Newsletter No. 21

CUHK Newsletter No.21 August 1991 China Rev iew an Alternative to the Official Yearbooks on the People's Republic of China At a press conference held at the Foreign Correspondents' Club on 20th May to launch China Review, over 30 reporters from local and overseas newspapers, magazines and news agencies threw questions about China to the editors and contributors of the new book. Edited by Prof. Kuan Hsin-chi (dean of social science and director of the Universities Service Centre) and Dr. Maurice Brosseau (research officer at the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies), China Review e x am i n es developments in politics, economics, and social issues in China in 1990 in the context of China's recent past. Contributors try to answer the questions about whether China has changed, and if so, to what extent and in which directions. With 21 chapters, all written in English, the book represents the work of a group of leading sinologists and scholars, mainly stationed in Hong Kong, who closely follow current developments in the Peoples' Republic of China. Published by the Chinese University Press (CUP), China Review also represents the first step in a joint venture undertaken by the CUP, the Universities Service Centre (USC), and the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies (HKIAPS) to provide an unofficial, year-to-year assessment of Chinese society on the mainland. This exercise, when repeated over a number of years, should lead to a more precise evaluation of the path down which China is travelling. What Inspired the Book? It may surprise many to learn that it took a mere nine months from the conception of the idea to the actual p u b l i c a t i on o f China Review. According to Mr. T. L. Tsim, director of the CUP, the idea was sparked by the success o f The Other Hong Kong Report, also published by the CUP, which is an annual review of developments in Hong Kong. The first Report rolled off the press in 1989 and is an attempt to offer a critical alternative to the official yearbook published by the Hong Kong Government. The book was warmly received and ranked second on the Press' list of best-sellers for 1989. Given the encouraging response to The Other Hong Kong Report over the last two years, and considering the vast resources that can be tapped from the USC and the HKIAPS, Mr. Tsim proposed to Prof. Kuan andDr. Brosseau in August 1990 that an ‘unofficial’ yearbook on China be compiled along similar lines. It would be particularly poignant that any serious review on China should begin in 1990: the wounds inflicted on Chinese society by the Tiananmen crackdown on 4th June 1989 were still fresh, and the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the changes in the Soviet Union shocked the political leadership. China seemed to be at a crossroads and the year was a time of soul- searching. Mr. Tsim's suggestion was met with great enthusiasm and planning work started almost immediately. From Planning to Production Prof. Kuan and Dr. Brosseau started off by sounding out potential contributors and the response they got was positive. A steering committee was then formed in September 1990 to oversee all planning and coordination work. Members included Mr. T. L, Tsim, Prof. Kuan, Dr. Brosseau, Dr. Sung Yun-wing of the Department of Economics, and Dr. Paul Kwong of the Department of Sociology. Very soon the committee established the central theme of the book and identified specific areas for review. Some 60 China specialists were shortlisted as potential contributors, each to be invited to write on different topics that were their fields of speciality. Such areas include political leadership, national reunification, the armed forces, the dissidents' movement, law and order, China and the world, China-Hong Kong relationships, the economy, the special economic zones, society and population, the mass media and communication. The task of liaison and inviting contributions fell upon the two editors, Prof. Kuan and Dr. Brosseau, who, by the end of November 1990, had found the right authors for the relevant chapters. And with much efficiency, these authors produced their first drafts in January 1991. All the drafts were then passed to the CUP, where they were processed speedily on desk-top publishing systems. A workshop for the authors was 6

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