Australian scholar finds mission at Yuelu Academy

On a mid-autumn night, Australian scholar Jordan Martin, known in China as Ma Zhaoren, strolled through the moonlit courtyards of Yuelu Academy in Changsha, Hunan province, feeling a quiet bond with centuries of scholars before him.

Martin, 38, earned his master's and doctorate in philosophy at Yuelu Academy, one of Hunan's oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher education. He joined its faculty in 2022, where he now teaches and researches Chinese philosophy, focusing on pre-Qin thought and reinterpreting its wisdom for the modern world.

His journey in China began over a decade ago with a simple goal: to master Chinese through immersion. A chance introduction brought him to Yuelu, which offered more than language or learning.

"There's a sense of mission and purity I've never felt elsewhere," he says. "When I first stepped into the Academy, I thought, 'this is the place I've dreamed of.'"

Through his studies, Martin discovered the enduring relevance of pre-Qin philosophy to modern life. Citing Xunzi, a Confucian philosopher during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC), he notes that human progress rests not on individual excellence but on collective effort, an evolutionary force behind culture itself.

Combining pre-Qin thought with evolutionary theory, the scholar interprets de (virtue) as a costly, hard-to-fake, and essential social signal for maintaining trust in society. Rituals such as fasting or mourning, he explains, function like biological messaging in nature, helping societies sustain cooperation. This lens also sheds light on China's intellectual shift from belief in individual deities to reverence for tian (Heaven), an impersonal natural order.

For Martin, the Confucian philosophy is uniquely Chinese yet rooted in universal human instincts. This perspective opens a window for cross-cultural understanding. "Ideas like Mencius' call to extend care outward express instincts we all share," he says.

Now preparing to teach in Chinese, he feels pride and humility simultaneously. "To deserve the title 'teacher at Yuelu Academy,' I must work twice as hard," he says.