Contents :Preface / Jin Yong -- Preface / Daisaku Ikeda -- The seasons of life: self-discipline and character development in youth -- Creating twenty-first century people: Deng Xiaoping and the return of Hong Kong -- Friendship, spirit, and character: an encounter with Buddhism -- Beloved books of our youth: studying human nature in Plutarch's Parallel Lives -- A resurgence of literature: the appeal of The Count of Monte Cristo -- Lu Xun, revolutionary humanist, awakens the soul of the people -- The power of the pen: from On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land to Ba Jin -- A literature of hope -- Illuminate the world with the light of humanity: the essence of Victor Hugo's literature -- The noble path to the new century: adventure in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and The Water Margin.