Yu Dan (于丹)

 Royalty income: 10 million yuan (US$1.60 million)

Bestseller: "Relive the Most Beautiful Ancient Poems" 《于丹：重溫最美古詩詞》

Age: 47

2011 Ranking: 27

Yu Dan, born in 1965 in Beijing, is a professor and the vice-president of the School of the Arts & Communication of Beijing Normal University (BNU). In October 2006, Yu gave a series of lectures named "Thoughts on the Analects of Confucius" on the CCTV show "Lecture Room," which sparked a new cross-country Confucian boom and made her a label for traditional Chinese culture.

Since 2006, Yu published several books about Chinese ancient culture, including "Confucius from the Heart," "Yu Dan's Notes on Zhuangzi," and "An Aesthetic Travel in Kunqu Opera." Her work about Confucius has sold more than 5 million copies on Chinese mainland and was translated into 28 languages worldwide. In May 2012, Yu presented her new book about classical Chinese poetry, which again became a hit on China's book market.