ForeverMissed
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In memory of our loved one, Dr Hengchang Dai.

Hengchang was like the beacon of a lighthouse amidst turbulent seas.

A beacon for his son, Zhoudi, to always come back to no matter how far away he drifted.

A beacon that his wife, Ying, adored, so bright and inspiring.

A beacon that his students could always rely on, when they needed guidance.

A beacon his colleagues, could rely on, to be there when needed.

A beacon for his friends to come towards for banter and intellectual discussion. 

That lighthouse beacon now dims, yet in its swansong, it has left many with such a deep impression. Be it as a passing ship who perchance drifted pass or one that sought his light time and time again, be it as his family, or his many friends, colleagues and students and all those whose life and work he touched, we invite you all to come and leave a memorial message to honour Hengchang Dai. I am sure he would be most touched. 

Ying and Zhoudi

创建了这个网页,让恒昌的亲朋好友,同学和同事共同留下对他的美好回忆和怀念。

恒昌,就像一座矗立在波涛汹涌的大海中的一座灯塔上的信标灯。
对他的儿子頔頔,无论儿子漂流多远,这个信标灯将永远为儿子导航。
对于他的爱妻周英,这个信标灯永远是那么闪亮,并富有灵魂,是她永远的爱恋 。
对于他的学生,这个信标灯,在永远给他们导向,无论什么时候他们需要他的指导。
对于他的同事,这座信标灯,是充满智慧的象征,会永远的在他们的工作中闪亮。
对于他的朋友,这个信标灯永远的等候在那里,随时和他们分享对世界的认知。
这个信标灯,现在在一点一点地暗淡下来,马上就要谢幕了。无论你是恒昌的新朋,还是故友,是他的亲人,是他的学生,还是他的同事为了缅怀戴恒昌博士的一生,我们邀请你,请你记录下对戴恒昌博士的美好回忆和寄托。我相信他在九泉之下会有感知和感到欣慰的!谢谢!
July 17, 2021
July 17, 2021
悼戴恒昌君
(辛丑夏,2021年7月)

幸始逢君在爱城,
风华正茂何生生!
结邻岁岁常欢聚,
游历年年作伴行。
异乡求学艰难日,
高地识兄战友情。
重聚丹佛尤昨刻,
谁知一别竟终程!

【自注】
‘幸始逢君在爱城’:我1993年春到爱丁堡,戴君稍早于我先来,大家那时都是30多岁血气方刚的年青人。

‘结邻岁岁常欢聚’:在爱丁堡留学期间,我们家和恒昌家都住在靠近图书馆的大学宿舍里,我家是三楼,他家在四楼,大家经常在周末聚会,吃喝唱歌打牌,热热闹闹。每年也一起参加学联组织的春游活动。

‘重聚丹佛尤昨载’:我们搬来美国后,戴君曾经于2004年来丹佛开会,到过我家。没曾想这是与戴君的最后一面!

‘高地’(Highland): 泛指苏格兰。
July 16, 2021
July 16, 2021
怀念老戴

1991年我和老戴是同时到爱丁堡的,也是我到爱丁堡认识的第一位挚友。他比我们稍年长些,我们都习惯称呼他老戴。96年老戴留在爱大,我到香港大学。我16年到北京工作,上网搜索在爱丁堡老朋友的信息,找到了老戴的工作单位和电邮,非常激动,加了微信,17年春节还通过微信互相问候。

上周突然收到从微信号“老戴”发来的噩耗:“张伟远你好,我是周英。恒昌生前嘱咐我,让我通知你。我和頔頔以万分悲痛的心情告之大家这一不幸的消息: 恒昌,经过18个月与肺癌的顽强的抗争,终因医治无效,于英国时间七月五日凌晨05:20am 永远的离开了我们”。

太突然了,太震惊了,真的无法接受,悲痛难以言表。老戴的音容笑貌时时出现在我的脑海里。在爱丁堡读博的4年中,大部分的节假日我们都是几家一起欢快度过的,最常聚的老戴一家、黄学跃一家、王永吉一家,还有后到爱丁堡的朱选一家、李宝成一家、李小锋一家、杨淑英一家、二虎一家、朱长青、小李、小毛等等。老戴一辈子为人和善,待人厚道;老戴身体健壮,个子高,红光满面,每次聚会都是主动承担搬桌子搬椅子的重活;老戴是研究地震的专家,知道我们听不懂,他总是博古通今地与我们谈论历史和文学;老戴是模范丈夫和慈爱父亲,对周英言听计从,对頔頔宠爱有加,是我们的楷模;……

往事依稀,泪眼朦胧。安息吧! 老戴,我们将永远怀念你。

张伟远 2021年7月16日
July 16, 2021
July 16, 2021
Obituary: Hengchang Dai

Hengchang Dai, a senior research geophysicist at the British Geological Survey, passed away peacefully on the 5 July 2021 at Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh, Scotland after an eighteen-month fight with lung cancer. The professional community lost a gifted geophysicist, and we lost a dear colleague and friend.

Hengchang was born on the 16 April 1957 in Changli, Hebei province, China. He spent his early years travelling around China as his father moved between jobs. In December 1977, Hengchang was one of only two-hundred and seventy thousand aspiring students in China who passed the University entry examination. He was admitted into the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), one of the top universities in the country. In 1982 he graduated with a BSc in geophysics from USTC, then continued his academic pursuits at the Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, where he received an MSc in 1984. He remained as a research associate in the institute until 1991.

Hengchang moved to the UK in September 1991 to pursue a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, working for the Edinburgh Anisotropy Project (EAP), an oil company consortium based on the British Geological Survey. He received his PhD in 1996 and worked with the EAP for the rest of his life. Hengchang pioneered the application of neural networks to seismology in the mid 1990’s, publishing landmark papers which are still highly cited today. He also championed the application of parallel computing using PC clusters to process seismic data. He developed the CXtools package based on the Seismic Unix (SU) platform for processing converted-wave seismic data in the presence of anisotropy. The package is still very popular with the EAP sponsors and students. As a result, Hengchang travelled around the world to install the package and to give inhouse training courses to EAP sponsors. In 2012, EAP was the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and Hengchang was one of the key contributors to this award.

In recent years, Hengchang spent much time teaching, supervising PhD students, and hosting academic visitors. He was always a supportive and generous mentor, giving advice in all aspects of student life whether academic or social. Hengchang was also an active reviewer for journal papers and an editorial member for the Journal of Geophysics and Engineering. 

Hengchang was a devoted husband and father, is survived by his wife Ying, and son Zhoudi, and will forever live in their hearts and minds as a caring and loving husband and father. Hengchang’s gentle personality and kind nature will be lovingly remembered by his many friends and colleagues, and all those whose life and work he touched. He will be greatly missed!

July 15, 2021
July 15, 2021
追悼恒昌友

数十载好友一梦别
从此天上人间远
哭君匆匆别离去
淳朴音容仍犹在
生命不在水流长
终是流星也耀眼
人生如梭如烟雨
留住芬芳在人间
July 15, 2021
July 15, 2021
爱丁堡的老戴

在我的印象里,在爱丁堡老戴这个称呼只是属于戴恒昌的。

前几天得到老戴不幸去逝的消息,把我的思绪一下带回到三十多年前在爱丁堡的美好日光。回想到许多往事,但始终没有能想起为什么他和我年龄相仿长得也年轻而我们去那么愿意叫他老戴。大概是无论是平常生活还是做学问他比我们周围中国留学生更稳重些吧。

我是九一年在爱丁堡认识老戴的,学校把我们俩分配在Royal Miles学生公寓同一房间。他每日步行到Kings Building做研究。走回公寓满脸是汗。和老戴聊天,得知他知识面广且深。很惊叹他能把本厚々的书几天就读完。无论是英文的还是中文的。

再后来,我们俩家又合租了Bucceuch Street的一个宿舍。所以说跟老戴还是很有缘的。

那时我们左邻右舍住着不少中国学生学者,大家经常在一起砍大山。周英的高嗓门笑声和老戴的低调我们这些爱丁堡人大概还能记得。有时候我们也谈一些家庭琐事,我记得当时大家都说家庭和睦老戴周英当数第一。虽老戴也想反驳却找不到一个反例佐证。那是一段非常好的时光。

就写这些以寄哀思。

老戴一路走好

黄学跃二一年七月十五日于伦墩
July 15, 2021
July 15, 2021
I am deeply grieved to hear that Dr. Hengchang Dai has passed away in such an young age. He was a kind nice and intelligent gentleman whose kindness touched all those who knew him. I know it was extremely difficult time for him and family during last 18 months struggle with his cancer. We are saddened by his death. Wish him now at peace. There is no pain in the heaven. We will always remember him.

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Recent Tributes
July 17, 2021
July 17, 2021
悼戴恒昌君
(辛丑夏,2021年7月)

幸始逢君在爱城,
风华正茂何生生!
结邻岁岁常欢聚,
游历年年作伴行。
异乡求学艰难日,
高地识兄战友情。
重聚丹佛尤昨刻,
谁知一别竟终程!

【自注】
‘幸始逢君在爱城’:我1993年春到爱丁堡,戴君稍早于我先来,大家那时都是30多岁血气方刚的年青人。

‘结邻岁岁常欢聚’:在爱丁堡留学期间,我们家和恒昌家都住在靠近图书馆的大学宿舍里,我家是三楼,他家在四楼,大家经常在周末聚会,吃喝唱歌打牌,热热闹闹。每年也一起参加学联组织的春游活动。

‘重聚丹佛尤昨载’:我们搬来美国后,戴君曾经于2004年来丹佛开会,到过我家。没曾想这是与戴君的最后一面!

‘高地’(Highland): 泛指苏格兰。
July 16, 2021
July 16, 2021
怀念老戴

1991年我和老戴是同时到爱丁堡的,也是我到爱丁堡认识的第一位挚友。他比我们稍年长些,我们都习惯称呼他老戴。96年老戴留在爱大,我到香港大学。我16年到北京工作,上网搜索在爱丁堡老朋友的信息,找到了老戴的工作单位和电邮,非常激动,加了微信,17年春节还通过微信互相问候。

上周突然收到从微信号“老戴”发来的噩耗:“张伟远你好,我是周英。恒昌生前嘱咐我,让我通知你。我和頔頔以万分悲痛的心情告之大家这一不幸的消息: 恒昌,经过18个月与肺癌的顽强的抗争,终因医治无效,于英国时间七月五日凌晨05:20am 永远的离开了我们”。

太突然了,太震惊了,真的无法接受,悲痛难以言表。老戴的音容笑貌时时出现在我的脑海里。在爱丁堡读博的4年中,大部分的节假日我们都是几家一起欢快度过的,最常聚的老戴一家、黄学跃一家、王永吉一家,还有后到爱丁堡的朱选一家、李宝成一家、李小锋一家、杨淑英一家、二虎一家、朱长青、小李、小毛等等。老戴一辈子为人和善,待人厚道;老戴身体健壮,个子高,红光满面,每次聚会都是主动承担搬桌子搬椅子的重活;老戴是研究地震的专家,知道我们听不懂,他总是博古通今地与我们谈论历史和文学;老戴是模范丈夫和慈爱父亲,对周英言听计从,对頔頔宠爱有加,是我们的楷模;……

往事依稀,泪眼朦胧。安息吧! 老戴,我们将永远怀念你。

张伟远 2021年7月16日
July 16, 2021
July 16, 2021
Obituary: Hengchang Dai

Hengchang Dai, a senior research geophysicist at the British Geological Survey, passed away peacefully on the 5 July 2021 at Marie Curie Hospice, Edinburgh, Scotland after an eighteen-month fight with lung cancer. The professional community lost a gifted geophysicist, and we lost a dear colleague and friend.

Hengchang was born on the 16 April 1957 in Changli, Hebei province, China. He spent his early years travelling around China as his father moved between jobs. In December 1977, Hengchang was one of only two-hundred and seventy thousand aspiring students in China who passed the University entry examination. He was admitted into the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), one of the top universities in the country. In 1982 he graduated with a BSc in geophysics from USTC, then continued his academic pursuits at the Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration, where he received an MSc in 1984. He remained as a research associate in the institute until 1991.

Hengchang moved to the UK in September 1991 to pursue a PhD at the University of Edinburgh, working for the Edinburgh Anisotropy Project (EAP), an oil company consortium based on the British Geological Survey. He received his PhD in 1996 and worked with the EAP for the rest of his life. Hengchang pioneered the application of neural networks to seismology in the mid 1990’s, publishing landmark papers which are still highly cited today. He also championed the application of parallel computing using PC clusters to process seismic data. He developed the CXtools package based on the Seismic Unix (SU) platform for processing converted-wave seismic data in the presence of anisotropy. The package is still very popular with the EAP sponsors and students. As a result, Hengchang travelled around the world to install the package and to give inhouse training courses to EAP sponsors. In 2012, EAP was the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Society of Exploration Geophysicists, and Hengchang was one of the key contributors to this award.

In recent years, Hengchang spent much time teaching, supervising PhD students, and hosting academic visitors. He was always a supportive and generous mentor, giving advice in all aspects of student life whether academic or social. Hengchang was also an active reviewer for journal papers and an editorial member for the Journal of Geophysics and Engineering. 

Hengchang was a devoted husband and father, is survived by his wife Ying, and son Zhoudi, and will forever live in their hearts and minds as a caring and loving husband and father. Hengchang’s gentle personality and kind nature will be lovingly remembered by his many friends and colleagues, and all those whose life and work he touched. He will be greatly missed!

His Life

As a wife

July 15, 2021
恒昌,没有你的家,再也没有往日的温馨;没有你的家,是那么令人凄凉和伤感。曾经的过往,流逝的光阴,和你那总是温和的微笑,只能化作永久的思念。短短的几日,让我陷入了无限的悲痛和漫长的回忆中。我和恒昌的相知,相识算是缘分吧!他研究生毕业后来到我父母所在的研究所工作,他的室主任来为我们做媒,当时因为我还在上大学和我们年龄的差距,我们两人都没同意见面。阴差阳错,后来,我哥住进了他的研究生宿舍。记得那是一个周五下午,我放学去找我哥一起回家,却在我哥那儿遇见到了他。我们见面后互相都对对方有好感,就这样慢慢的交往起来。我的实习医院在木樨地,他住三里河,我们都距玉渊谭公园很近。每当我们有时间或周末就会到那里漫步。走在玉渊谭,钓鱼台国宾馆的林荫小路上,他给我讲述着文学,天文,历史和音乐。他的记忆力超人,红楼梦里上百名人物的名字和他们之间的关系他都记的一清二楚;还有历史人物,历史年代以及中外著名的作词家,作曲家的名字,国籍,和他们的音乐作品他都记的清清楚楚。慢慢的我了解到他在77年高考恢复后,他是在他们大安县第一个拿到高考成绩并被中国科技大学第一批录取的77级学生。他还告诉我他们班有好几个当地的高考状元,听后令我对他和他们班的同学肃然起敬。在大学期间,他不但学习成绩一直很优异,学习从不熬夜,而且他还有业余时间去读杂书。大学4年,他读完了中科大图书馆的所以文学书籍。他的英俊的相貌,他的聪慧,他的才气和为人都在深深的吸引着我,我大学一毕业就和他走上了婚姻的殿堂。

91年9月儿子满月那天,恒昌作为中英友好奖学金公派访问学者踏上了来Edinburgh的旅程。1年后他拿到了NERC英国自然基金会的奖学金,93年3月我来到了他的身边。从此开始了我们新的生活。恒昌做人低调,为人正直,待人诚恳,与世无争的性格得到他的同学,同事和朋友们的认可和欣赏。他对工作总是兢兢业业,他的聪明才智体现在他读博期间就在他专业杂志上发表了三篇文章,这些文章并曾多次被他的专业文献引用,一直到近几年。他的聪明才智还体现在他在工作后参与EAP项目的研究,他研发的二维/三维空间图像的软件应用于石油勘探中,这个软件被无数石油公司采那,那些年他穿梭在石油公司间,替石油公司安装软件,并为公司培训员工。我们相濡以沫三十载。他是个贴心的丈夫,脾气非常好,从不发火。我们的生活虽平平淡淡,但很温馨,和谐。他既是一个慈父,他对儿子从未大声教训过,但他对儿子有求必应。他又是一个孝子,他对他的母亲我的婆婆的爱自始至终。对于我们自家的事他放手让我做主,但只有一件事他要说了算,就是他要为他母亲做的事,我必须无条件服从。我们对未来充满希望,在他生病前,我们还计划回北京一定要再去玉渊潭,钓鱼台国宾馆的林荫小路上漫步,回忆往事。憧憬着等我60岁后,每个周末坐上大巴将美丽的苏格兰游遍。

2020年初,历经四个月的体检,恒昌被确诊为肺癌晚期。我们美梦般的计划被这无情的消息打破。在他生病的一年半里,他对待疾病坚强乐观,积极配合治疗。自始至终顽强与病魔抗衡。面对生死从容淡定,从不沮丧,从未抱怨。在每次得知他的治疗产生耐药,肿瘤在继续发展的时候,我都会流泪,但每次都是他在鼓励我要坚强。我是多么的希望,在我生病的时候,恒昌,你能在我的身边继续鼓励我。恒昌,我亲爱的丈夫,你带着对老母亲的眷恋,对妻子的依依不舍,对儿子的亲情和牵挂,对亲朋好友同学的深切留恋,离开了我们。我相信你还没有走远,相信你还可以感知与你朝夕相伴的爱妻,以及你深深爱戴的儿子,还有关心你的亲朋好友和同学。希望你在天堂里,再没有病痛的折磨,一路走好!

你的爱妻:周英

As a father

July 15, 2021
Funeral eulogy on the 15th of July 2021: 

"I thank you all today for coming to celebrate with me my father’s life and sadly to mourn his passing, who, judging by the fullness of this auditorium and the numbers watching online, was someone who was well loved and respected.

Words alone are do not suffice to express what kind of person he was to so many: a tenacious and talented student who belied his humble origins, a faithful husband, a devoted father, a dedicated colleague, a friend who loved intellectual debate, an approachable supervisor, an remarkably resilient patient. The one thing that all these have in common is his ability to inspire us all.

My dad was a role model to myself and many others. He was the epitome of diligence, humility and patience, a man of principle, of quiet confidence and someone you could trust to be there when you needed it most. He instilled in me from a young age much of my moral compass and integrity, and encouraged in my growth and education, which he valued above all else. He had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and he sought out books when there were none. My mother and I often used him as a walking encyclopaedia. He was a man of many opinions and whilst he and I did not often share the same opinions, one could always have an intelligent, forthcoming and honest discussion with him. He had an uncanny ability to make you pause and think.

As a father, he was both stern yet kind. He did not impose himself upon me, though certain unspoken expectations were clear. He was soft spoken and gentle, never once raising his voice towards me. If he was unhappy with my tendency to put play over study, he would tell me off in a quiet but firm manner. We used to joke, if mum yelled at me, I rolled my eyes, but if dad told me off, I went quiet and listened. I think that is a testament to how naturally he commanded gentle respect. He was often a man of few words, but he showed love through deeds instead. When I was house hunting, he daily looked on the web for properties for me to view. I remember him traveling by train to Glasgow to deliver me my laptop charger when I once left it at home and we had a lovely walk afterwards. I did over 100 hours of driving practice, with him at my side and he showed great patience and voiced nary a single complaint. I don't think, looking back I appreciated enough the lengths he went for me.

My father was a lover of the gentler genres of music, often commenting that pop and electronica were too loud and made his head hurt. He preferred instead, music that invoked nostalgia and emotion, and this is reflected in the 3 pieces he personally chose for today’s ceremony: “Take me home country roads”, “500 miles from home” and sixiangqu, quite literally, the song of homesickness. As I recall with great melancholy, my fondest memory of dad was of him, sitting at a table, absorbed in one of his books, listening to such nostalgic music. He would ask me “do you feel it? The kind of feeling you get when you’re sitting in a train, looking out the window, as you returned home?” Edinburgh was always his second home. His first and most cherished home, was the home which his mother and the rest of his family resided, reflecting on how much he loved his family and how he longed to be with them. You may ask, why is such a melancholic memory, my fondest memory of him? It’s because my most cherished home, has my dad imprinted in it just like in that memory, giving me the feeling of safety, stability and tranquillity. This image of home was always an anchor for me, even as I moved afar, as I went from school to university to working as a doctor, he was my rock, weathering the waves of time and change, and perched atop that rock, a lighthouse beacon shone, beckoning me back home should I stray too far.

When I was a little boy, some 25 years ago, he had just joined the Edinburgh Anisotropy Project proper, after publishing highly cited papers in his PhD. He went on to pioneer ground breaking software that is still used across the globe today and garnered the EAP many accolades. When he passed away, 25 years later, he was still with them. He forever stayed true to his principles, his work, his habits, hobbies, immaculate lifestyle, love of music and of books, a reflection of his steadfast and reliable personality and for me, the same source of comfort many years ago as it was up his passing.

I wish I spent more time with him, absorbing his qualities and knowledge. Its only when someone who is such a constant in your life, who you take for granted, its only when they are gone, that you realise how much you miss them. Alas my rock has crumbled, the lighthouse beacon extinguished. I am incredibly sad, yet seeing everyone here today and knowing many more watch online, I take solace in knowing that it wasn’t just my life he touched in such a positive way. We all will remember him. I am so proud of how he guided me, how he inspired me. I wish someday, I can be someone who is looked up to as much as him, and to inspire as much as him did.

He will forever and always be in my heart, and I know in the hearts and minds of all that knew and loved him. Dad, I hope that you are on that train you’ve reminisced so often about, listening to the music that you’ve always loved, staring nostalgically out that window on the way to heaven’s gates, I bid you a safe journey and to finally rest in peace, from a grateful son to a gentle, loving father."

Eulogy done by Hengchang's only and treasured son, Zhoudi 

As a brother

July 15, 2021

我们心目中的最亲爱,最优秀的弟弟恒昌: 15-07-21

你出生时我们姐俩都还小。只记得那天晚上的月亮,又大又圆。我俩从外面回家,到家门口的时候,三娘高兴地对我们说,你们又有了一个小弟弟。你是咱家唯一的男孩儿,我全家都非常的喜爱你。你小时候总对新鲜的东西很感兴趣。有一天大姐和妈出门,你见我们回来就跑了过来,我们发现这个小男孩儿怎么一下子变丑了呢? 那时候你自己刚刚学会用剪刀,你把你自己的头发给剪得参差不齐,我们进屋后又发现你把被子也剪了个小口。你从小就酷爱看书,你总是说,妈给我念念,姐给我念念。文革期间,书的来源特别少,大姐偶尔借到一本书。你就在大姐不看的空闲时间,抓紧时间快速阅读。从那时起,你就培养了快速阅读的能力。你上中学后,利用各种途径阅读了大量的小说,四大名著,甚至政治读物,毛选等。

因为你聪慧,又酷爱读书,在77年恢复高考那年,以大安县第一名的好成绩,考入了中国科技大学。四年后,又以第一名的好成绩,考试取了国家地震局地球物理研究所陈颙导师的研究生。91年你又获取了中英友好奖学金,离别祖国,同时也离开了妈妈,姐姐和在国内的亲人们,到了异国他乡。你的才华、你的学识被熟悉你的人所赞赏。家里也为你骄傲和自豪。你走后,每次回国回家看妈时,妈都非常高兴,见到你时的眼神是那么的亲切放光,临走时又是那么地恋恋不舍。

2019年底你们一家仨口计划回北京陪伴双方老人过春节。可临近春节你打来电话说:大姐我今年春节不能回北京了。因为医生怀疑我是肺癌,要对我做进一步检查。当时我的心一揪,心想不可能,我还以侥幸心理想你可能是被诊断错了吧!从你有病我们就每周六通话。这一年多每周六就是我最盼望的时刻。6月26日周六下午,通过视频大姐看到你和周英身影,我又高兴又难过。我高兴看到你们,我难过你的病容。7月3日周六晚上周英发来你们仨口你在病榻上的合影。看到躺在病床上的你,我心想,你看上去不像一个重病号,还能挺住再坚持一年半载的。周日周英没来信息,我心里就嘀咕:周英怎么没来电话呀,周一傍晚恶耗传来:我们唯一的,可亲可爱的,优秀的弟弟就这样远离我们而去。每次你们一家走后,我们总是期盼着下一次的相聚。我们想你,想再看到你的音容笑貌,想你回来时给妈带来的喜悦,可这样的日子不会再有了,我们从此天各一方。小昌,你早早的离开了我们,你让我们悲痛欲绝,你让我们伤心泪流。小昌我们这辈子做姐弟还没做够,下辈子有缘我们还做姐弟。亲爱的弟弟,愿你在天堂没有痛苦,保佑咱妈身体,请你放心!我们一定照顾好咱妈,小昌永别了,一路走好!

永远爱你的姐姐,姐夫及全家

Recent stories

忆恒昌

July 18, 2021
我们与恒昌一家相识已有23年了。我们是1998年从伦敦来到爱丁堡的,来之后没过多久就与恒昌一家结识了。原因很简单,我们的儿子与他们的儿子是同龄,在中文学校是同班同学。那时由于平时工作较忙,周六的中文学校就成了家长们结识,聚会的好去处。两年后我与他的夫人,周英又同在中文学校的三人校委会里工作,这进一步增进了我们两家的了解。我们经常在一起探讨如何鼓励孩子们学好中文,一个在海外的每一位家长都要面对的难题。恒昌因为爱读书,又勤于思考。他当时提出的许多见解,对我们的工作都起到了积极的作用。

恒昌对家庭琐事的豁达态度,令人称羡。在每个家庭中,夫妻间的埋怨,争吵一般是难以避免的。但我觉得恒昌把这种情况的发生率降到了最低。一般情况下,既便有时周英做的家务事,比如花园里的事儿,没有做得很好。他也从不埋怨,他经常说,“家务事,只要一方同意让另一方做了,就要百分之百的信任对方,对吧!(一声)”他的这种态度对我影响很深,我一直都在努力学习。

恒昌对待疾病的积极,乐观的态度,令人敬佩。2020年的春节前他给我打来了一个电话,当时我挺吃惊,他应该已在北京了呀。他在通话中告诉了我他没能回北京的原因:肺部发现了肿瘤。当我去到他家的时候,发现他也分类准备了不少有关肺癌的资料,那是我们第一次交流对有关肺癌的理解。当时给我印象最深的一个我们共享的承诺就是,积极,乐观的配合治疗,期待新的治疗手段,药物的出现。自那以后,我们之间的联系更频繁了,彼此之间的了解也更深了。在治疗期间,他始终信守着自己的承诺,坚持锻炼,以便更好的配合治疗。他常说,只要对治疗有帮助,他就会尽量多锻炼,增强自身的抵抗力。他以自身的行动,实践了自己的承诺!我们不仅谈病情,谈治疗,还谈文学,谈我们共同喜爱的相声,尤其是老艺术家们的作品,也谈社会话题。在谈论社会话题时,自然就免不了争论,他对自己观点的坚持,令我印象深刻。我们总是就事论事,从不延续任何争议。

他虽然走了, 但他生前对待人生, 对待疾病的正直,积极乐观的态度,将永远激励着朋友们。

Speech: Farewell to Hengchang – 12:27 15/7/2021

July 16, 2021
Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen! Today we gather here to say farewell to Hengchang, to celebrate and reflect on his life. Hengchang and family are loyal friends of ours for 30 years, and Hengchang was also a trusted colleague of mine for 25 years. Next, I will extract two words from Hengchang’s work to illustrate his achievements.

The first word is ANISOTROPY. Hengchang had worked for 30 years for the Edinburgh Anisotropy Project. What does that actually mean? The opposite of anisotropy is isotropy. Without boring you with the academic details, I may simply draw the following analogy. Doing isotropic work is more like doing normal or usual work; while doing anisotropic work is more like doing abnormal or unusual work. However, for the latter, only can a genius afford doing that, since, for a genius, normal stuff would be too easy, and abnormal stuff might present a challenge. Indeed, Hengchang was such a genius.

In fact, Hengchang was not just a genius, but a leading genius. I will provide two pieces of evidence to support my claim: First, Hengchang graduated from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), which is one of the top Universities in China, much like Oxbridge here. Hengchang was also the course representative for four years during USTC.  As the course representative, not only you need to show how good are, but also show willingness to help other students. Second, even after working on anisotropy for 30 years, there was still hardly any grey hair in Hengchang, and Ying can confirm that. This implies, the anisotropic work was still easy for him, and well within his ability. As we all know, one of the factors contributes to grey hairs is that the work you are doing exceeds your ability and the stress it generated is too high for your body to cope. Such as in my case.   

The second word is “Cxtools”. Again, ignoring the jargons, CXtools is very much like an APP on your phone, that allows you to work on you own data and do some unusual things. For most academics like us, the publication of a paper would normally signal the end of a research line. But Hengchang went a step further, and he was very keen to see his published ideas being used by other people. Therefore, he learned and grasped all the necessary knowledges and skills to produce his own APP. This was by no means easy, and it revealed Hengchang’s talents and his thinking of practical applications.

As a friend, Hengchang was very generous and kind, and always happy to lend his hands to friends’ DIY projects. His gentle and no-fuss manner gained him many friends. During his illness, he maintained his calm, positive and optimistic attitude which we will always cherish and admire. 

Above all, perhaps, Hengchang’s greatest achievement was his marriage with Ying, and his son Zhoudi. We all witness today how wonderful and great they are, as well as all the friends he had made in his life, some of which are present here today either in person or online. Hengchang will be greatly missed by all of us. Thank you.

怀念老戴

July 16, 2021
1991年我和老戴是同时到爱丁堡的,也是我到爱丁堡认识的第一位挚友。他比我们稍年长些,我们都习惯称呼他老戴。96年老戴留在爱大,我到香港大学。我16年到北京工作,上网搜索在爱丁堡老朋友的信息,找到了老戴的工作单位和电邮,非常激动,加了微信,17年春节还通过微信互相问候。

上周突然收到从微信号“老戴”发来的噩耗:“张伟远你好,我是周英。恒昌生前嘱咐我,让我通知你。我和頔頔以万分悲痛的心情告之大家这一不幸的消息: 恒昌,经过18个月与肺癌的顽强的抗争,终因医治无效,于英国时间七月五日凌晨05:20am 永远的离开了我们”。

太突然了,太震惊了,真的无法接受,悲痛难以言表。老戴的音容笑貌时时出现在我的脑海里。在爱丁堡读博的4年中,大部分的节假日我们都是几家一起欢快度过的,最常聚的老戴一家、黄学跃一家、王永吉一家,还有后到爱丁堡的朱选一家、李宝成一家、李小锋一家、杨淑英一家、二虎一家、朱长青、小李、小毛、等等。老戴一辈子为人和善,待人厚道;老戴身体健壮,个子高,红光满面,每次聚会都是主动承担搬桌子搬椅子的重活;老戴是研究地震的专家,知道我们听不懂,他总是用博古通今地与我们谈论历史和文学;印象中的老戴是模范丈夫和慈爱父亲,对周英言听计从,对頔頔宠爱有加,不像我们经常大声批评孩子,……

往事依稀,泪眼朦胧。安息吧!老戴,我们将永远怀念你。

张伟远 2021年7月16日

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