European Lottery Guild

China's state-run lottery is offering Confucius-themed tickets with colourful drawings of the ancient philosopher and his proverbs - causing debate over whether lotteries and his teachings are a good fit.

The Confucius-themed tickets are aimed at educating the public about ancient Chinese culture and helping people live a "healthy, wholesome life", according to the lottery website in China's Shandong province. The site said the Ministry of Finance approved the program launched a week ago in Confucius' hometown of Qufu before being introduced elsewhere in the northeast province later this month.

The state-run lottery is the only gaming allowed in China. The Confucius-themed tickets include quotes from The Analects - a compilation of the philosopher's works. The grand prize ticket, worth $44,000, will read, "Of all rituals, harmony is the most valuable."

A state-backed biopic of Confucius released last month starring Hong Kong megastar Chow Yun-fat earned $5.6 Million in its opening weekend.

On a controversial Chinese forum, Tianya.com, anonymous critics of the program claimed the lottery was actually against the spirit of Confucius. One cited a Confucian proverb, "The gentleman sees righteousness, the petty man sees profit."

Source: 3News (NZ)