Six Records of a Resurrected Life
II. Apprenticeship
Heng Yi, my last letter talked about a significant decision in my life, which is to become a printing apprentice. This matter might not be of much interest to you, but it is related to the various fortunes of both of us, so I will give a brief account of it. It was when my apprenticeship was completed that I met you again. I want to share with you my feelings and circumstances at that time. As for the subsequent misunderstandings and missed opportunities, they were simply impossible to foresee. Could the whims of the world really be the will of God?
When I first entered the printing house, there were a total of ten craftsmen, divided into character carving, type molding and casting, plate layout, printing, and binding. Following the advice of Mr. Wong Shing, I started learning typography and page layout. But if I want to be promoted in the future, I need to master other processes as well. The reason Mr. Wong Shing said this was because he saw that I had already studied at the college for a few years and my Chinese and English skills were superior to those of the average worker. Mr. Wong Shing was originally from Heung Shan County, Kwangtung. He once attended the Morrison Memorial School, then went to study in the United States of America with two other classmates. Although he had to return to Hong Kong due to illness, his Western education was still top-notch among the local Chinese. After returning to Hong Kong, he practiced printing at the The China Mail for a year and a half before he became the head of the Anglo-Chinese College Printing House. It was said that the local court wanted to hire Mr. Wong as a translator at a high salary of 120 dollars, but he preferred to serve at the college printing house for a monthly salary of 30 dollars. His choice was highly praised by the staff in the mission station.
The supervisor of the printing house was Mr. Chalmers, and Mr. Wong Shing was the superintendent, under whom was Mr. Wong Muk, the head of the craftsmen. Among all the craftsmen, Mr. Wong Muk was the most senior, having previously served in the printing house in Singapore, before moving along with the College to Hong Kong. Mr. Wong Shing was not personally involved in the daily printing work, and the training of apprentices was also the responsibility of Mr. Wong Muk, who was my master. Apprenticeship was always more about suffering than joy - masters were often harsh and abusive, keeping their skills a secret - as was occasionally reported. Fortunately, Master Wong Muk was strict but fair, and was willing to share his knowledge and skills. In addition, the demand for the new translation of the Bible was great, and the typefaces were selling well. Everyone had to devote their full efforts, with no room for idle or neglect. I took this opportunity to hone my skills. When I first joined, there were only two printing presses. One of them was quite old, a relic left over from the Malacca missionary station forty years ago. Two years later, a third new press was purchased. In subsequent years, the fourth and fifth were gradually added, greatly increasing production. This was necessary to print the Chinese Classics translated by Mr. Legge.
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