The Qilu Literary Heritage

The novel Qilu: A Living Cultural Legacy spans 1977 to 2025 and is rooted in Shandong's geography and culture. Using a “Five Sacred Mountains structure” and a “ninety-nine chapters returning to one” design, it is divided into five parts and ninety-nine chapters, telling of Lu Shoucheng and his generation's commitment to culture and lifelong cultivation.

Lu Shoucheng, the protagonist, begins as the son of a Laoshan tea farmer. Guided by an old man on Mount Tai, he brings together Confucian thought from Confucius and Mencius, the philosophy of the I Ching, and Yuan Zhu's philosophy of carefree living. He devotes his life to practicing “benevolence at the source, righteousness in discernment” and safeguarding Qilu's cultural legacy. The story also follows vivid supporting characters such as Su Minghui and Kong Weilun through marriage, family, and career, incorporating Shandong dialects and customs, as well as historic sites such as Laoshan, Mount Tai, and Qufu, balancing the feel of the times with a strong sense of place.

With a fast pace and powerful conflicts, the novel blends philosophical and aesthetic ideas from China and abroad, ancient and modern. It depicts the hardship and steadfastness of cultural inheritance while illuminating the truth of life: “Benevolence and righteousness as the root, carefree freedom as the destination.” It is rich in intellectual depth, artistic beauty, and human warmth.