BEIJING – Celebrated Chinese philosopher Confucius -- already on movie screens across China in the form of Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-Fat -- is now being used as the frontman for a new lottery scheme.

Tickets bearing Confucius's image and proverbs went on sale last week in his eastern hometown of Qufu, with the top prize set at 300,000 yuan ($44,000), the state-run Global Times reported.

Officials say the scheme is aimed at educating people about the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BC), which centre on peace and social harmony, and have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years after being suppressed in Maoist China.

"Everyone in China knows Confucius and 'The Analects,' but not everyone can read three sentences from it," the paper quoted an official in Shandong province tasked with lottery marketing, Tang Niangbing, as saying.

He called the scheme a "win-win situation."

If sayings on the ticket match the ones drawn by the lottery centre, the buyer wins.

The winning ticket reads: "Of all rituals, harmony is the most valuable."

The "Confucius" biopic starring Chow, which reportedly cost about 150 million yuan to make, opened last week in wide release but has been roundly panned by critics.