BEIJING, May 8 -- When Yu Dan, a media expert and professor at Beijing Normal University, sat down to interpret Confucian thoughts in 2006, little did she realize that this effort would catapult her to overnight fame, turning the wise and dusty old Confucian teachings into a Chinese version of Chicken Soup for the Soul.

    Yu Dan's Insights into the Analects, based on 7 lectures that Yu Dan gave in 2006 on China Central Television's (CCTV) primetime show "Lecture Room", sold a record 12,600 copies on the launch day. Within two years, the book sold 5 million legal copies and an estimated 6 million pirated ones, remaining at the top of the Chinese bestseller lists even today (ranked 23rd in the non-fiction category in March 2009).

Macmillan published the book in UK on May 1, 2009. To promote her book, Yu Dan visited UK and gave speeches at Cambridge University, Manchester University and Asian House in April, attracting hundreds of British audience.(Photo: en.huanqiu.com) Photo Gallery>>>

    While the Chinese version continued to reap in rich harvests, last week, UK-based Macmillan Publishers Ltd, released the English version of Yu Dan's bestseller, Confucius from the Heart: Ancient Wisdom for Today's World, bringing 2500-year-old Confucian wisdom to modern Western readers.

    Translated from Yu Dan's original book, published by Zhonghua Book Company, which is based in Beijing, the English version has trumped the previous record money of 100,000 U.S. dollars Jiang Rong's Wolf Totem cost Penguin in September 2005. Macmillan has paid a record 100,000 British pounds to Zhonghua for obtaining the copyright of Yu's book.

    A few years ago, Chinese traditional culture was brought back in vogue by the CCTV show "Lecture Room", triggering nationwide enthusiasm and it also caught the attention of the Western media.

    Confucius's principles on how to attain spiritual happiness, manage daily routine and on how to find one's place in modern life have always fascinated a common Chinese. Yu Dan's lectures threw light on some worldly-wise nuggets of advice that Confucius has talked about in his teachings. Through the book, Yu made sophisticated ancient lore accessible to ordinary people.

    In a bid to make Confucian philosophy easier to understand, Yu has made it contemporary, and more relevant for today's age. Yu writes in her book that even the closest friends should maintain distance with a decided sense of propriety. "Confucius told us that we should persuade friends from doing something wrong, and if they do not listen to us, we should give it up," said Yu. According to Yu, independence and detachment show respect for individuals, even between dearest friends and family members.

    This is what the publisher Macmillan spotted in Yu Dan's book. The ancient tenets of wisdom from Confucius have always fascinated the West but it is for the first time that they appear in simple form, minus the sermonizing.

    Li Yan, general manager of Zhonghua Book Company, said, "Promoting the book in the West was a great challenge as it is hard for readers there to believe that there could be a simplified interpretation of The Analects and that too by a Chinese professor." This is the first book Zhonghua has sold to the West.

    Zhonghua Book Company promoted Yu's book overseas after it was a success in China's mainland. In Taiwan, the book appeared in January 2007, where it sold 40,000 copies in the first year, with the Japanese version seeing all its first print copies also sold out completely, in May 2007. According to Zhonghua Book Company, the successful promotion in these versions is due to the close co-operation the Company has with the academic and publishing industries of these countries.

    The road to the West was however eventful. UK-based Chinese writer Xinran liked Yu's book and recommended it to her husband Toby Eady, who had read an English version of The Analects 50 years ago, yet still couldn't decide whether it would be a hit in Western world.

    Nevertheless, a face-to-face conversation cleared his doubts when Eady, Xinran, Yu Dan and her publisher finally met. "They hit it off instantly," said Wang Ruiling, copyright specialist of Zhonghua Book Company.

    This meeting was historic as it motivated Eady to wipe the dust off the old untouched Analects and sign the contract with Zhonghua Book Company right away. He thought the book would become a mirror for Western readers to understand China and at the same time will touch their heart just like it has inspired numerous Chinese readers.

    Macmillan published the book in UK on May 1, 2009. To promote her book, Yu Dan visited UK and gave speeches at Cambridge University, Manchester University and Asian House in April, attracting hundreds of British audience.

    "Yu's success has a lot to do with the fact that today modern China suffers from a spiritual vaccum as today the only value system we have is money. Therefore, everybody is looking for the Chinese meaning of life," said Hong Huang, publisher of iLook magazine.

    Although some scholars have criticized Yu for simplifying Confucius' original classics to play up to the psychological needs of audience, Yu's argument is that she has inspired more Chinese to read old classics and her purpose was achieved.

    (Source: www.globaltimes.cn)