Words of wisdom

In Qufu, the birthplace of the ancient philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC), the printing presses are running hot. With orders flooding in, local publishing houses can't afford to stop printing two recent books about the sage, after President Xi Jinping offered them his stamp of approval at a recent trip.

The author of the books Yang Chaoming still sounded excited on Monday when he was reached by the Global Times, after his works, The Interpretation of The Analects and The Collected Sayings and Dialogues of Confucius, were recognized by Xi during his visit to the Shandong city.

"He said he would read them carefully," said Yang.

During his visit to Qufu in November, Xi said scholars should follow the principles of "making the past serve the present" and "keeping the essential while discarding the dross" when researching ethics passed down from forefathers.

Staff from Shandong Friendship Publishing House and Qilu Press told the Global Times that their books have experienced an uptake in demand recently.

"We are thrilled to know of Xi's approval. The book was designed for academic exchanges only, but now it is becoming a market focus. Now we are planning to organize more promotional events," Chen Jing, head of the publication department of Shandong Friendship Publishing House, Yang's publisher, told the Global Times.

But Xi's approval isn't just a potential moneymaker for Yang and his publisher. It's encouraged many scholars, who see it as a sign of a revival of the long tradition of Confucianism.

Lost ideology

For most of China's history, Confucianism has been given the greatest priority as a source of ideological credibility. Confucianism was one among many schools of thought in China, often criticized by Daoists and others, but it played a critical role in the State-backed education system. Confucius was worshiped as the greatest of Chinese sages, and emperors from different dynasties built and renovated Confucius' temple, cemetery and family mansion in Qufu, making them a rare family compound that rivaled royal palaces.

However, the decline of Confucianism began after the May Fourth Movement in 1919 which advocated "new culture" against Confucianism, blaming it as a remnant of traditional culture that stemmed the progress of Chinese society and calling for its wholesale jettisoning.