Thirty Years: Confessions of a Coal Baron

The e-book layout is poor but does not obstruct the rich content. The brevity of the text limits the details of the characters' stories, yet the clues revealed frequently evoke deep sentiments. It only shows a fragment, but it is already visible in its nascent form, considerably three-dimensional. In the end, turning towards Buddhism adds deeper meaning. The author's sincerity and introspection are genuine, yet surely they must also have a tough and cunning temperament, expertly playing the game of life with its inherent illusions. It subtly makes one feel the suffocating, decisive force of the undercurrents that surge unseen, never surfacing overtly. "The masses" resemble a group of tirelessly laboring ants, continuously propagating—among them, some emerge who seem like the others but, whether by nature or nurture, are driven by fate to have the courage and means to manipulate and exploit the group, creating networks among themselves to reap benefits and monopolize power. From a high vantage, looking down at the dust raised at the mountain foot, it seems filled with actual slaves and subjects laboring for their own profit. "If there really are ghosts, being one probably isn't very pleasant since being a ghost seems to involve little effort and thus, probably little reward."

The e-book layout is poor, yet the content is rich. The text is short, and the details of the character's stories are limited, but the clues given are often enough to provoke both melancholy and resignation. It shows only a corner, yet it already appears in its formative shape, fairly three-dimensional. Turning towards Buddhism in the end gives a deeper meaning. The author's sincerity and self-reflection are indeed genuine, yet must also embody a tough, cunning temperament, expertly navigating the illusions of life. Subtly, it makes one feel the overbearing, decisive force of the secret currents that move without showing, not appearing overtly. "The masses" are like a continuously laboring swarm of ants, unceasingly proliferating—among them, some emerge who seem like any other yet, driven by fate, possess the audacity and methods to control and manage the group, networking among themselves to harvest benefits and monopolize power. Looking far from a higher vantage, the seeing of busy dust at the mountain's base feels like observing actual slaves and subjects working for their own benefit.