Bulletin Summer 1976

A Youthful Centre Communication is the basic process of society. It is intrinsically woven with all aspects of human endeavor. Depending on how it is used, communication can contribute to either the improvement or degradation of the quality of human life. With the world becoming smaller and smaller, as a result of modern technology, communication has meant new challenges for all human beings. The Centre for Communication Studies is intended to meet these challenges. Specifically, the Centre is aimed at studying communication in a Chinese culture ； promoting regional cooperation in research, training and the exchange of views ； collecting and disseminating news of communication research, education and technology; and training of competent professional communicators. In 18 months, after its restructure from the former Mass Communications Centre, the Centre's achievements have won the respect of many counterparts in both the East and the West. In spite of its youth, it has hosted two conferences, published three issues of a journal, completed several research projects, and is now helping launch a post-graduate programme in communication and getting ready to move into a new building. Operation A.B.C. In its efforts to achieve its objectives, the Centre has been filling two important knowledge gaps: the lack of documentation of the rich Chinese communication experience and the imbalance of information flow between the East and the West. The Centre has three long-term projects in playing its roles as a cultural bridge and a home base where scholars and students, whether foreign or Chinese, can spend the whole of a productive life. The first project has to do with documentation. It involves the collection, categorization and storage of news about communication and journalism developments in major Chinese and English newspapers published in Asia. In addition, the Centre collects back and new issues ofjournals and magazines essential to the understanding of communication characteristics and patterns in the Chinese cultural setting, both traditional and modern. Closely related to the first project is an operation to compile an annotated bibliography of Chinese communication materials. Nicknamed "Operation A.B.G.," it is aimed at locating and, later when funds are available, acquiring all Chinese communication materials from 1800 till now. To search for and categorize the myriads of Chinese communication materials scattered in Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China and elsewhere, the Centre has enlisted the assistance of a number of outside research fellows. When the operation is completed, major Chinese newspapers, magazines and other media agencies as well as publications about Chinese journalism and communication will be indexed and annotated. The results will be made available to all interested scholars and students in both the Chinese and the English language. The Asian Messenger The third long-term project is a publication entitled The Asian Messenger. Launched in December 1975, this quarterly journal communicates to communication educators and media practitioners the vital information about developments in communication research, education, technology and innovations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China and other Asian countries. In so doing, the journal aims at stimulating thinking and providing new ideas so as to make people more aware of the issues and trends in journalism and communications. Now fully a year old, the sleek journal has won applause from scholars both at home and abroad. Dr. Wilbur Schramm, one of the early pioneers in communication studies, called it ‘‘a distinguished journal of ideas and news". Dr. Godwin C. Chu, senior researcher at the East-West Communication Institute, found it to be "the most useful source of information about communication and media in Asia". And a magazine editor hailed it as "having the making of Editor & Publisher, Columbia Journalism Review, etc. all rolled into one".