Should Yi Jing, or The Book of Changes, be used in compulsory education? This is the center of an argument between Professor Xu and a sci-tech company based in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang.
The argument, which intensified later, has unexpectedly brought a sentence upon the professor who issued the criticism to make a public apology to the company, the Beijing Morning Post reported.
The professor said The Book of Changes is a world view as well as "a philosophy exploring complexity" that should be taught in universities instead of compulsory schools.
The professor believes Yi Jing's inclusion into compulsory education violates the laws of education since it is too complicated for kids to understand, and used the word "inhuman" to describe a proposal for its inclusion issued last October on the sci-tech company's Web site, www.weyouhe.com.
The company lodged a lawsuit against the professor, claiming that the professor's remarks were irresponsible and exerted a negative influence on the company's image.
The local court ruled that the word "inhuman" is insulting and beyond the range of academic debate, and damages the company's reputation.
In addition to a printed public apology, the company also demanded Professor Xu pay symbolic compensation of one yuan.
