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On a mission to make Confucius big in Japan

By He Na (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-20 07:59

Kong Jian promotes his new book on Confucius, in Beijing. He Na

In Western countries, you'll find a Bible in your bedside drawer at almost every hotel.

If hotels in China were also to make one book available for guests, which one should it be?

"The first choice, I would say, is The Analects of Confucius," says Kong Jian, a middle-aged author who released two new books at last weekend's 2009 Beijing Book Wholesale Expo.

Kong, who claims to be a 75th generation direct descendant of the ancient sage, has made it his lifelong mission to disseminate Confucianism among people from different cultural backgrounds.

"In A New Look at the Analects, Confucius in Left Hand and Chuang-tzu in Right Hand, I want to share with readers my reading of Confucianism and its relevance to contemporary life," says Kong with a slight Shandong accent.

His books are already bestsellers in Japan, where he lives, but now have Chinese language editions here, too, published by the Beijing-based Chinese Workers Press.

The Analects is the record of the words and deeds of the philosopher Confucius (551-479 BC) and his disciples, as well as their discussions.

The teachings of Confucius "have influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese in their thoughts and daily lives for centuries", says Kong, a 50-year-old cultural scholar.

No one knows whether he looks like Confucius but he impresses nonetheless with his square face, bushy eyebrows and big eyes that shine through his glasses.

"My life is closely related with Confucianism I began reading and reciting paragraphs from the book at 4," says Kong who always carries an Analects of Confucius wherever he goes.

"Actually, I don't only speak about it. I try to live by it," Kong says.

A stranger to most mainland readers, Kong is very popular in Japan, says his book editor Wang Peisen. There, he is known as a popular writer, editor-in-chief of two newspapers and university professor in Japan. He also serves as president of the Association for Promoting Trade between China and Japan.

But all in all, "I am an avid lover of the Analects and I am a promoter of Confucianism," Kong says.

Kong's grandfather Kong Qinggong spent his whole life editing Confucius' family tree.

"I can still recall that the stack of his manuscripts stood much higher than his height," says Kong. "That childhood memory never fades in my mind. His identity as a direct descendant of Confucius deeply shaped his worldview and attitude to life."

After obtaining a bachelor's degree in Japanese at Shandong University in his early 20s, Kong worked as a Japanese editor at a magazine for three years. It prepared him for his future career in Japan.

At 27, Kong seized the chance to study journalism at a Japanese university where he received a doctorate degree after 10 years of hard work.

During his stay in Japan, Kong started the first Japanese newspaper "China, the Giant Dragon" to provide the latest information from China to Japanese readers.

After 12 years, its circulation has reached 100,000 per week and is now "almost everywhere in Japan".

To help him spread Confucianism, Kong chose to work in the media, a handy spot from which to popularize Chinese culture.

"My primary focus is always on Chinese culture, especially Confucius' teachings," says the man who has written more than 80 books on Confucius and the Analects in Japanese.

He has also kept up public lectures and speeches during his 24-year stay in Japan. Japanese media rated Kong among the top 100 speakers in Japan and every year he is invited to address more than 100 public events.

According to Kong, Japan so far has 568 different versions of the Analects and numerous related academic and popular books. And the Analects has already become compulsory reading for high school students in Japan, Kong says, adding that most bookstores in Japan have special cupboards set aside for Confucius.