Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2002

simplified script was brought out for the first time by the Renmin University of China. This pioneering w o r k, the first book by a Chinese i n w h i c h the m o d e r n i z a t i on of C h i na is systematically tackled in a sociological context, earned r e c o g n i t i on for the y o u n g Amb r o se K i n g . T h i r t y years hence it c o n t i n u es to influence the views and thoughts of scholars on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, as it has not ceased to generate debate a nd discussion. A m o n g the ma ny critiques of this book, the observation of L i u Xiaofeng w o u l d appear to be the most balanced a nd to the point: ‘The scholarly contribution made by the sociologist Prof. Ambrose K i ng breaks new ground i n the theoretical construction of modernity studies i n the Chinese language.' It is the f i r m belief of Prof. K i ng that the modernization of China is n o t h i ng less t h an the c o n s t r u c t i on of a mo d e r n civilizational order for China. This is a task that was left incomplete at the end of the 20th century, and must be counted among basic pursuits of the Chinese people in the 21st century. If Chinese history is like the roaring flow of a river, then the modernization process marks a significant bend, an irreversible a nd i r r e s i s t i b l e p o i n t w h e r e the t r a d i t i o n al dovetails w i t h the modern. Fired by passion, mo v ed by the love of traditional Chinese culture, committed to the spirit of ‘Every man must play his part for the c o u n t r y ', a r mo u r ed w i t h the i n d e p e n d e n t, critical m i n d of the mo d e rn intellectual, Prof. K i ng published his China's Modernization and Intellectuals i n the 1970s. I n this w o r k he explains, w i t h great l u c i d i ty and i n the most analytical manner, the social responsibility of intellectuals a nd the v a l ue of t r a d i t i on i n m o d e r n i z a t i o n. H i s s t a n ce is t h a t t he t r a d i t i o n al a n d the m o d e r n n e ed not be incompatible, nor should the East and the West be in disharmony. Thus, the modernization of China and the revitalization of Chinese culture should function as complementary processes. W i th these views and such writings, Prof. K i ng points to a new direction that w o u l d transcend the stalemates i n China's modernization, such that the old w i l l integrate w i t h the new, and Eastern elements interface w i t h their Western counterparts. P r o f . K i n g has e v o l v e d a u n i q u e sociological style in wh i ch the teachings of Max Weber are brought together w i t h the w i s d om of traditional Chinese philosophy. This style is p u t f o r w a r d i n his Dilemma of Chinese Democratic Development, published in the 1980s, a n d The Salient Issues of Chinese Society and Culture and The Salient Issues of Chinese Politics and Culture in the 1990s, the first learned works ever p u b l i s h ed i n Chinese b y the O x f o r d University Press. In these wo r ks he expatiates u p o n topics such as c u l t u r al heritage, social development and developments i n the context of modernization, echoing the views expressed i n his earlier publications. A n d, i n the Selected Works of Ambrose Y C King p u b l i s h ed b y Shanghai Education Publishing House in 2002, one gets a glimpse of h ow the author delineates the prospect of the ‘reorientation of China' w i t h consummate skill: by the 21st century the w o r l d has become a global village, and b o th C h i n a a n d H o n g K o n g m u s t seize a n d capitalize on the opportunities made available by diversification w i t h in the global context, to 3 2 Chinese University Bulletin Autumn • Winter 2002