Popular scholar Yu Dan (right) and an inmate at Beijing Qianjin Prison display painting work. Yu Dan presented her popular interpretation of Confucianism to the inmates on Wednesday, April 4, 2007.

Chinese scholar Yu Dan took her popular interpretation of Confucianism to inmates at a Beijing prison on Wednesday.

During the one-hour speech at Qianjin Prison, Yu Dan explained the Analects, a classic by the ancient philosopher Confucius, in front of over 6,000 inmates.

The book itself is referred to by many as a Chinese "Chicken Soup for the Soul."

By interpreting the ancient classic using easy-to-understand words, Yu Dan hoped the listeners would take a positive attitude towards their experience in prison, and recognize that they can enjoy a bright future.

Yu Dan, a professor at Beijing Normal University, rose to national fame by giving a series of lectures expressing her personal understanding of the ancient classic.
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(CRI.cn April 5, 2007)