Master and Disciple

Guo Yu

Li Li did not see Master Ji Xianlin until his third visit to his home in Beijing. It was 1991. Li Li, then a self-made young scholar with a passion and ambition for Chinese classics, came all the way from Sichuan, a province in southwestern China, to Beijing to see the master.

Li Li arrived at the doorstep of the house at past 11 oclock. He wanted to knock the door, but thought better. It was lunch time and after lunch, the master would take a nap. Thus thinking, Li decided to wait at the door. He waited till 3 oclock in the afternoon when he finally knocked the door. His heart throbbed when the door opened. It was a kind woman. After asking the purpose of the visit, the woman explained that she was the secretary of the master and the master had been away in Shandong Province and would not be back till two days later.

That night, Li happened to see a CCTV television program in which Ji was visiting the tomb of his parents in Shandong Province.

Li wanted to create a good first impression. He decided upon a method Confucius himself used more than 2,500 years ago. Confucius says that he never turned down a pupil if the pupil came to see him with 10 bacons as tuition. So he bought 10 quality bacons and went to see the master again two days later.

He was received at the door by the same woman. She said that the master had not yet back from Shandong. But she gave him a telephone number. He could call the next day to see if the master was back. The old woman took the gift on behalf of the master and asked Li to leave a message.

Li wrote a message in the ancient Chinese style, expressing his aspiration to carry the ancient Chinese learning forward and help create everlasting peace and prosperity for the nation, an ideal shared by Chinese scholars since ancient times. He attached two essays of his to the message.

Li called the next day to make sure that the master was back. The woman said that the master was exhausted by the trip and the meeting should be no more than five minutes long.

The door opened and Ji Xianlin was all smiling and ushering the young man into his study. Li got down on his knees and kowtowed three times in light of the ancient rite. Ji was surprised and hurriedly helped the young man get up, saying that he was pleased to meet the man recommended by Confucius. After Li took seat, Ji told him that he had read the message and essays. The master said he was impressed by the young mans knowledge of classic Chinese learning, for it was not easy to teach oneself in this field. Ji continued that masters and PhDs were everywhere but not all of them were knowledgeable and that if Li continued to study this way he could make it on his own. Ji Xianlin cited his teacher Chen Yinque as one of the greatest contemporary Chinese scholars though he did not have an academic degree.

Five minutes grew into more than two hours. The master offered to send Li reference material for a book Li was writing and would help if Li ran into any problem on the book. He asked Li to leave his address.

When saying goodbye, Li Li kowtowed again. Ji asked to have a photo taken with the young scholar. Tears came to Lis eyes when he looked back and saw Ji wave to him at the door.

The two scholars kept correspondences for years. Ji telephoned Li, saying his congratulations after learning Li became a professor with the visual arts academy of Sichuan Normal University. During the following Spring Festival, Ji sent LI a New Year card expressing his admiration of the young scholars assiduousness.

Ji Xianlin was hospitalized on February 21, 2003 for his poor health. After learning the bad news, Li came all the way from Sichuan to see the master.He then visited Jis house on the campus of Beijing University and took some photos in Jis studio.

In the early spring of 2006, Li Li and his mother came from Sichuan to visit Ji Xianlin at 301 Hospital in Beijing. Ji Xianlin praised Li Li for his success as a self-made scholar and praised Lis mother for helping her son become a successful scholar.

During the 2009 Spring Festival, Li asked the master for permission to start discussions on him in a magazine of Chinese learning, which was about to launch under his editorship. Ji agreed and expressed his support.

From February, 2003 to 2009, Ji spent six years in the hospital. In October 2008, his son came back to him after a hiatus of 13 years. Ji joked that he would live to 150 years. During the 2009 Spring Festival, his son and his family had a New Year party in hospital with the old man.

Ji had a heart attack about 7 oclock on the morning of July 11, 2009. The 98-year-old master passed away at 8:50.

Li Li learned the sad news of the death of the master at the airport of Lhasa, the capital of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, where he was to give lectures. He couldnt believe his ears. The television at the airport confirmed the sad news. Li wept.□