For 2,000 years, the theory of Confucius (aka Kongzi) has been mainstream thought in the minds of the people of East Asia, including China, Japan, and South Korea. Not long ago, over the National Day Golden Week holiday, the Analects of Confucius, a collection of his brief aphoristic fragments, became popular in China again, because professor Yu Dan (于丹) of Beijing Normal University conducted a 7-part daily lecture series on the well known program Lecture Room (百家讲坛). The program, broadcast by CCTV 10, is an educational show popular with the general public, and made Yi Zhongtian an “academic super boy” last year.
The current issue of San Lian Life Week contains a interview with Yu Dan. She became famous for her popular explanation of the Analects of Confucius, and her book of lecture notes sold 800,000 copies in just one month. “I want to understand the ancients from the surface, without textual research, and touch the nature of life,” said Yu.
The other person mentioned on the cover is Nan Huajin (南怀瑾) a master of guoxue who also wrote a book to explain the Analects of Confucius. But he is more famous in Buddhism rather than Confucianism.
- San Lian Life Week (Chinese): Table of contents of this issue