The past as drama

Though a TV celebrity now, Ji Lianhai says he will
forever be a school teacher and won't let
other activities disturb his career.

A school teacher of history, who uses an unconventional approach to breathe life into his lectures, is now a TV celebrity. Wang Xuechun reports

Ji Lianhai stands on the podium in a television studio, a slightly hunched, skinny figure in thick glasses, ready for his lecture that will reach audiences all over China. His ungainly looks are matched by manners that are far from graceful. But once he starts talking, he has the rapt attention of his viewers, fascinated with his compelling stories of Ho-shen (He Shen), a notorious minister of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

It is Ji's 2005 debut lecture on CCTV's program Lecture Room. Although this popular program has featured many names, Ji stands apart, joining the ranks of such stars as Yan Chongnian, an expert in the history of the Qing Dynasty, and Yu Dan, known for her TV lectures entitled Yu Dan's Insights into the Analects.

"I think ugly people like me are more likely to become popular on television," says 44-year-old Ji self-deprecatingly. Indeed, Ji's unconventional screen presence has been a factor in attracting TV audiences.

Says netizen Yu Jianqin on the Baidu forum: "Ji is humorous, and his passionate and sometimes exaggerated style make him my favorite."

Ji is a consummate storyteller who knows how to keep his audience's attention while also entertaining them. His lectures remind people of Chinese crosstalkers.

Considered by many to be a master in the field of history, Ji denies the title with a smile and likes to remind people that he is essentially a high school teacher - a job to which he has remained committed for more than 20 years.

Despite his TV fame, Ji maintains the same daily routine - rising at 5 and arriving at school no later than 7 am. Once in his office, he spends an hour reviewing his texts and teaching materials. At the dot of 8, he is in class ready to unveil the mysteries of history to his enthralled students.

"Teacher Ji never carries his teaching plans with him as other teachers do, but magically remembers everything. He teaches history like he's telling stories, which I find really interesting," says Yang Kaichen, one of Ji's students. Another student of the same class, Zhang Xiao, says: "He is always so passionate. I feel inspired by him."

Ji, in fact, has the least professional title of those featured in the TV lectures. While most of the others are professors from well-known universities, Ji has only a Master's degree and currently works as a history teacher in the Second High School Attached to Beijing Normal University.

But his teaching career has not always been smooth sailing. Back in 1984, when he started out as a teacher at Changping No 4 Middle School, a school with a poor reputation, soon after graduating from Capital Normal University in Beijing, he was quite desperate. His students were poorly motivated and "weren't even interested in major subjects such as Chinese and maths, let alone the history minor I taught", Ji says.

Ji also knew well that a personal passion for history was one thing, and teaching history to a bunch of rebellious teenagers was quite another.

"I know history feels like a dry subject to them. So I had to deal with this, to find ways to attract them to learn."

Ji bought video tapes of crosstalk performers and decided to imitate their way of talking. He paid much attention to the subtleties of the techniques the artists employ to appeal to their listeners. Standing on podiums in classrooms he converted his passion for his subject into loud and racy lectures filled with emotion. It worked. Students began to respond to his enthusiasm by listening in his classes.

Ji is seriously short-sighted. So he is left with no choice but to memorize his teaching plans beforehand.

Ji lectures to TV audiences the way he does to his students. "The majority of them (audiences) are middle school level - just like my students," he says. "I deliberately tailor my style to cater to their interests."

But not everyone supports Ji's style. Some deride his hyperbole and dramatic ways. But Ji is unfazed. "I bet if Confucius were still alive, he too would choose what I am doing. To merely perform the traditional role of a teacher is to lag behind in this rapidly transforming age," Ji says. "You have to seize the emerging opportunities. What I have done is to occupy the new market where I can maximize my influence as a teacher."

Asked how he felt about his celebrity status, he says he is the kind of person who is "easily brightened with a little sunshine". Having a friend who knows the directors of the Lecture Room program has been his share of this "sunshine". Ji is quick to concede he is very lucky, yet underscores his belief that success only comes to those who are well-prepared in the first place.

Born to a poor family, Ji understood very early the importance of an education and always had excellent grades throughout his school days. Over time, he developed a love for history. At university, he devoured the numerous history books in the library, especially about China's pre-Qin period, ethnic minorities and modern history.

Not surprisingly, the subjects that are most popular with Ji's TV audiences are historical figures of the Qing Dynasty, such as minister Ji Xiaolan and Ho-shen, who used to serve Qing emperor Qianlong, and prince Dorgon, who was one of the founding fathers of the Qing monarchy. "They are seen as controversial figures yet to me they are part of my favorite Manchu minority history."

These Qing Dynasty figures are popular and have been appearing frequently in Chinese TV series in recent years. "From a historical and objective perspective, I think these figures are being distorted," Ji says. "I talk much about these figures, because I want to show the public their true faces."

Ever since his debut lecture, Ji has been continually receiving invitations from TV producers and publishers. He has published more than 20 books about various historical figures and about teaching history to school students.

Till now, Ji has taken part in one film, one TV series and a number of TV shows, and this has attracted a fair bit of criticism.

"I don't like people to pin labels on me, whether it is a 'master' or an 'entertainer'. I am neither," Ji says. "I am, and forever will be, a school teacher. I won't let other activities disturb my career.

"Watching my students grow up and serving as their mentor is what gives me my strongest sense of accomplishment."