A Journey into the Heart of the Otherworld -- Selected Works of Jin Kemu

Author: Ji Xianlin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: Not available
Features: Excerpt: By chance, I overheard a conversation that was quite interesting, so I recorded it for reference in "Talks for Inspiration." The two speakers were one who had returned from overseas for sightseeing and another who lived in Beijing, represented as A and B.
A: I heard you’ve recently developed an interest in Chinese and world cultures. I’d love to hear your insights.
B: I rarely leave my home, and I only know a little about Beijing. How can I speak with confidence about a person who travels the world?
A: Traveling more doesn’t necessarily mean knowing more or thinking more deeply. I’m like a satellite, capturing a lot of things from all sides, and I need someone like you on the ground to interpret them.
B: How dare I? But I’d like to receive some information from you. You’ve visited the capitals of many countries. May I ask: What is the most obvious feature of Beijing, the capital of China?
A: The feature is that it’s the capital of China. At a glance, you can tell it’s not the capital of any other country. You can see it from the sky as soon as the plane enters Beijing.
B: What are the features of China?
A: China is China, not any other country. How can you summarize its features in just one sentence? I’d like to ask for your advice.
B: As someone who stays in Beijing without moving, I see it as a place where you can observe the history of China and the changes in the world. Not all capitals can do this. Looking vertically, as a capital, it has at least 1,000 years of history. Beijing was built by five dynasties. The rulers of these five dynasties belonged to five different ethnic groups. The Liao Dynasty was ruled by the Khitan people, the Jin Dynasty by the Jurchen people, the Yuan Dynasty by the Mongols, the Ming Dynasty by the Han people, and the Qing Dynasty by the Manchus.
Today’s Beijing is both new and old; it was built over 1,000 years by many ethnic groups in the Chinese nation, and it is also newly rebuilt, with new buildings appearing every day. This is the new contribution of contemporary China to Beijing. If you visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, you’ll see ancient buildings as well as modern ones. The three archways on the square have been removed, the small houses for eunuchs in the Forbidden City have been demolished, and the Tiananmen Tower has been renovated many times.
Have you been to the Great Wall? Was it built by Qin Shi Huang? The cement ground is newly built. Did you see the 10,000-li-long wall? It’s just a short section. Everyone thinks it’s ancient, but it’s actually newly built. Everyone knows Beijing is Chinese, but they often forget that China is made up of many ethnic groups. Of the five dynasties that made Beijing their capital, only one was ruled by the Han people. The Temple of Heaven, where emperors offered sacrifices to ancestors on the east side of the Forbidden City, has been turned into the Working People’s Cultural Palace. Further east is the new building of the Beijing Hotel. In Beijing, you can see the new in the old and the old in the new, one within many and many within one.
Postscript: Postscript Professor Jin Ke(mu is a towering figure in academia today, with knowledge spanning East and West and connecting past and present. He is a poet, linguist, Indologist, and translator, and his presence is seen in fields as diverse as literature, history, philosophy, logic, astronomy, anthropology, cultural studies, and even natural sciences. Professor Jin writes with precision about vast subjects, gracefully navigating the seas of knowledge. His deep roots in traditional Chinese culture allow him to select and appreciate the essence of Chinese heritage with ease, while his strong command of foreign languages enables him to analyze foreign cultures with fluency.
What is even more admirable is that he has always been at the forefront of the times, paying attention to the forefront of world academia and not missing any valuable information. Especially since the reform and opening-up, his insightful works have been published frequently, discussing the world’s past and present with great depth. Even at the age of 85, he continues to write and translate without ceasing. From his remarkable academic achievements, one can appreciate the grandeur of a master; his profound knowledge and thoughts are the best nourishment for shaping souls and nurturing the next generation.
Shandong Education Press’s decision to publish the "Century Series of Humanities and Culture" and include Professor Jin as a key figure is indeed wise. The editors of the series obtained Professor Jin’s approval to entrust me with the task of compiling the selection. Without fully collecting the relevant materials, I put together the list of articles. I took it to Professor Jin for his guidance and was surprised to find him very generous. After reviewing the table of contents, he gave his approval, instantly easing my anxiety. Our two-hour conversation with Professor Jin was more enlightening than ten years of reading. His mind was sharp and imaginative, his words were bold and flowing, and his expressions were concise and clear. I was deeply inspired and moved, as if listening to the words of a wise man.
In fact, it was not unexpected that Professor Jin approved the table of contents, as the publishers had discussed with him beforehand that the collection would focus primarily on foreign-related topics, and he had even titled it "Echoes of a Soul Wanderlust in Foreign Lands." The selection follows this principle, though it is not strictly rigid. Scholars who span both China and the world often examine issues from a high vantage point with a global perspective, and Professor Jin is no exception. He has merged the ideological characteristics, ideologies, and cultural models of the East and West, India, or Japan into a harmonious whole. He understands the commonalities of all while discerning their unique traits, allowing for both general explanations and detailed analyses. His thoughts and writings are open-ended, rarely confined to one or the other, and he often moves from one topic to another, a hallmark of his style.
In essence, he skillfully uses comparative and interconnected lenses to examine and address issues. When discussing foreign topics, he often takes China as a starting point or a reference, and vice versa. Thus, the emphasis on foreign topics may only indicate the point of departure or serve as a springboard, as purely foreign discussions without reference to other aspects are relatively rare. Within the foreign, there is the domestic, and within the domestic, there is the foreign. This duality—wandering in foreign lands as well as roaming the Chinese homeland—constitutes a unique charm in his writings.
For example, in the article "The Heart of an Eight-Banner Daughter," which offers a brilliant analysis of the novel "Women of Our Family," he discusses contemporary Chinese literature but gradually expands the discussion to critique the traditional cultural traits of the Chinese people over thousands of years, using Western literature or Christian culture as a reference. Without this comparison, the interpretation might lack depth and clarity. This demonstrates that the two are interdependent and inseparable. Moreover, this approach also reveals the characteristics of foreign cultures, elevating their significance and value.
Of course, in terms of content, the articles in this collection are still clearly centered on the thoughts and cultures outside China. Additionally, the term "foreign" is quite broad, and Professor Jin’s pen has indeed covered both the East and the West, exploring a wide range of historical and cultural forms, though the majority are European, American, and Indian, with occasional mentions of Hebrew and Japanese.
As for the content, it is vast and varied. For organizational and reading convenience, the book is roughly divided into several major categories: culture, philosophy, aesthetics, literature, history, science, religion and Buddhism, anthropology, and others. This classification is also "loose" rather than strictly scientific or precise. In fact, Professor Jin’s works, like a river that gathers many streams and distills the essence of various disciplines, are highly integrative and often interdisciplinary. His style of writing, which is flexible and free of academic rigidity, also prevents precise categorization.
For instance, in the article "Song of Songs · Widow’s Ode," he moves from childhood experiences to romantic works from the Bible and the Jin Dynasty, to the love perspectives of Chinese and Westerners, and to the vast differences in beliefs and religious philosophy. Is it literature? Is it religion? Classified as the latter, the article emphasizes what is lacking in Chinese culture, which is precisely the subtle and profound essence of this powerful work.
In terms of style, the collection includes specialized academic discussions, literary essays, and miscellaneous pieces, as well as monologues, interpretations, casual talks, and dialogues. The length varies from tens of thousands of words to just a few hundred, with no attempt to balance the proportions, as perhaps only this diversity can better reflect Professor Jin’s writing style.
However, a goal of this selection is to emphasize academic rigor. Some articles may seem straightforward at first glance but reveal profound meanings upon closer examination, and many require careful reading rather than a quick browse.
One final note is that to better align with the collection’s purpose, some articles are excerpts from Professor Jin’s academic papers or works, with titles added by the editor based on the excerpted content. Due to the limitations of the editor, there may be imperfections in the selection and arrangement, and I sincerely welcome criticism and corrections from experts and readers.
Wang Huaxue
April 1997, in Quancheng