Yu Dan, a media expert and professor at Beijing Normal
University, is in the spotlight again this week, as 10 Chinese
researchers have demanded she resign from her TV show.
Yu is well known for her on-air interpretation of Analects
of Confucius, written by his disciples around 475 BC.
She has been a controversial figure since her show first became
popular last October, making her a sudden celebrity. Some people
love her witty style, while others criticize her for straying too
far from the original text.
The latest attack came on Saturday as researchers in Beijing and
other cities asked her to resign and demanded an apology for her
"incorrect and misleading" interpretation of the classics.
Yu fought back through the local media on Monday, refusing to
resign, adding that people need to learn a lesson about Chinese
culture.
The latest attack on Yu began when a doctoral student named Xi
Jinru, who is researching ancient Chinese poetry, posted a critical
piece about her on an online forum.
He quickly gained the support of nine other doctoral students
who research ancient Chinese literature at different
universities.
Xi accused Yu of misleading the public and labeled her approach
as "ignorant, unfaithful, and harmful."
His accusation has triggered more than 10,000 replies, both for
and against.
In one case, at a ceremony to launch her new book at the
Zhongguancun Book Store on March 3, a middle-aged man took off his
jacket and exposed a shirt printed with the slogan, "Confucius is
vexed, Zhuangzi is angry."
(China Daily March 7, 2007)