Acentury of revolution, followed by reform and finally economic miracles, has left many mainland Chinese unsure about their cultural identity. Yu Dan has the remedy.
'Chinese culture is immortal,' says the 42-year-old professor from Beijing, in Hong Kong recently to give a talk on Chinese classics. 'But in recent history, we have had to adapt to so many imports from the west; now it is important to take a good look and see that our core identity is still there.'
This is a perfect message in contemporary China. It is patriotic, gives a sense of the greatness of the country's tradition and avoids politics. Yet it coincides with the political needs of the party, which has made patriotism one of its chief claims for legitimacy. It also serves the real desire of the many Chinese tired of seeing their country's heritage from the perspective of crisis, which was dominant for the better part of the last century.
Now, they feel, is the time to see China in a more positive light.
And who could be more Chinese than Confucius? Which is why Yu began a Confucius campaign. It started two years ago and is still going strong. Her lecture series on CCTV about the Analects, a Confucian classic that consists of a collection of bon mots from the master, was a big hit in 2006.
A few months later the book version, called Yu Dan Lunyu Xinde, or What Yu Dan learned from the Analects, outsold Harry Potter on the mainland and set a record for its book market. Since then, Yu has toured the country with her lecture series. In Hong Kong, 700 people filled an auditorium at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, few older than their mid-40s. Many took their children and a number of seats were reserved for students.