Power

Ji Xianlin's The Power is not a systematic academic monograph but a selected collection of his later-life essays, sketches, and speeches, compiled by International Culture Publishing Company. The book's core value lies in its calm, plain yet insightful prose, distilling the ultimate reflections on life, learning, culture, and even national destiny of a scholar who lived through nearly a century of upheaval. The “power” spoken of is not physical force or the power of authority, but a spiritual energy inherent in cultural tradition, personal cultivation, and the resilience of life.\n\nJi threads the book with his view of “harmony between Eastern and Western cultures,” both analyzing in depth the enduring strength of such Chinese traditional ideas as “unity of heaven and humanity” and “great virtue carries all things,” and candidly confronting the cultural predicaments of modern times. His talk of “patriotism” is no empty slogan but a deep feeling linked to “love of culture” and “love of humanity”; his talk of “learning” emphasizes the plain diligence of “burning the oil to continue the day's light, laboring year after year” and true temperament. His casual remarks on social phenomena—such as “bad people growing old”—are sharp yet tolerant, displaying a clarity and compassion born of long life experience.\n\nReading this book is like listening to a wise elder's fireside chat: no pileup of obscure terminology, yet the plain narration contains profound answers to fundamental questions of life. The power of its prose lies precisely in this depth and warmth—“returning to plainness after the utmost brilliance.” For readers seeking inner steadiness and cultural roots in a rapidly changing age, this book offers a gentle yet resilient spiritual tonic.