Confucius (551–479 BC) has been called the “teacher of teachers” and the “symbol of the Chinese nation.” Hundreds of books have been written about him, but most often the Chinese tradition persistently hides the most secret things in the life of the great mentor. After many centuries, his words and life events received a new “official” interpretation, but the truth turned out to be deeply hidden. What and from whom did Confucius himself learn? Why did he so persistently strive to obtain an official position, but was most often persecuted? What secret tradition did he carry within himself and try to pass on to his students? Before us appears a man who, having received a secret tradition, decided to bring secret knowledge to people and, on the basis of this teaching, establish harmony in the Celestial Empire. But the secret should not have been revealed. Confucius was rejected both by the representatives of the mystical tradition, who ostracized him for revealing secrets, and by the rulers of the kingdoms, who considered his teaching too abstract. They tried to kill him during his wanderings, many of his students abandoned him, and many of his remaining followers turned out to be unworthy of his instructions. So what secret teaching was he trying to pass on to subsequent generations? Professor Alexei Maslov’s new bestseller lifts the veil of secrecy over one of the mysteries of the mystical history of Ancient China.