Life Force: An Interview with Professor Jing Kening

Author: Jing Kening, Wei Junxiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: Professor Jing Kening is a respected teacher in my heart. His character, knowledge, and speeches have been praised by many and have deeply educated and inspired numerous people. His difficult and profound life experiences, along with his profound, philosophical, and inspiring speaking style, are themselves a classic epic of life. — Zhang Weiqing (Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Director of the National Family Planning Commission)
The late Bing Xin once wrote a short essay titled "How to Live Without Soil," expressing her lament over the contemporary China, where intellectuals with spiritual independence and independent personalities, like the noble scholars of old, were truly scarce. Contemporary is not the present day, so naturally, it should be calculated from after the founding of the People's Republic of China. I believe that when Bing Xin was alive, she certainly did not know of a scholar named Jing Kening, who, like the noble scholars of old, stood firmly for the great worries and troubles of the nation, spoke with conviction, criticized falsehoods, went to prison, and never yielded. If she had known, she would have been greatly relieved when writing "How to Live Without Scholars." — Li Xiaosheng (Renowned contemporary Chinese writer)
We feel that he is a true professor in the sense of a professor, a scholar whose works are equal to his life. He never wavered in his beliefs and never deviated from established principles. He was indeed a "stiff bone" who "would not regret even if he died nine times." For this reason, when teaching traditional culture to young people, or when teaching ancient Chinese classics like the I Ching and the Tao Te Ching, or when introducing the biographies of historical figures who left a lasting legacy, we often mention him because he embodies the true spirit of the Chinese nation. He is a scholar-like speaker, a scholar among speakers. — Li Yanjie (Professor at Capital Normal University, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Educational Art)
This is a book that was not planned or deliberately marketed. The topics discussed in it are mostly those that I and the author have casually touched upon over the past twenty years. The author is an accomplished journalist, and he was the first batch of graduates when I returned to the university classroom twenty-five years ago. He is exceptionally talented, eager to learn, immersed in books, either absorbing knowledge silently or seeking guidance personally. As a result, he has been close to me since graduation and has become a member of my family, naturally becoming a frequent participant in my cultural salon-like living room. In conversations, his discussions of issues are simple, natural, and unrestrained. Despite this, the arguments presented have naturally been filtered through thought. What I did not expect was that the speaker was unintentional, but the listener was. My humble opinions, like scattered fragments of jade, have illuminated the author's thoughts. They have fallen on the fertile ground of the author's heart, like seeds that have taken root, grown, and finally blossomed into a tree of knowledge. This is truly "planting willows without intention, yet they grow into shade." I am naturally very pleased with this, but I did not dare to hope that this book could inspire those seeking knowledge in any way. This can only be judged and evaluated by the readers. Here, the author would like to emphasize that the "Reflections on the Conversation" after each chapter's topic is indeed the essence of this book. If the conversation records in this book are the crystallization of the author's thoughts, then the "Reflections on the Conversation" are the crystallization of the author's independent thinking, and are well worth careful reading and appreciation.