Staying: I Lo-fen’s Twenty Years in Singapore
2006年7月16日，我正式移居新加坡。二十年来，我在这里教书、写作、研究，也在这里创发文图学，成立文图学会。这个专页记录我从2006年至2026年在新加坡走过的道路，以及我在这片土地上所看见、理解和留下的事物。
On 16 July 2006, I officially moved to Singapore. Over the past twenty years, I have taught, written, and conducted research here. It was also in Singapore that I developed Text and Image Studies and founded the Text and Image Studies Society. This page records my journey in Singapore from 2006 to 2026, and what I have seen, understood, and sought to leave behind on this island.
二十年前，我只是一个初来热带岛国的异乡人。那时的我不会知道，自己会在这里教书、写作、研究，创发文图学，成立文图学会，也不会知道，这座城市将改变我观看世界的方式。
2008年，我曾经写下一封题为《留下》的电邮。我问自己：
“凡走过的，必留下痕迹。而我，能留下什么呢？”
二十年来，有顺境，也有挫折；有收获，也有伤痛。但今天回头看，我仍然庆幸当年的选择。
因为留下，我遇见了一批又一批学生，也遇见许多愿意与我一起相信人文价值的人。
我渐渐明白，一个学者真正留下来的，不一定是自己的名字，而是别人观看世界、理解文化和度过人生的方式。
人年轻的时候，总想着要到哪里去。
后来才知道，更重要的是：在哪里留下什么。
这支影片，纪念我从2006年7月16日至2026年7月16日，移居新加坡二十年。
也献给所有曾经陪伴、帮助和支持我的人。
“刚刚好，你选择了留下。”
On 16 July 2006, I officially moved to Singapore.
Twenty years ago, I was simply a newcomer to this tropical island. At that time, I could not have known that I would teach, write, conduct research, develop Text and Image Studies, and found the Text and Image Studies Society here. Nor could I have known that this city would change the way I see the world.
In 2008, I wrote an email titled Staying. In it, I asked myself:
“Wherever we have walked, traces will remain. Some leave behind gems; some leave behind rubbish. What, then, can I leave behind?”
Over these twenty years, there have been smooth days as well as setbacks, gains as well as wounds. Yet looking back today, I am still grateful for the choice I made.
Because I stayed, I met generation after generation of students, and many others who continue to believe with me in the value of the humanities.
I have gradually come to understand that what a scholar truly leaves behind is not necessarily a name, but a way for others to see the world, understand culture, and live their lives.
When we are young, we often think about where we want to go.
Only later do we realize that what matters more is this: what we leave behind, and where.
This video commemorates the twentieth anniversary of my move to Singapore, from 16 July 2006 to 16 July 2026.
It is also dedicated to all who have accompanied, helped, and supported me along the way.
“It was just right—you chose to stay.”
二十年来，我持续观看、理解并书写新加坡，先后出版四本以新加坡为主题的著作：《北纬一度新加坡》、《南洋风华：艺文·广告·跨界新加坡》、《星洲创意：文本·传媒·图像新加坡》，以及《艺游狮城：翻看新加坡美术手账》。从生活观察、社会文化、视觉传播到美术经验，这四本书记录了我如何一步步走进新加坡，也记录了新加坡如何改变我观看世界的方式。
Over the past twenty years, I have continued to observe, understand, and write about Singapore. This journey has resulted in four books devoted to the city-state: Singapore at One Degree North, Gorgeous Nanyang: Arts, Advertising, and Crossovers in Singapore, Creative Singapore: Text, Media, and Images, and Artful Wanderings in the Lion City: A Visual Notebook of Singapore Art. Moving from everyday life and social culture to visual communication and artistic experience, these four books record both how I gradually came to understand Singapore and how Singapore transformed the way I see the world.
2006—2026：我在新加坡的二十年
2006–2026: My Twenty Years in Singapore
2006｜来到新加坡
2006 | Arriving in Singapore
2006年3月，我第一次来到新加坡，应邀在南洋理工大学发表“潇湘八景：诗画意象的再生与越界”演讲。
同年7月16日，我正式移居新加坡，住进南洋理工大学校园宿舍。8月8日，我开始在中文系授课，讲授唐诗与元明清文学。
In March 2006, I visited Singapore for the first time and delivered a lecture at Nanyang Technological University entitled “The Eight Views of the Xiao and Xiang: The Regeneration and Crossing of Poetic and Pictorial Imagery.”
On 16 July 2006, I officially moved to Singapore and settled into university housing at NTU. On 8 August, I began teaching Tang poetry and literature of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties in the Chinese programme.
2007｜开始书写新加坡
2007 | Beginning to Write Singapore
2007年1月21日，我开始为《联合早报》撰写专栏，第一篇文章是《谁来买我的公妈画像》。
5月10日，我在亚洲文明博物馆发表“丽人行——走进中国女性美的时空”，这是我在新加坡的第一场公开演讲。
此后，博物馆、美术馆、文化机构与城市空间，逐渐成为我的研究、写作和公开分享的现场。
On 21 January 2007, I began writing a regular column for Lianhe Zaobao. My first essay was “Who Will Buy My Ancestors’ Portraits?”
On 10 May, I delivered my first public lecture in Singapore at the Asian Civilisations Museum, entitled “A Journey with Beauties: Entering the Time and Space of Chinese Feminine Beauty.”
Museums, galleries, cultural institutions, and the city itself gradually became important sites of my research, writing, and public engagement.
2008｜选择留下
2008 | Choosing to Stay
2008年，我辞去台湾中央研究院的工作，正式留在南洋理工大学中文系任教。
5月9日，我写下一封题为《留下》的电邮。我问自己：
“凡走过的，必留下痕迹。有的人留下的是珠玑；有的人留下的是垃圾。而我，能留下什么呢？”
当时，我相信一个仍在发展中的中文系值得共同建设，也相信新加坡华文教育和南洋华人文化的传承，需要有人持续投入。
In 2008, I resigned from my position at Academia Sinica in Taiwan and remained at Nanyang Technological University as a faculty member in the Chinese programme.
On 9 May, I wrote an email entitled “Staying,” in which I asked:
“Wherever we have walked, traces will remain. Some leave behind gems; some leave behind rubbish. What, then, can I leave behind?”
I believed that a developing Chinese programme was worth building together, and that Chinese education in Singapore and the transmission of Chinese culture in Southeast Asia required sustained commitment.
2011—2012｜经历考验
2011–2012 | Years of Trial
这段时期，我经历了严重的办公室霸凌、误解与伤害，并为维护自己的尊严与公义寻求法律协助。
这些经历让我更深刻地理解：留下，并不是因为一切顺利，而是在经历困难以后，仍然愿意相信自己所做的事情具有意义。
During these years, I experienced serious workplace bullying, misunderstanding, and harm, and sought legal assistance to protect my dignity and uphold justice.
These experiences taught me that staying does not mean that everything has gone smoothly. It means continuing to believe in the meaning of one’s work, even after hardship.
2014｜创发文图学，担任中文系主任
2014 | Developing Text and Image Studies and Serving as Head of Chinese
2014年7月1日，我开始担任南洋理工大学中文系主任。
同年7月19日至20日，我在“学与思：国际汉学研讨会”中提出“文图学”（Text and Image Studies）的概念。
文图学由此从我长期研究文学、图像、艺术与文化交流的经验中逐渐成形，并以新加坡作为重要的研究、教学与发展基地。
On 1 July 2014, I became Head of the Chinese programme at Nanyang Technological University.
On 19–20 July of the same year, I introduced the concept of Text and Image Studies at the international conference “Learning and Thinking.”
Text and Image Studies gradually emerged from my long-term research into literature, images, art, and cultural exchange, with Singapore becoming an important base for its research, teaching, and development.
2015｜出版《北纬一度新加坡》
2015 | Publication of Singapore at One Degree North
出版散文集《北纬一度新加坡》。
这本书以生活观察、城市经验与文化感受为中心，记录一名移居者如何逐渐观看、理解和书写新加坡。
I published the essay collection Singapore at One Degree North.
Centred on everyday observation, urban experience, and cultural reflection, the book records how a migrant gradually came to observe, understand, and write about Singapore.
2016｜移居十年与《南洋风华》
2016 | Ten Years in Singapore and Gorgeous Nanyang
2016年1月29日，我在草根书室举办移居新加坡十周年书友会，主题是“新加坡对我的启蒙”。
同年6月，我卸任南洋理工大学中文系主任。任内规划中文系十周年庆展览，为十周年晚会募款，选定中文系系歌《细水长流》，拍摄中文系微电影《举手》，并主办多场国际学术会议、讲座与学生文化考察活动。
同年出版：
《南洋风华：艺文·广告·跨界新加坡》
Gorgeous Nanyang: Arts, Advertisements, Crossover Singapore
本书获得新加坡国家艺术理事会出版奖助，并入选《联合早报》2016年度好书。
On 29 January 2016, I marked my tenth year in Singapore with a readers’ gathering at Grassroots Book Room entitled “What Singapore Has Taught Me.”
In June, I completed my term as Head of the Chinese programme. During my tenure, I planned the programme’s tenth-anniversary exhibition, raised funds for its anniversary celebration, selected the programme song “A Gentle Stream Flows Far,” produced the short film Raise Your Hand, and organised international conferences, lectures, and student cultural study trips.
That year, I published:
Gorgeous Nanyang: Arts, Advertisements, Crossover Singapore
The book received publication support from the National Arts Council Singapore and was selected as one of Lianhe Zaobao’s books of the year for 2016.
2017｜成立文图学会
2017 | Founding the Text and Image Studies Society
2017年12月18日，新加坡政府核准成立文图学会（Text and Image Studies Society）。我是学会发起人及荣誉主席。
文图学由此从大学课堂和学术研究，进一步进入社会文化与公众分享的领域。
On 18 December 2017, the Text and Image Studies Society was officially registered in Singapore. I was its founder and Honorary President.
Text and Image Studies thus moved beyond university teaching and academic research into broader cultural engagement and public sharing.
2018｜“观画夜游”与文图学公开分享
2018 | “Night Viewing of Paintings” and Public Sharing of Text and Image Studies
2018年1月26日，文图学会举办第一场活动“观画夜游”，导览新加坡国家美术馆。
2月10日，文图学会在新加坡城市书房举行正式公布运营的仪式，我发表“尚衣流：张开文图学的眼睛过生活”演讲。
此后，文图学会持续举办博物馆与美术馆导览、公开演讲、工作坊及国际学术交流，把文图学的研究成果、观看方法与文化思考分享给更多公众。
On 26 January 2018, the Text and Image Studies Society held its first event, “Night Viewing of Paintings,” at the National Gallery Singapore.
On 10 February, the Society formally announced the beginning of its operations at City Book Room, where I delivered the lecture “Fashioning I Lo-fen: Opening the Eyes of Text and Image Studies in Everyday Life.”
Since then, the Society has continued to organise museum and gallery tours, public lectures, workshops, and international academic exchanges, sharing the research findings, ways of seeing, and cultural reflections developed through Text and Image Studies with a wider public.
2019｜教学与学术获得肯定
2019 | Recognition for Teaching and Scholarship
2019年，我获得南洋理工大学许文辉学术奖，由新加坡总统哈莉玛女士亲自颁发。
同年出版《书艺东坡》，并主编《东张西望：文图学与亚洲视界》。
In 2019, I received the Koh Boon Hwee Scholars Award from Nanyang Technological University, presented by Singapore President Halimah Yacob.
That year, I also published The Art of Su Dongpo’s Calligraphy and edited Looking East and West: Text and Image Studies and the Asian Vision.
2020—2021｜从现场走向线上
2020–2021 | From Physical Venues to Digital Platforms
新冠疫情期间，我开始进行线上教学、直播演讲、录制影片和Podcast，并通过YouTube、Bilibili等平台传播人文学术。
2021年，文图学课程成为南洋理工大学人文学院旗舰课程之一，并应邀进入摄影棚拍摄课程介绍影片。
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I moved into online teaching, livestreamed lectures, video production, and podcasting, sharing humanities research through YouTube, Bilibili, and other digital platforms.
In 2021, Text and Image Studies became one of the flagship courses of NTU’s School of Humanities, and I was invited to record an introductory video for the course in a professional studio.
2023｜出版《星洲创意》
2023 | Publication of Creative Nanyang
出版：
《星洲创意：文本·传媒·图像新加坡》
Creative Nanyang: Text, Media, and Image in Singapore
本书获得新加坡国家艺术理事会出版奖助，入选《联合早报》2023年度十大好书，并获新加坡国家图书馆精选为新加坡建国60年推荐好书。
同年，我举行出版三十五年来第一次个人书展，展出三十三本著作，并发表“为何创建文图学？”开幕演讲。
I published:
Creative Nanyang: Text, Media, and Image in Singapore
The book received publication support from the National Arts Council Singapore, was selected as one of Lianhe Zaobao’s ten best books of 2023, and was chosen by the National Library Board, Singapore, as one of its recommended books commemorating Singapore’s 60th anniversary of independence.
That year, I also held my first solo book exhibition in thirty-five years, featuring thirty-three of my publications, and delivered the opening lecture “Why Did I Create Text and Image Studies?”
2024｜出版《艺游狮城》与开设AIGC文图学课程
2024 | Artful Wanderings in the Lion City and Text and Image Studies on AIGC
出版：
《艺游狮城：翻看新加坡美术手账》
Artful Wanderings in the Lion City: Exploring Singapore’s Artistic Visual Note
本书以新加坡美术、艺术场馆、文化空间和观看经验为主线，记录我在新加坡观看、研究与分享美术的历程。
同年，我在南洋理工大学开设第四门文图学课程——AIGC文图学，将生成式人工智能带入人文学研究与教学。
I published:
Artful Wanderings in the Lion City: Exploring Singapore’s Artistic Visual Note
Centred on Singapore art, art institutions, cultural spaces, and the experience of viewing, the book records my journey of observing, researching, and sharing art in Singapore.
That year, I also introduced my fourth Text and Image Studies course at NTU—Text and Image Studies on AIGC—bringing generative artificial intelligence into humanities research and teaching.
2025｜回望“新加坡三部曲”
2025 | Looking Back at the Singapore Trilogy
2025年4月19日，我在新加坡国家图书馆发表“我的新加坡三部曲”演讲，回顾三本以新加坡文化、视觉传播和美术为主要对象的著作：
《南洋风华：艺文·广告·跨界新加坡》
Gorgeous Nanyang: Arts, Advertisements, Crossover Singapore
《星洲创意：文本·传媒·图像新加坡》
Creative Nanyang: Text, Media, and Image in Singapore
《艺游狮城：翻看新加坡美术手账》
Artful Wanderings in the Lion City: Exploring Singapore’s Artistic Visual Note
连同2015年出版的《北纬一度新加坡》，二十年来，我已经出版四本以新加坡为主要书写和研究对象的著作。
On 19 April 2025, I delivered a lecture at the National Library Singapore entitled “My Singapore Trilogy,” reflecting on three books devoted to Singapore’s culture, visual communication, and art:
Gorgeous Nanyang: Arts, Advertisements, Crossover Singapore
Creative Nanyang: Text, Media, and Image in Singapore
Artful Wanderings in the Lion City: Exploring Singapore’s Artistic Visual Note
Together with Singapore at One Degree North, published in 2015, these form four books devoted primarily to writing about and researching Singapore.
2026｜移居新加坡二十年
2026 | Twenty Years in Singapore
2026年7月16日，是我移居新加坡二十周年。
二十年来，我在这里教书、写作、研究，创发文图学，成立文图学会，并持续通过课程、出版、博物馆和美术馆导览、公众演讲与数码传播，分享人文学术的价值。
二十年来，我也先后出版四本以新加坡为主要对象的著作：
《北纬一度新加坡》
Singapore at One Degree North
《南洋风华：艺文·广告·跨界新加坡》
Gorgeous Nanyang: Arts, Advertisements, Crossover Singapore
《星洲创意：文本·传媒·图像新加坡》
Creative Nanyang: Text, Media, and Image in Singapore
《艺游狮城：翻看新加坡美术手账》
Artful Wanderings in the Lion City: Exploring Singapore’s Artistic Visual Note
这四本书从生活观察、城市经验、艺文活动、广告传媒、视觉文化到新加坡美术，记录了我如何一步步走进新加坡，也记录了新加坡如何改变我观看世界的方式。
二十年后，我仍然不断思考一个问题：
一个学者，究竟能够为一片土地、一个文化共同体和一个时代，留下什么？
On 16 July 2026, I marked the twentieth anniversary of my move to Singapore.
Over these two decades, I have taught, written, and conducted research here. I developed Text and Image Studies, founded the Text and Image Studies Society, and continued to share the value of the humanities through teaching, publishing, museum and gallery tours, public lectures, and digital media.
During these twenty years, I have also published four books devoted primarily to Singapore:
Singapore at One Degree North
Gorgeous Nanyang: Arts, Advertisements, Crossover Singapore
Creative Nanyang: Text, Media, and Image in Singapore
Artful Wanderings in the Lion City: Exploring Singapore’s Artistic Visual Note
Moving from everyday observation and urban experience to the arts, advertising, media, visual culture, and Singapore art, these four books record both how I gradually came to understand Singapore and how Singapore transformed the way I see the world.
Twenty years later, I continue to reflect on one question:
What can a scholar leave behind for a place, a cultural community, and an era?