Young man follows in footsteps of Confucius

At 12, James Kong surprised his teacher by talking about the merits of self-cultivation and righteousness at a school camp in Barnes, London. At 15 he was lecturing fellow students aged 8 to 18 about Confucian values at a community event. Now, aged 17, Kong, a second-generation immigrant to Britain, is back in China, playing a key role in the play, Then They Came for Me, whose message ties up with the core Confucian idea of a peaceful and harmonious society.

It's not a coincidence that Confucius (551-479 BC) seems to be a reference point in the life of this serene-faced London-bred teenager. Kong is the 79th direct descendent of the philosopher whose influence on Chinese social life has been sustained across 2,500 years.

Like many young men his age, Kong plays the guitar, writes songs and is crazy about soccer. He also dreams of writing a book about The Analects, recording his personal discovery of this seminal Confucian text, as a young Londoner.