Newsletter No. 21

CUHK Newsletter Noll August 1991 Dr. Maurice Brosseau, editor ‘ I wo u ld say China Review is on the a whole a high-quality production. I find most enlightening some of the analyses contained in chapters about China's economy. As editor of the book, I had to read through each chapter again and again. Now that the book is published, I find what I need is a new pair of glasses .， Dr. Sung Yun-wing, contributor from the Department of Economics 'It's a new and interesting experience writing for China Review. What was required of me was insightful and integrative analysis so presented that it is intelligible to any lay-person. That was somewhat different from the kind of long-term research I've been doing all the time. Anyway, through involvement in the planning of the book, I came to know more about interdisciplinary approaches of understanding a problem and realize the great potential of the University in developing China studies. I was also pleasantly surprised at the efficiency of the University Press .' Dr. Paul C. K, Kwong, contributor from the Department of Sociology ‘I was given sufficient time and freedom to write my piece, which is on a topic I'm familiar with: Chinese demography. Information and data collection was therefore never a problem. What was most difficult was whether to obey the emotions or reason when it came to judgment-making. For example, at a time when China's population is double that of the fifties, should I say the implementation of strict birth-control policies is good, or bad? In any case, I took much pleasure writing for China Reviews, for through this publication the outside world can know more about China., Dr. TIen-tung Hsueh, contributor from the Department of Economics ‘China Review can satisfy the need of the general reader but to those who specialize in China studies, the book lacks indepth analysis. This is because the Review is a yearbook and can only deal with major issues in one year.' Dr. Chong-chor Lau, contributor from the Department of Sociology ‘The whole idea of producing such a yearbook is a good one. While collating data for my article, new insights were gained and they were unexpected rewards for contributing to China Review. It must however be pointed out that studies about macroscopic social changes have to be based on long-term observation. One cannot expect a yearbook like China Review to provide much information about such changes.' Dr. Leslie Nai-kwai Lo, contributor from the Department of Educational Administration and Policy 'The concept, the format, and the categorization of subject matters are all above-average. Through the publication of such a yearbook, people interested in China have access to more useful data, and the international standing of The Chinese University Press will certainly be enhanced. If a permanent editorial committee can be formed for the project and if authors can be invited well in advance, results will be even better. As for myself, I found it a worthwhile experience writing for China Review, for during the preparation and actual writing stage, relevant data got updated andnew discoveries were made. This will greatly benefit my teaching and research work.' 8