, when the ''xinyao'' movement started to become more commercialised. While peers such as
Eric Moo
Eric Moo Chii Yuan (born 9 February 1963), better known as Eric Moo or Wu Qixian, is a Malaysian Chinese award-winning singer-songwriter and record producer.
Personal life
Moo was born in Mambang Diawan, Kampar, Perak in 1963. He moved to ...
, Billy Koh and
Lee Shih Shiong
Peter Lee Shih Shiong (; born 24 July 1966) is a Singaporean musician, composer, and record producer. In 2001, Lee won a Golden Melody Award for Best Composition for his work, "Cloudy Day", performed by his apprentice Stefanie Sun
Stefani ...
and his twin brother Wei Song ventured abroad or started their own music schools, Liang, instead, chose to pursue his PhD at the
National Institute of Education
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is an autonomous institute of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Ranked 12th in the world and 2nd in Asia by the QS World University Rankings in the subject of Education in 2015, the ...
, now part of
Nanyang Technological University (NTU), writing a thesis on the poems of
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...
poet
Meng Haoran
Meng Haoran (; 689/691–740) was a major Tang dynasty poet, and a somewhat older contemporary of Wang Wei, Li Bai and Du Fu. Despite his brief pursuit of an official career, Meng Haoran mainly lived in and wrote about the area in which he was ...
. He graduated with a PhD in Chinese studies in 1999.
Currently, Liang teaches once a week as an adjunct associate professor at NTU's Chinese studies department. He also lectures at the National University of Singapore and the
National Institute of Education
The National Institute of Education (NIE) is an autonomous institute of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Ranked 12th in the world and 2nd in Asia by the QS World University Rankings in the subject of Education in 2015, the ...
.
Honours
In 1988, Liang received gold medal awards from both the National University of Singapore's Arts and Social Sciences Faculty and the Nanyang Technological University's Chinese Studies Department.
In 1990, Liang was voted "Most Popular Writer" by local students in a poll organised by ''Lianhe Zaobao''. In 1992, he received the
National Arts Council's first Young Artist Award. He won the Singapore Book Prize in 1996. In a 2003 poll conducted by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (Compass), Liang was voted "Person Who Best Represents the ''Xinyao'' Spirit". The same poll placed seven of his songs among "the ten greatest ''xinyao'' songs", with "Friendship Forever" (细水长流) in top position.
In music, Liang's achievements include: Sing Music Highest Honour Award (1988), ''Xinyao'' Festival Best Lyrics and Music Award (1989), Singapore Hits Highest Honour Award (1994), Singapore Hits Best Local Lyrics Award (1995; 2001; 2003; 2005) and the Meritorious Award from Compass (1999), and Best Original TV Series Theme Song at the
Asian Television Awards
The Asian Television Awards (launched in 1996), is an appreciation to recognize and reward programming and production excellence in the Asian television industry. Held every December, the Awards comprises 56 categories across news, documentarie ...
(2002), Outstanding Achievement Award(Music) at the Singapore Entertainment Awards(2010), Best TV Drama Theme Song Award at the Star Awards(2010).
In 2008, Liang was awarded the Alumni Achievement Award by
NTU (of which the
NIE is a part of).
In 2010, Liang was awarded the Singapore
Cultural Medallion
The Cultural Medallion is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award.
Histo ...
.
In 2012, Liang was honoured as "Special Artist of the Year" when Chingay Parade celebrated its 40th Anniversary.
See also
*
Literature of Singapore
The literature of Singapore comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporeans. It is written chiefly in the country's four official languages: English, Malay, Standard Mandarin and Tamil.
While Singaporean literary works may be considered ...
*
Music of Singapore
Singapore has a diverse music culture that ranges from rock and pop to folk and classical. Its various communities have their own distinct musical traditions: the Chinese form the largest ethnic group in Singapore, with Malays, Indians as well ...
Notes
References
*
*
Life - Fear Not
''Life - Fear Not'' (Chinese: 人生无所畏, previously titled ''Life's Blessings'') ran for 120 episode series produced by Mediacorp Channel 8. It stars Chen Shucheng , Aileen Tan , Rayson Tan , Felicia Chin & Aloysius Pang as the casts of thi ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liang, Wern Fook
Singaporean writers
Nanyang Technological University faculty
Singaporean composers
20th-century Singaporean male singers
Singaporean Mandopop singers
National University of Singapore alumni
Nanyang Technological University alumni
Hwa Chong Junior College alumni
Catholic High School, Singapore alumni
1964 births
Living people
Singaporean people of Cantonese descent
Recipients of the Cultural Medallion