Extraordinary Life: Mr. Ji Xianlin

Author: Wang Shuying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Professor Ji Xianlin is a "national treasure," even a "world treasure." Everyone knows him, but "not many people know him well, let alone specifically." Extraordinary Life: Professor Ji Xianlin provides a detailed introduction to Ji Xianlin, a scholar who is knowledgeable in both Eastern and Western cultures, proficient in ancient and modern studies, and has an impressive body of works. The author, Wang Shuying, a researcher at Peking University specializing in Indian society and culture, is both a student and colleague of Ji Xianlin, giving her a deeper understanding of him. The book has been personally reviewed by Ji Xianlin, making it a valuable work of biographical literature. Ji Xianlin is not only a renowned literary figure, educator, and social activist but also a scholar who is knowledgeable in both Eastern and Western studies. He has made significant contributions in linguistics, cultural studies, history, Buddhist studies, Indology, and comparative literature, among other fields. For example, he is fluent in English, German, Sanskrit, Vedic, Pali, and Tocharian, and can also read French and Russian books. His research on India has filled many gaps, and so on. The book provides detailed descriptions of all these aspects. Particularly, the nearly 100 photographs of Ji Xianlin from various periods and activities, provided by the author, photographer Chen Pingsheng, and Ji’s assistant and secretary, Li Yujie, make the book truly "illustrated," deepening readers' understanding of him. Personally, I am very fond of Ji Xianlin’s essays. I have a colleague who also loves reading his essays. I think this might be because his essays are particularly sincere. With his rich life experiences, his writing is imaginative, filled with erudition and wisdom. His emotions are genuine, making readers feel warm and sincere. Writing with the heart of a scholar, his style is simple and natural. Ji Xianlin’s essays are indeed beautiful. Reading them can bring a sense of tranquility, broaden one’s horizons, and provide good spiritual nourishment. I have noticed that Ji Xianlin’s bedroom and writing room was very simple. From the photos, the window of the room features a desk, with books, magazines, a pen holder, and photos on it. In front of the desk is a rattan chair, to the left is a single bed, and to the right is a bookshelf. In front of the bookshelf, a stool holds an old-fashioned washbasin, a cup, and a toothbrush. A light bulb hangs vertically from the ceiling. The furniture in the room is very old, and the arrangement seems a bit cluttered, but it is all very practical. Despite its simplicity, the room feels very quiet, making it suitable for a scholar. Ji Xianlin spent decades in this room, waking up at 4 a.m. every morning to read and write. There are many touching aspects to Ji Xianlin. I noticed that the book provides a photo of Ji Xianlin and his wife. The caption next to the photo reads: "Professor Ji’s marriage was arranged under feudal customs. In that era, in the position of being dependent on others, he strictly adhered to it. After marriage, the couple had little in common. Over time, in Professor Ji’s view, his wife’s talent was indeed not very high; she had only attended primary school. In her later years, she had largely forgotten the thousands of characters she once knew. Therefore, she had no idea what Professor Ji’s research meant throughout his life, nor did she seem to ever want to know. In this regard, the couple had no common ground. However, in terms of morality, Professor Ji considered her to be first-class. She was truly filial to her in-laws, did everything a caring mother could do for her children, and was absolutely loyal and loving to her husband. She was an extremely rare filial daughter-in-law and a virtuous wife and mother. Therefore, Professor Ji and his wife had a good relationship, always respecting each other. However, his wife passed away in 1994 due to illness." From this, we can deeply feel Ji Xianlin’s noble personal charm. This shows Ji Xianlin’s academic achievements and spiritual character. He is not only knowledgeable but also has high moral standards and personal charm, truly deserving of being a model for scholars. Living a life of hard work in scholarship and being honest in actions and deeds—such a life feels meaningful. Ji Xianlin is a renowned professor at Peking University, a, Indologist, Buddhist scholar, translator, and educator, proficient in six or seven foreign languages, knowledgeable in both Eastern and Western studies, with an impressive body of works, and well-known both domestically and internationally. He is one of the few experts and scholars in the world, respected and admired by people. Whenever his name is mentioned, many recognize him as a knowledgeable and respected figure. However, his extensive academic works, aside from academics, are rarely known to the general public. "What does he actually do? What kind of person is he?" Many are not clear. Even at his advanced age, those who do not know him still think he is "young," as reflected in his essays. A few years ago, students encountered him on the street and did not recognize him, mistaking him for someone with the same name because he appeared elderly. There were other similar incidents, creating unnecessary jokes. Whenever we think of such jokes, we always feel regretful. As Ji Xianlin’s student, colleague, and someone who knows him, we feel a responsibility and obligation to introduce him. Otherwise, we cannot rest in peace. We have briefly introduced Ji Xianlin’s main research achievements and character, supplemented by appropriate illustrations, hoping to benefit the readers.
Biography of Ji Xianlin:
Professor Ji Xianlin was born on August 6, 1911, into a farming family in Qingping County, Shandong Province (now Lingqing City). Due to poverty, he left his parents at the age of six and moved to Jinan to rely on his uncle for support, where he completed primary, junior, and senior high school. In 1930, after graduating from senior high school, he enrolled in the Western Literature Department of Tsinghua University in Beijing. He graduated in 1934 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and returned to his alma mater in Jinan to teach Chinese at the Provincial Jinan Senior High School for one year. In 1935, he was admitted as a graduate student in exchange between Tsinghua University and Germany. That autumn, he went to Germany, enrolling at the University of G?ttingen to study Sanskrit, Pali, and Tocharian. In 1941, he received a doctorate in philosophy. In 1946, he returned to China and became a professor and director of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Peking University. After the liberation, he remained in his original position, and Peking University awarded him the title of "Life Professor." In 1956, he was elected as a member of the Philosophy and Social Sciences Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and joined the Communist Party of China the same year. In 1978, he concurrently served as Vice President of Peking University and Director of the South Asia Institute jointly established by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Peking University. In 1984, when the institute was separated, he became the Director of the South Asia Institute at Peking University. He has also served as president of the Chinese Society of Foreign Literature, the Chinese South Asia Society, the Chinese Language Society, and the Chinese Foreign Language Teaching Research Association, among dozens of other positions. He served as a representative of the th Congress of the Beijing People’s Congress and, from 1954, as a member of the second, third, fourth, and fifth National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. In 1983, he was elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the sixth National People’s Congress. In April 2003, he was transferred from the member of the Philosophy and Social Sciences Department of the Chinese Academy of Sciences to the member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Since his middle school years, he has been learning to write and has translated some Western literary works. After entering university, he studied Western literature, primarily in English, supplemented by German and French. In addition to required courses, he also took some courses related to India. In 1935, after going to Germany, he took advantage of the abundant local resources and, under the careful guidance of German teachers, studied Sanskrit and Pali, later also studying Tocharian and Vedic. Under the difficult conditions of the time, he studied and researched for ten years, laying a solid foundation for his later work.
Ji Xianlin spent ten years studying in Germany, returned to serve his country, and in 1946, he was appointed as a professor at Peking University and director of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, where he began the hard work of building the department. From then on, he was diligent in research and busy with government affairs, working diligently. Between 1946 and 1949, he wrote more than 40 articles of various types, publishing them in various newspapers and magazines, including 13 academic papers. Such as On Sino-Indian Cultural Exchange and the Study of Chinese Sanskrit, One Example of the Influence of Buddhism on Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism, Buddha and Buddhism, Laozi and Buddhist Classics, and so on. These articles marked the beginning of Ji Xianlin’s extensive research work, and the high level of his papers shocked the Chinese academic community, making them aware of the existence of Ji Xianlin.
As early as his time studying in Germany, Ji Xianlin had a deep interest in the study of Sino-Indian cultural relations and had done some research and written some papers. After returning to China, he further studied and wrote articles, which were compiled into a collection titled Studies on Sino-Indian Cultural Relations, published in 1957. By the early 1980s, he wrote some papers in German, English, and Chinese, which were deeply impressive and later compiled into a book titled Collected Papers on Ancient Indian Languages, published in 1982, receiving praise from the academic community as "something that an ordinary person cannot achieve."
Over the decades, Ji Xianlin has attended countless international conferences and visited many countries around the world. He has visited India several times, with long visits and extensive research, and has written many monographs, translations, and essays on India. In addition to the above, his main works include A Concise History of India, The Indian Uprising of 1857–1859, Buddhism and Sino-Indian Cultural Exchange, The Linguistic Problems of Primitive Buddhism, An Initial Exploration of the Ramayana, A Collection of Buddhist Academic Papers by Ji Xianlin, A History of Sino-Indian Cultural Exchange, A History of Sugar, Heart Shadows of India, and so on.
These works of Ji Xianlin have had a significant and far-reaching impact both domestically and internationally.