林谋盛留给我们的精神遗产
文图 · 王顺明
林谋盛之墓
麦里芝蓄水池公园一隅的山坡上有座土灰色的墓冢，这里环境异常清幽，只闻鸟语与花香，靠近墓冢一看，见墓碑上镌刻着11个大字——陆军少将林烈士谋盛之墓。
关于林谋盛
林谋盛肖像
林谋盛（1909-1944）生于中国福建南安，幼时在厦门接受教育，16岁南来新加坡，毕业于莱佛士书院及香港大学。父亲是名成功的商人，在中国与新加坡的家资相当丰厚，于中新马三地华侨商人社群中享有盛誉。
林谋盛20多岁时父亲就过世，他继承了林氏的家业，同时又担任中华总商会董事，是当时新马华人社会里出类拔萃的青年才俊。林谋盛很早就成家立室，他与妻子育有四子四女。此时的林谋盛应当是家庭事业两得意。
当仁不让的奉献精神
1937年中日战争全面爆发之后，林谋盛一直热心资助各项援华抗日的运动。随着战火延烧至马来亚，他不但出钱还出力，更奋身抗日前沿。1942年新加坡沦陷，他忍痛留下妻儿远赴印度，在那里负责训练中国留印海员；与此同时，他也经常往返于印度和中国两地并多次参加中英盟军的战略会议。而后，他被调任盟军东南亚总司令部第136部队马来亚区华人区长，负责侦察和情报收集的工作。
1943年11月，林谋盛不忍同僚在前线抗争，自己却只能在后方统筹，于是，他决定身先士卒，孤身潜回马来亚霹雳州以策应当地抗日部队的工作。1944年3月，他不幸被查哨站的日军识破身份而遭逮捕，日本宪兵在狱中对他严刑拷打，百般折磨，尽管如此，他始终不肯屈服，并没供出队友的行踪及部队的情报。在连月的酷刑逼供下，林谋盛于1944年6月29日殉难，年仅35岁。
二战结束后，林谋盛的家人赴华都牙也将他的遗骸运回新加坡。1946年1月，英军在政府大厦为他举办了隆重的军葬礼，中国国民政府亦追赠林谋盛少将的军阶，随后，林谋盛的灵柩迁至麦里芝蓄水池入葬。数年后，英殖民政府批准了在滨海公园为林谋盛建立一座纪念塔，宝塔的设计结合了中西元素，塔身嵌有铜匾记述他的生平事迹，给大家了解他传奇的一生。国家文物局于2010年12月将林谋盛纪念塔列为国家古迹。
爱国与互助的精神
林谋盛既灿烂又悲壮、短暂却传奇的一生让我对他肃然生敬，同时我也不断反思他到底留给我们什么样的启示。从林谋盛身上，我们看到了华族知识分子的优良传统品质——国家兴亡，匹夫有责。我们应该继承林谋盛的爱国护家的精神，坚决捍卫这片孕育并滋养我们的土地。
在那个动荡不安时代的华族群体间有很强的互助精神。当中日战争爆发后，包括新马在内的各地华人社会，都纷纷声援中国的抗战事业；出钱出力，体现了华人守望相助、齐心协力的强大凝聚力。时过境迁，新加坡已经是个独立且高度发展的国家，我们已经熔铸了属于自己、具本土特色的新加坡华族文化，但互相扶持、彼此关照的传统精神依然在社会各个阶层有所体现，我们应当守护并延续这难能可贵的精神。
（作者为旅游业者、新加坡社科大学中文系毕业生）
The Spiritual Legacy Left By Lim Bo Seng
Author：Ong Soon Meng
On a secluded hillside within MacRitchie Reservoir Park lies a soil-gray tomb, surrounded by an extraordinarily tranquil environment where only the sounds of birds and the scent of flowers fill the air. Upon closer inspection of the tombstone, one can see 11 large characters inscribed: “Tomb of Martyr Major General Lim Bo Seng.”
About Mr Lim Bo Seng
Lim Bo Seng (1909-1944) was born in Lam Ann (Nan’an) , Fujian Province, China. As a child, he received his education in Xiamen and, at the age of 16, came to Singapore, where he graduated from Raffles Institution and the University of Hong Kong. His father was a successful businessman with considerable wealth in both China and Singapore and was highly regarded within the overseas Chinese business communities in China, Singapore, and Malaysia.
In his twenties, after his father’s passing, Lim Bo Seng inherited the family business and also served as a director of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He was considered one of the most outstanding young talents in the Chinese communities of Singapore and Malaysia at that time. Lim Bo Seng got married early, and he and his wife had four sons and four daughters. At this point in his life, he was likely enjoying both family happiness and career success.
Dedication of being benevolent
After the full-scale outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Lim Bo Seng became deeply involved in various movements supporting China’s resistance against Japan. As the war spread to Malaya, he not only contributed financially but also personally participated in the resistance. When Singapore fell in 1942, Lim made the difficult decision to leave his wife and children and travel to India, where he was responsible for training Chinese seamen in India. At the same time, he frequently travelled between India and China and participated in several strategic meetings of the Sino-British Allied Forces. Later, he was appointed as the head of Chinese section in Force 136, the British Southeast Asian Command, overseeing reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.
In November 1943, unable to bear seeing his comrades fighting on the front lines while he was relegated to organising from the rear, Lim decided to take the lead and returned alone to Perak, Malaya, to assist the local anti-Japanese forces. In March 1944, he was unfortunately identified by Japanese soldiers at a checkpoint and was arrested. The Japanese military police subjected him to severe torture in prison, yet despite the brutal treatment, Lim never wavered and refused to divulge any information about his comrades’ whereabouts or the intelligence of the forces. After enduring months of relentless torture, Lim Bo Seng died a martyr on June 29, 1944, at the young age of 35.
After World War II ended, Lim Bo Seng’s family went to Batu Gajah to retrieve his remains and brought them back to Singapore. In January 1946, the British military held a solemn military funeral for him at the Government House (now the Istana), and Kuomintang government of China (KMT) posthumously awarded him the rank of Major General. His remains were then reinterred at MacRitchie Reservoir. Several years later, the British colonial government approved the construction of a memorial tower for Lim Bo Seng at Esplanade Park. The design of the tower incorporated both Chinese and Western elements, and the tower was inscribed with a bronze plaque detailing his life and achievements, allowing people to learn about his legendary life. In December 2010, the National Heritage Board designated the Lim Bo Seng Memorial as a national monument.
Spirit of patriotism and mutual assistance
Lim Bo Seng’s life, both brilliant and tragic, brief yet legendary, commands my deep respect. At the same time, it prompts me to constantly reflect on the lessons he left us. From Lim Bo Seng, we can see the noble qualities of Chinese intellectuals-the belief that every citizen has a responsibility to their country’s fate. We should inherit Lim Bo Seng’s spirit of patriotism and protect the homeland, steadfastly defending the land that nurtures and sustains us.
During that turbulent era, the Chinese community demonstrated a strong spirit of mutual support. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Chinese communities worldwide, including those in Singapore and Malaya, rallied to support China’s resistance efforts; they contributed both money and efforts, exemplifying the powerful cohesion and solidarity of the Chinese people. Though times have changed, and Singapore is now an independent and highly developed nation, we have forged a distinct Singaporean Chinese culture. However, the traditional spirit of mutual support and care for one another remains evident across all levels of society, and we must cherish and continue this invaluable spirit.
（Translated by Low Yik Teng, Nicole Zhan Shuyun, Cai Xiaotong from Yuan Ching Secondary School, Winning entry of the Chinese-English Translation Competition）
