The Lecture Room TV show was first aired in July 2001, with an
academic lecture by Nobel laureate C. N. Yang followed by an army
of famed Chinese scientists and economists.
However, the TV show suffered setbacks with its ratings during
the first few years, even after it was transformed into an academic
talk show between famous scholars.
The situation took a turn for the better when Nie Congcong, the
predecessor of producer Wan Wei, tailored the programme to cater to
contemporary Chinese interest in history and classic
literature.
In 2003, Nie invited a group of Chinese writers and scholars,
including Wang Meng, Zhou Ruchang, Cai Yijiang and Zhang Qingshan,
to share with the audience their interpretations of the "Dreams of
the Red Mansion" one of the top four classic Chinese literary
works.
This gave the show the spark it needed.
It was Yan Chongnian, an expert of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)
history from Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, who first put the
Lecture Room in spotlight.
In 2004, Yan's lecture series about the mysterious tales of Qing
Dynasty emperors won sweeping accolades from TV audiences across
the nation.
His book about the same topic became bestseller when it hit
bookstands.
Since then, the ratings of the Lecture Room have been rising. It
has become a hit programme that strays from the usual formula for
prime time shows.
However, the show aroused much controversy when it aired
lectures by renowned writer Liu Xinwu in 2005, and Yi Zhongtian, a
Chinese language professor at Xiamen University in East China's
Fujian Province, earlier this year.
The duo's reinterpretations of Chinese historical figures and
classic literature invited a flurry of criticism from academic
circles.
Scholars said Chinese writer Liu Xinwu's reinterpretation of
Dreams of the Red Mansion was "inaccurate and misleading."
Some scholars criticized Chinese language professor Yi Zhongtian's
modern reading of Romance of the Three Kingdoms for
"defacing traditionally portrayed historical figures and
interpreting historical logics in a gaudy, utilitarian
fashion."
Despite piles of criticism, the now high-rating Lecture Room has
catapulted several lecturers, including Yan, Liu and Yi, to
stardom, while their books, which mostly focus on the contents of
their TV lectures, have become bestsellers.
Early this year, Yi Zhongtian's book about the Three Kingdoms
was released with a run 550,000 copies.
Because of her popularity among audiences, Yu Dan has been
nicknamed by some as the "female equivalent of Yi Zhongtian."
When asked if she is confident about the market performance of
her new book, Yu declined to make any prediction.
"I believe those who love to watch my TV lectures might want to
get a print edition as a souvenir," she said.
Yu confirmed that she is going to give lectures again early next
January, when she will present her personal interpretation of
Zhuang Tzu another world-famous piece of Chinese classic
literature and a great philosophical work.
Six episodes of her lecture series about Zhuang Tzu have already
been recorded in CCTV-10's studio, and four more recording sessions
are scheduled for December, Yu said.
A book about her interpretation of Zhuang Tzu might be
published after the lectures are aired, if the book about
Confucius' words of wisdom fares well in the market, Yu said.
(China Daily November 27, 2006)