Editorial Committee

Min Weifang Xu Zhihong Kim Jae-youl Hao Ping Wu Zhipan Zhang Guoyou Chi Huisheng

Editors in Chief Li Yansong Cheng Yuzhui Zhao Weimin

Vice Editors in Chief Yan Jun Zhang Lin

Editor Guo Junling

Executive Editors Zhang Yu Cai Lirong Yue Heng

Translator Peng Shulin

English Polisher Dai Xingyue Clifford Ames Contents

Preface ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 2

Tao and Sophia:The Olympic Spirit from Athens to Beijing

David Wong: The Chinese Heart of a Sinologist ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 4

Yu Jiyuan: A Mediacy in Philosophy ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 8

Ethnic Relations and Religious Coexistence ○○○○ Huang Shumin: Respect the Decisions of the Indigenous People ○○○○ 10

Nathan Glazer: A Reflection on American Ethnic Group Relations ○○○○○○○○15

Language Identity and Language Change in Collision and Dialogue

Between Civilizations ○○○○ Abdel - Rahim Alkordy: Mind the Globalization ○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 17

Hu Zhuanglin: The Life of Language Lies in Communication ○○○○○○○○○○20

Theraphan Luangthongkum: The Pursuit of Continuous Improvement ○○○○○24

Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility Bernard Yeung: Problems with Corporate Social Responsibilities

Bernard Yeung: Are “Growing Pains” ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○28

Jiang Ping: More Profound Communication and Cooperation is Required ○○○○○○○○ Jiang Ping: Between Economists and Legists ○○○○○○○○○○ 33

Kaneko Yuka: The Short-sighted Eye, the Biggest Problem with ○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Kaneko Yuka: Chinese Companies ○○○○○○○○○○ 37

William Blair: Social Responsibilities Should Benefit All Those Involved ○○○○○40

Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

David Legge: China Should Move Step-by-step in its Efforts to Reform ○○○○○○○○○ its Health Care System ○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 43

Hu Yukun: Structural Challenges in the Health Care of Rural Chinese Women ○○47

John Cleland: Because This Is an Important Job ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○52

Yao Yuan: The Participation of Old People in the Olympics is a Cultural Phenomenon ○○○○○○○○○○ Yao Yuan: of a Harmonious Society ○○○○○○○○○○○○ 55 Interviews with the Scholars of Beijing Forum 2007 Volume IV

Cultural Diversity, Harmonious Society and Alternative Modernity: New Media and Social Development

Lo Ven-Hwei: The Taiwanese Media Community has the Academic ○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Lo Ven-Hwei: Foundation for Case Studies ○○○○○○ 59 ○○○○○○○ Qiao Mu: The Cell Phone Is Changing China ○○○○○○○○○○○ 63

Xiao Dongfa: Understanding the New Media from a Wide Perspective ○○○○○66

Zhou Yongming: Looking at the New Media with the Cold Eye of History ○○○○○69

The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations

Chen Changdu: Attaching Importance to Our Natural Heritage ○○○○○○○○○72 ○○○○○○○○ Fan Jinshi: A Long and Tortuous Path to Harmony ○○○○○○○ 76 Neville Agnew: The Key to Cultural Heritage Conservation Lies in the

Neville Agnew: Education and the Training of Professionals ○○○○○○○○○○ 82

Social Change and University Development Richard Leigh Henry : The Protection of Traditional Culture in

Richard Leigh Henry : Diversified Cultures ○○○○○○○○○○○○ 86 Simon Marginson: The University Remains the Backbone of Higher Education

Simon Marginson: in the Global Knowledge Market ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 89

Su Zhiwu: The “Hybrid Major” is not an Ideal Way to Cultivate Competent ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ Su Zhiwu: Communication Graduates○○○○○○○○○○○ 92

Xu Zhihong: Striking a Balance Between Independence and Social Demand in ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Xu Zhihong: University Development ○○○○○ 95 ○○○○○○○○○○ Afterword ○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○ 98 Preface

Approved by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, and under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Beijing Municipal Government, Beijing Forum is an international academic forum jointly hosted by Peking University, Beijing Municipal Commission of Education and the Korea Foundation for Ad- vanced Studies. Since its establishment in 2004, this annual conference has been held successfully on four occasions, gathering altogether more than 1800 re- nowned scholars in the humanities and the social sciences from 50 countries around the world in order to explore various perspectives of its ongoing theme of “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All”.

Over the past four years, Beijing Forum has increasingly won the approbation and the support of scholars worldwide, and it has used its growing international academic reputation and influence to promote progress in the humanities and the social sciences throughout the Asia-Pacific region and the world at large. In this way, Beijing Forum has been able to make an important contribution to the development and the prosperity of all humankind.

Interviews with the Scholars has shared its yearly growth by conducting, com- piling and then publishing interviews with its renowned participants. Interviews with the Scholars serves as a supplement to the discussions presented by the scholars at the Forum, and it is a faithful record of their views. Each edition of the journal has been warmly received by the members of the academic commu- nity for its flexible interviewing style, for its simple language and for its thought- provoking topics that examine current social realities.

Beijing Forum 2007 has responded to the ongoing theme of “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All” by focusing upon “Diversity in the Devel- opment of Human Civilizations” as a valuable sub-theme deserving scholarly discussion and debate. Accordingly, Beijing Forum 2007 has been organized into eight panel sessions, each dealing with an important aspect of this sub- theme, and they are: “Tao and Sophia: The Olympic Spirit from Athens to Beijing”, “Ethnic Relations and Religious Coexistence”, “Language Identity and Language Change in Collision with the Dialogue Between Civilizations”, “Global Strat- egy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility”, “Diversity of Popula- tion Development and Health Security”, “Cultural Diversity, Harmonious Soci- ety and Alternative Modernity: New Media and Social Development”, “The In- spiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations” and finally “So- cial Change and University Development”.

After three years of successfully recording the views of the scholars of Beijing Forum on various aspects of the theme of “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All,” this year the editors of Interviews with the Scholars have decided to concentrate on the combination of academic research with social realities, different theoretical approaches to the topic of globalization and to a number of problematic spheres of change within human societies. The inter- views focus mainly on subjects like the Beijing Olympic Games, the goal of a harmonious society and the impact of new media, such as the internet, on the social order, the need for corporate social responsibility, for cultural heritage protection, and for research-oriented universities as well, the interviews cover ethnic relations and language transformation in the context of globalization, and examine specific problems associated with an ageing population and with health security for rural women. We believe that this edition of Interviews with the Scholars, rich in the thoughts and wisdom of many world visionaries, will help us to reconsider the feasibility of economic globalization and the future of diver- sified development of human civilizations.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the scholars all over the world who have expressed their kind wishes and their enthusiastic support for Beijing Forum over the past four years. Now that the year 2008 is upon us, we are waiting eagerly to witness the fifth anniversary of Beijing Forum. In the golden autumn of Beijing city, we again prepare to welcome the annual arrival of many of the top scholars in the world who will assemble once more at Beijing Forum to exchange their ideas and to share their wisdom on world peace and interna- tional fellowship. As always, Beijing Forum is poised to take another step for- ward on the road to achieving the insistent but ever elusive goal of “The Har- mony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All”.

The Editorial Committee of Beijing Forum Tao and Sophia: The Olympic Spirit from Athens to Beijing

David Wong, Professor in the Philosophy Department, Duke University

David Wong: The Chinese Heart of a Sinologist

Interviewer Fan Danhui The Panel Session on Philosophy held at Beijing Forum 2007 welcomed not only the world famous sinologists Tu Weiming, Cheng Chungying and Roger Ames to the discussion, but also an affable newcomer by the name of David Wong, a distinguished professor of philosophy from Duke University.

David Wong, Tu Weiming and Cheng Chungying, are all ethnic Chinese who live and work in the United States of America. Professor Wong’s ancestral home is Canton Province in the south of China, but unlike professors Tu and Chang, he has no Chinese first name, because he is an American national, an American Born Chinese (ABC), who combines the physical features of the East with the cultural background of the West.

Academic Achievements

David Wong is a relatively new name when it comes to Chinese academic com- munities and their well-informed audiences. However, in the world of American and European sinology, he enjoys a high academic reputation based on his life’s work and his considerable scholarly achievements. After David Wong obtained his doctorate degree from Princeton University, he taught for 30 years, first as John. M. Findlay visiting professor at Boston University, and then as Harry Austryn Wolfson Professor of Philosophy at Brandeis University. In 2000, he moved to Duke University where, in July of 2007, he won the title of Susan Fox Beischer and George D. Beischer Professor of Philosophy, the highest honor awarded by Duke University to its faculty for research achievements. David Wong was the only Professor of Philosophy ever to be granted this honor.

Initially, David Wong’s research interests were Ethical Theory, Moral Psychol- ogy and Comparative Ethics, and he has published extensively in these areas, with two of his research papers being accepted by Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press. However, after spending a considerable amount of time studying western ethical theory and comparative ethics, he gradually came to the conclusion that, western ethics in isolation constituted a field of enquiry too narrow in scope to satisfy the proper definition and the considerable de- mands of comparative study, not to mention grand academic perspective. As a result of his scholarly disenchantment with his earlier research interests, he turned his attention to heterogeneous cultures, especially to the traditional cultures of the East. To expand and deepen his investigation of ethical theories he began to concern himself with traditional Chinese culture, and in little over a decade he has been able to make remarkable progress in this field, becoming an important scholar of sinology in Europe and United States.

As a Chinese American, David Wong has had a very different education and a very different cultural upbringing than most overseas Chinese scholars. Since he has never been fluent in Chinese, he could only begin his study of traditional Chinese philosophy and culture by reading English translations. Later, he gradu- ally learned Chinese so that he could read the classical Chinese philosophical texts in their original language. Because of this early handicap, however, Profes- sor David Wong has had to read many of the extant English translated versions of The Analects of Confucius, Mencius, and Tao Te Ching. It has been said that translation is an art full of regret, and if the sense of this assertion is that even the Tao and Sophia: The Olympic Spirit from Athens to Beijing

best translation is necessarily deficient, how much more accurate it is of tradi- tional Chinese classics whose profundity and terseness resist faithful and el- egant translations.

David Wong maintains that every English translation of a Chinese text has its own peculiar characteristics and shortcomings, the individual nature of which reveals the degree of understanding and the point of view of its translator. He goes on to say that reading many translated works required that he draw upon the research findings of a great many different scholars and translators, and that his analytical reading approach has provided a great many insights into Chinese culture for his own research. It may be the unique gift of David Wong that he polish the precious “jade” of traditional Chinese thought with the “stone” of English translation, and this refinement process may very well prove to be an invaluable contribution to the improvement of comparative Chinese philosophy.

Following the Way of the “Golden Mean”

For his presentation at Beijing Forum, David Wong submitted a paper entitled Agon and He: Contest and Harmony. In response to the given theme of Tao and Sophia, Professor Wong’s essay offers a comparative study of the ancient Greek notion of agon, or “contest,” and the traditional Chinese concept of he, or “harmony,” from the perspective of ethical theory in support of his long-advo- cated notions on moral issues. He argues that human civilizations should be diversified ones, and that so should the morals of humankind. Different ethic systems have both world-accepted similarities and obvious dissimilarities, and these constitute two dialectically-unified components of value. The primary rea- son why ethicists have different theories is that they concern themselves with different aspect of the subject; some concentrate on the study of similarities, while others concentrate on the dissimilarities. David Wong’s interests tend more to the latter, but it is important to note that he rejects absolute and extreme models of difference. He suggests that different concepts of ethic value can be integrated with, and can benefit from others, and in order to express this idea accurately, he pronounced the “Golden Mean” in Chinese, acknowledging at the same time a similar notion of the “Golden Mean” in his theory. In his paper, Professor Wong points out that in ancient Greek culture the indi- vidual who chose to enter into the agon or the “contest” was not only agreeing to pit his strength against another in a competition for personal victory, but also for the benefit of the group. The concept of he or “harmony,” advocated in traditional Chinese philosophy, also combines the individual’s desire to bring honor to him with the collective goal of benefiting the group by avoiding de- structive conflicts. Therefore, the Chinese concept of he is comparable to, and inseparable in meaning from the Greek term agon, the two notions similarly designating a struggle in which the final reward is both personal and collective.

Following Chinese Culture

Professor Wong is a celebrated scholar in the United States of America, but he has not been as active in the Chinese academic community as Tu Weiming and Cheng Chung Ying. This is David Wong’s second visit to the city of Beijing, but it is his first year to participate in Beijing Forum, an experience that has won his high praise. He commended the overall organization and the staging of the venues, the quality of the participants and the high level of academic exchange, as well as the friendly atmosphere of discussion and debate that characterized both for- mal group sessions and the informal gatherings of scholars.

David Wong is an American scholar of Chinese ancestry, but his deep and abid- ing attraction to Chinese civilization and Chinese culture has come relatively late in his academic career. Acknowledging his late start, Professor Wong says that he would like to use his memorable experience at Beijing Forum to inspire his continuing research into Chinese culture and Chinese thought, and to expand his contacts with Chinese scholars and with the Chinese academic community, both in his ancestral home of China, and in the West. To this end, he says he will pay more visits to China to take part in more academic activities, but he will also invite distinguished Chinese scholars to visit the United States in order to help his American colleagues discover and appreciate the depth of Chinese culture, and the brilliance of Chinese philosophical wisdom. Tao and Sophia: The Olympic Spirit from Athens to Beijing

Yu Jiyuan, Professor in the Philosophy Department, State University of New York at Buffalo

Yu Jiyuan: A Mediacy in Philosophy

Interviewer: Yu Yijie At a November 3rd Panel Session of Beijing Forum 2007, Dr. Yu Jiyuan of State University of New York delivered a paper entitled Zhongyong, Zhongzheng, and Archery, giving a constructive explanation to Zhongyong, in response to the theme: Tao and Sophia: The Olympic Spirit from Athens to Beijing.

Zhongyong, Zhongzheng, and Archery: An Interesting Finding from an Ancient Comparison

In the Analects, Confucius mentioned that Zhongyong (the Golden Mean) is a virtue. The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, also made reference to the “Golden Mean” in his motto that “virtue is the middle area between two crimes.” In light of this similarity, an analysis of “Zhongyong (the Golden Mean)” continues to be a controversial philosophical topic.

In discussing “Zhongyong”or the Golden Mean, Dr. Yu employed the metaphor of archery, since in archery the archer aims to hit the middle of the target, the perfect “center” or the most “correct” position on the target. He argued: “if an archer doesn’t hit the center of the target, he will readjust his bow and improve his techniques. Similarly, if a person can’t achieve Zhongyong (the Golden Mean) in terms of his conducts, he should readjust himself.” The key to the latter of these two attempts at correction lies in the interpretation and the establishment of a standard of shan or “benevolence ” and this standard is what Confucius called ren or “humanity,” and what Aristotle called “virtue ”.

Therefore, although “Zhongyong” (the Golden Mean) has two layers of meaning, it is without standards because it lacks a boundary.

Dr. Yu added that neither Confucius nor Aristotle focused on a proper code of conduct for “virtuous” action, but instead concentrated on how to cultivate one’s self. For example, Confucius talked about yi or “righteousness, but there is no universal standard for proper conduct. What both Confucius and Aristotle fo- cused on was how to apply these universal rules to unique circumstances be- cause correctness is not an absolute “virtue,” but rather is determined by people with virtue. In many circumstances we don’t know how to make the appropri- ate or the “virtuous” decision, but those people who have cultivated virtue do, and so we should make every effort to emulate them.

Between Chinese and Western Philosophy: I am a Mediator.

Like most of the scholars at Beijing Forum, Dr. Yu delivered his speech in En- glish in order to facilitate communication, but when he was interviewed his flu- ent English was replaced by standard Mandarin. Commenting on this shift, he said: “Now Chinese scholars have good English proficiency. Elder scholars write their papers in English and deliver them in English. Foreign scholars surely have no language barriers.”

The November 3rd Panel Session on philosophy included Drs. Tu Weiming, Yu Jiyuan, HuangYong, Cheng Chungying, among other prominent Chinese phi- losophers teaching at overseas universities. Acknowledging that these scholars play a very important role in academic exchanges, Dr. Yu observed: “Recently, we have invited dozens of Chinese scholars abroad to compile the Frontiers of Western Philosophy”. Speaking on behalf of the others, he went on to say: We understand the situation of Chinese philosophy, and also know the issue con- Ethnic Relations and Religious Coexistence

templated by western philosophers. It is more acceptable for us to write these academic dissertations than to read articles of western philosophers. In this area, I am a mediator.”

Huang Shumin, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, Taipei

Huang Shumin: Respect the Decisions of the Indigenous People

Interviewer: Wang Hanqi Journalist: It seems to me that you have specifically focused your study on rural problems. Three of your books, including The Spiral Road: Change in a Chinese Village through the Eyes of a Communist Party Leader, have all con- tributed to the study in this field. Why is that?

Huang Shumin (henceforth “Huang”): Maybe it is because I grew up in the countryside. When I was a boy, most of my friends were farmers’ children and we always played together. I found it really interesting living in a rural area, although you have to face many problems. Therefore, when I had the opportunity, I made these rural areas the subject of my study.

Journalist: I see. You graduated from the Department of Anthropology at Tai- wan University, and after that traveled to the U.S. to study for the PhD. degree in Anthropology. Can you compare the different approaches to education at these two institutions, and describe what you have learned in each of these two places?

Huang: In Taiwan, the approach towards education remains traditional. Stu- dents are required to follow the instructions of the teachers, to take notes and to memorize everything they are told in order to pass the exams. They are not encouraged to raise questions. As a matter of fact, few students would dare to question the professors in the classroom, which is very different from the situa- tion in the United States. But I was different than other Taiwanese students. I liked asking questions. Although my teachers and my classmates in Taiwan all found me strange, I was quite comfortable in the educational system in the States because, in American, university students are encouraged to ask questions about what they learn. So, you can see, the difference is quite apparent.

Journalist: Did you participate in some practice courses when you were in Taiwan?

Huang: Yes, always. For example, taking the measurements of the human body, and participating in archaeological excavations.

Journalist: Anthropology is in fact the outcome of western-centered thinking. In your previous speeches, you have said that you wanted to be an anthropologist of action, not an imperial exploiter, that you wanted to help the people you are studying. As a Chinese scholar who once taught in the United States, how do you feel about the difference between you and your western colleagues?

Huang: The fact is that anthropologists are against colonialism, racism, or any other actions that invade or suppress weak nations, and this is the common ground we share, whether our background is eastern or western. Some post-modernist scholars criticize anthropologists as instruments of imperialism and colonialism, but their claims are groundless. As a matter of fact, anthropologists, including me and my American colleagues, have always been opposed to any type of suppression. Ethnic Relations and Religious Coexistence

Journalist: Did you participate in the symposium on the corridor between Ti- betan and Yi ethnic groups held this September? Since the Qinghai-Tibet Rail- way was opened for passenger service, opinions on its impact have always been conflicting. Some support Tibet’s openness to the outside world, which means that the Tibetan people are under great pressure to change their traditional lifestyle. Others oppose the prospect of Tibet’s openness, arguing that Tibet should be preserved as a humanitarian specimen. What do you think of this?

Huang: I think we’d better leave it to the indigenous Tibetan people to make a decision. However, even the Tibetans themselves may disagree upon whether or not to build the railway, to start industrialization, or to develop tourism. As a result of this uncertainty, state policy may have the final say on these matters. In any case, the policy should integrate the mainstreaming ideas of the local com- munities and be formulated in consultation with the local people. No outsiders and no political parties should unilaterally make the final decision.

Journalist: In reality, minorities have always been in a disadvantaged position. Even now many of the aboriginal people in Taiwan still have to rely on social welfare payments. How would you comment on the present situation and the future of Taiwan’s aboriginal people? Since most of them have been integrated into mainstream society and now live in the cities, are you worried that their traditions might vanish some day?

Huang: This is a sad question. Of the 480,000 indigenous people in Taiwan, about half of them are living in cities, mainly in Taipei, Taoyuan and Gaoxiong. Most of the children of these city dwellers don’t speak their aboriginal languages, and for whose who live in their native land, only some can still speak their own languages. As a consequence, many of these indigenous languages will most likely disappear within one or two generations. However, the authorities are instituting policies designed to preserve these languages. For example, if the children of aboriginal people are able to pass tests written in their own languages, they will receive extra scores in the selective exams for higher level schools.

However, I have noted that only around half of the indigenous people support such language policies. Those opposed claim that what’s most important to them is not the preservation of their native languages, but that their children can go to the top universities, find good jobs and be integrated into mainstream society. Some students also say that learning indigenous languages takes up their valu- able time and provides no benefits in return. This, I believe, is a global problem. At present, there are around 5,000 distinct languages in the world, but every year dozens disappear. In Taiwan, the most endangered language is the one spoken by the Shao ethnic group, which I believe will vanish in one or two generations, The second most endangered language is the one spoken by the Saisiyat ethnic group. Anthropologists and ethnologists may help to preserve some of the endangered languages, but the trend of history and globalization is irreversible. Once indigenous people reach the point of not wanting to speak their native languages, scholars can do nothing to change the situation. Nobody can go against the trend of the history.

Journalist: What are the factors that undermine the social competitiveness of aboriginal people in Taiwan?

Huang: This difficulty is not confined to Taiwan alone. In fact, the native Indians in America and the Maoris in Australia face the problem of being less competi- tive than those in mainstreaming society, and this is largely because they are less educated than the majority, and because they lack the necessary facilities and the basic infrastructure. It is impossible to solve the entire aboriginal problem, or even the better part of it. In other words, there is no all-inclusive policy that meets the needs of all indigenous peoples. All have proven unsatisfactory. The inequality among ethnic groups in a country is caused by the very existence of minorities, and at the same time, it is impossible for every ethnic group to estab- lish its own separate country. Therefore, I believe there is no ultimate solution to this problem.

Journalist: In the course of your studies, you must have done many field surveys. Which one was the most impressive?

Huang: Most anthropologists enjoy doing field work, and most have derived Ethnic Relations and Religious Coexistence

pleasant memories from these experiences. In point of fact, field work is seldom tough despite harsh conditions. On one occasion, I traveled to a remote and isolated mountainous area in Guizhou Province where the living conditions were extremely poor, and where the villagers were without tap water or a stable power supply. Nevertheless, I did not find the experience very taxing because I was able to meet all kinds of interesting people and to learn many new things in the place, all of which were very memorable to me.

Journalist: But you also mentioned that you felt quite lonely in the village be- cause the local people were not as intelligent as you are.

Huang: This is true, but I believe that my feelings of isolation were because we cared about different things. As a scholar, I view things from a global perspec- tive and I am concerned about a great many things in the world, from the coup in Burma to the presidential election in the United States. The local people do not care about these things. I didn’t feet lonely because I was more intelligent than they were, but because we did not share the same interests. Nowadays, the situ- ation is much better than it was in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It is possible to access the Internet even in remote areas of the world, and as a result most anthropolo- gists do not feel so cut off during their field investigations.

Journalist: Is that the reason why you do not live in those remote places for a long time? I know that in order to conduct their research some anthropologists stay in inaccessible places permanently.

Huang: I know of an anthropologist who finally married a tribal chief in New Guinea, and then never strayed from the chief’s village again. I won’t do that. When I finish my field surveys I want to restore my contact with the outside world and to return to my familiar surroundings. However, I have always en- couraged my students to seek out new environments and to welcome all kinds of novel experiences.

Journalist: That is the end of my interview. Thank you! Nathan Glazer, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Education, Harvard University

Nathan Glazer: A Reflection on American Ethnic Group Relations

Interviewer: Wang Yi Beijing Forum 2007 held its Panel Session on “Ethnic Relations and Religious Coexistence” on November 2nd, 2007 in the Great Hall of the People. As a member of this panel, Professor Nathan Glazer of Harvard University delivered a paper entitled “Dual Nationality in Immigrant Receiving Nations: Is It a Problem, and What Kind?”

During a break from the scholarly presentations, Peking University News had the opportunity to get some clarifications of Professor Glazer’s reflections on American ethnic groups.

America is universally acknowledged as a “melting pot”, its population being made up of immigrant peoples of different colors, religions, and cultural back- grounds from all over the world. According to Dr. Glazer, the most significant and most noticeable achievement that the United States has made with respect to the country’s immigrant population is the process of ethnic merging, a prac- tice that is becoming more and more accepted, judging from public opinion polls. For example, fifty years ago, if one asked the person in the street: “What is your attitude towards interracial marriage between whites and blacks?” around 70% to 80% would have been against it, especially among the white population. Ethnic Relations and Religious Coexistence

According to Glazer, this percentage has probably dropped to somewhere around 20%. He claims that this achievement is attributable to a change in public atti- tude towards interracial integration, or at least the attitude expressed by the public, and that this change has taken place somewhat faster in the United States than in Europe, or in many other places.

When asked about the most sensitive topic concerning ethnic group relations that is being considered by modern American sociologists, Professor Glazer pointed out that the most contentious issue is probably illegal immigration. Ac- cording to him, illegal immigration is a very important political issue that is debated all the time, and it is an issue about which little has been done and nothing that is positive. According to Glazer: “We simply made the southern border much more difficult to cross, which is very inconvenient and leads to many deaths when people try to go around and cross in the desert.” Glazer claimed that “Many people say that the issue is not immigration perse, but the unlawful aspect of illegal immigration that bothers people. The fact is that most illegal immigrants are Mexican, so it is an anti-Mexican and anti-Latin American confrontation.” For example, Glazer asks: “If the illegal immigrants were not Mexican, but Irish, or Canadians or English, would their immigration be such a divisive issue?” “So I would say that the connection between illegal immigration and one major ethnic group is a significant issue,” Glazer concluded.

Another significant issue involving ethnic group relations that has troubled America for a long time is the matter of the economic and educational back- wardness of black Americans, and how to interpret this social phenomenon. Addressing this subject in an interview in England, James Watson, a scientist with an international reputation commented that he would not be optimistic about the future of Africa because everything has shown that the Africans are inferior intellectually. Watson was awarded the Noble Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1962 for his work in genetics, and his racial observation on black inferiority caused a tremendous uproar. Professor Glazer responded to Watson’s claim: “In fact, he was describing a reality, because on normal intelligence tests blacks score low, which can be explained in terms of the discriminatory nature of the tests themselves, or in terms of the legacy of backwardness which the blacks have had to overcome. The most difficult issue is the reality of the educational, and therefore the economic backwardness of African Americans, and how we can discuss this question, and how we can treat it.”

Abdel-Rahim Alkordy, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Suez Canal University

Abdel-Rahim Alkordy: Mind the Globalization

Interviewer: Chen Qianzhi Globalization is not only a current topic of interest to scholars in the communi- ties of politics and economics, but also to those in the discipline of Linguistics. At the Panel Session devoted to Language Identity and Language Change in Collision, and Dialogue Between Civilizations held on the morning of Novem- ber 3rd, 2007, Professor Abdel-Rahim Alkordy presented his paper entitled Lin- guistic Changes in the Age of Globalization. After the session, Professor Alkordy agreed to an interview with our journalist in which he explained the impact of globalization on the language environment in the Middle East.

The Other Side of Globalization: Cultural Hegemony

Professor Alkordy stated that “Globalization has multiple implications, one of which is that the world’s developed countries such as the United States of America and France use free trade and social exchange as a pretence to culturally annex Language Identity and Language Change in Collision and Dialogue Between Civilizations

small and weak countries.” He pointed out that globalization and international- ization are two different things, the latter of which refers to the free will of all countries to enjoy common development and mutual interaction with each other without any difficulty.

Professor Alkordy contended that globalization is a double-edge sword. On the positive side it facilitates the development of information technology, which rapidly shortens interpersonal distances, and thus promotes integration and in- terdependence in the world. However, on the negative side, dominant countries too often use the slogan of globalization to try to culturally annex weak countries, and this practice can lead to a form of cultural hegemony. Professor Alkordy feels strongly that this negative aspect of globalization needs more attention:

Culture in the Middle East is Under Attack

Professor Alkordy says that the negative impact of globalization is clearly appar- ent in the Middle East. The governments of the United States and France pro- vide funds to governments in the Middle East and ask in turn that these admin- istrations change their education policy with respect to all levels of schooling, from entry level kindergarten all the way up to the universities. Since most of the subjects are taught in English, the young people of the Middle East gradually develop an attraction to the American way of life, not only in terms of minor preferences, such as food, but also with respect to larger issues, like ideology. Thus the young people of the Middle East slowly lose their cultural identity as persons of the Middle East.

Professor Alkordy used a number of examples to illustrate the profound impact of globalization on the Middle East. First of all, the United States of America and France are currently providing funds to a group of Barbars living in the mountains in the south of Algeria to revitalize their language, called Amazighid. Meanwhile, the people living in the south of Egypt and the north of Sultan are ordered to speak Noba, thus forcing the people in the south of Sudan to speak three different languages. In this way, the Western countries are attempting to fragment the cultures of the Middle East by bringing nations that have been communicating with each other in Arabic for more than a thousand years into disunity. Now in the streets of many of the cities in the Middle East you can see shops with English names spelled in Arabic letters, or Arabic words written in Latin letters. In terms of the dominant language in the Middle East, Professor Alkordy argues that the powerful countries of the world “are attacking Arabic.” The Egyptians have been able to maintain a strong national awareness, and up to now have been able to escape many of the negative affects of globalization. However, the neighboring countries around Egypt are being deeply influenced by globalization, and Egypt is becoming more and more isolated. In order to avoid the corrupting impact of globalization on the Egyptian culture, the major media in Egypt, such as the newspapers and the television stations, have been appealing to the people “to mind the allure of globalization.”

Cultural Dialogue to Avoid Conflict

In defense against the invasion of the Western form of globalization, Professor Alkordy proposes three measures that he believes will undermine the world pres- sure towards cultural hegemony. First of all, he maintains that the self-serving attitude of powerful countries towards globalization should be changed. The unity of the world can only be achieved through cooperation, dialogue and respect, or more specifically, through the open and honest acceptance of the cultures of all countries. The practice of using globalization as a way to annex the weak countries, distort their cultural identities, and suppress their languages must come to an end. Second, every country should maintain and develop its national language, and, in order to safeguard this language against outside interference, it should ensure that the national language is the language of instruction at every level of education. Third, the government of every country should encourage national language study in order to make the language more relevant and more suited to the communication needs of the era of information.

In conclusion, Professor Alkordy reiterated that all attempts to use globalization to interfere with other countries’ national languages and cultural structure should cease immediately, but those positive aspects of globalization that do not com- promise other nation’s languages should be welcomed. Language Identity and Language Change in Collision and Dialogue Between Civilizations

Hu Zhuanglin, Professor of English, Department English, Peking University

Hu Zhuanglin: The Life of Language Lies in Communication

Interviewer: Guo Biao At Beijing Forum’s Panel Session on the theme of Language Identity and Lan- guage Change in Collision, and Dialogue between Civilizations held on No- vember 2nd, 2007, Professor Hu Zhuanglin from the English Department of Pe- king University delivered a paper entitled From Literacy to Literacies. Follow- ing the presentation, our journalist was able to arrange an exclusive interview with Professor Hu Zhuanglin.

Journalist: In your speech entitled “From Literacy to Literacies,” you men- tioned eight cultural proficiencies that you think people today should possess, such as the ability to operate a computer, the ability to speak a foreign language, and the ability to communicate effectively with others. Do you think that this wide-ranging aspiration, with such colorful objectives, could be realized given the current conditions in China?

Hu Zhuanglin: At present, the possibility of acquiring the eight cultural skills I mentioned in my speech is not the most pressing issue. We must concern our- selves with the necessity of developing these skills, and the urgency of bringing this type of education into practice. In modern society, one’s future standard of living depends upon one’s current developmental potential, and everyone should have the objective of realizing his or her comprehensive development. Generally speaking, if our society or the relevant agencies of government are unable to offer the individual the means to such a comprehensive education, this lack of opportunity for complete personal growth will constitute a kind of social inequality, an imperceptible shortcoming that could undermine the nation’s so- cial harmony. Therefore, our country must nurture this goal of a comprehensive education in the “literacies”.

Journalist: At present, several hundred million Chinese are learning English. However, some people are convinced that it is not necessary for China to have a national campaign to promote the acquisition of English. For example, the English language skills of the Japanese people are comparatively inferior to the people of some African countries, but Japan is far more developed than these Africa nations.

Hu Zhuanglin: Japan is a special case, and besides we cannot truthfully say that Japan is unaware of the importance of the role of foreign languages in the realm of international communication. Indeed, Japan boasts a large team of translators, whose duty it is to introduce the most advanced foreign technology and the most up-to-date foreign practices into Japan, and the Japanese government sets aside a large budget to fund this activity. The case of China is different from that of Japan. China’s economy has experienced the fastest development of any economy in the world over the past two decades, and this development is di- rectly attributable to its opening up and to its integration into the world commu- nity of nations. As tools of communication, foreign languages are of great im- portance to the development of those individuals who want to participate in the world community, but the government cannot force people to learn English if they don’t want to. The demands of Chinese society are the reason why so many of China’s young people are voluntarily learning English, and irrelevant com- parisons of countries in terms of their language competence, or allusions to government policies on language acquisition do not help to clarify the issue of China’s need for people who are fluent in foreign languages. Language Identity and Language Change in Collision and Dialogue Between Civilizations

Journalist: With the growth in the number of English learners in China, more and more foreign words are entering the Chinese vocabulary, such as fans, nylon, sofa, salon. Do you think these borrowed words are an invasion or an enrichment of the Chinese language?

Hu Zhuanglin: Personally, I prefer the latter way of thinking about vocabulary acquisition because a language is a living, dynamic system of communication, and its growth through borrowed vocabulary virtually always follows the daily common practice. Therefore, as long as borrowed words are accepted by the public, they will survive. Language is in the process of continuous development, and the absorption of loan words is inevitable.

Journalist: Although foreign languages contribute many new words to the Chi- nese vocabulary, many of these words only exist in the spoken language, such as fan. Do you think that these words will some day enter the written language and be integrated into the literature?

Hu Zhuanglin: As I said just now, the life and the health of a language depends upon its degree of acceptance by the public, and the same is true of the words that constitute that language. As long as these words are widely accepted, they will inevitably be absorbed into the vocabulary and will find their way into the literature. This process is not something that is destructive. Many expressions that are used in Buddhism have survived in Chinese culture, and a good many specialized Buddhist terms have become an important component of the Chi- nese language. Similarly, English loan words will be subject to the test of time and popular favor to determine whether or not they will survive in the Chinese language. This selection process is one that is determined by the masses and it cannot be manipulated by the will of one or more individuals.

Journalist: While China has witnessed a massive influx of foreign languages, the spread of interest in learning the Chinese language has also made great gains abroad. By the end of July, 2007, China will have started the construc- tion of more than 170 Confucius Institutes or societies in more than 50 coun- tries around the world. The number of Chinese learners is increasing rapidly worldwide. What is your opinion of the current condition of overseas Chinese language instruction?

Hu Zhuanglin: Several years ago we had absolutely no idea that today the desire to learn the Chinese language would be so widespread outside of China, and we have made insufficient preparation for the training of enough Chinese language teachers. Therefore, while we are rejoicing over the great popularity of the Chi- nese language abroad, we must turn our attention to the challenges that accom- pany this global trend.

Journalist: Do you think that those teachers who are preparing themselves for overseas Chinese-language instruction should strengthen their understanding of Chinese culture so that they can better disseminate our extraordinarily pro- found and rich Chinese cultural heritage?

Hu Zhuanglin: Cultural promotion is a good recommendation because it will help to increase the interest of foreign students in China and Chinese culture. However, at present we had better respect the will of our Chinese staff abroad who are busy with their Chinese language instruction and recognize that it is not necessary for the government to make cultural expertise a compulsory require- ment of their employment. I believe that in time a comprehensive understanding of Chinese culture will become an important goal of those who are training to teach abroad, and that this knowledge will increase along with the improvement in the quality of overseas Chinese language instruction.

Journalist: Today, English is a dominant language in international communication, and it has grown to become almost the “universal language” of the world. With the rising competition from other countries, do you think that there will be another language that will challenge the status of English as the “universal language,” and perhaps surpass it?

Hu Zhuanglin: The status of a language in the world is closely related to the economic and political strength of the country of its derivation. For example, as Language Identity and Language Change in Collision and Dialogue Between Civilizations

China has developed into an important nation in the world, the Chinese language has become more and more popular overseas. However, the Chinese language will probably not replace English as the “universal language” because the En- glish language, with its early and wide-ranging influence, has already penetrated into virtually every aspect of international life. The Chinese language can hardly match the historical advantage of English. However, it is clear that the Chinese language will become very important in certain fields, and I believe that as China continues to rise on the world scene, the Chinese language will become increas- ingly popular and influential overseas.

Theraphan Luangthongkum, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

Theraphan Luangthongkum: The Pursuit of Continuous Improvement

Interviewer: Lu Yingyu

Professor Theraphan Luangthongkum is the Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Chulalongkorn University, and is one of the most distinguished linguists in Thailand. In 2002, she was honored as a Distinguished Researcher of Thailand (in the Humanities). With an extensive and deep understanding of South-East Asian languages, Professor Theraphan Luangthongkum has conducted empiri- cal research on maintaining language diversity and on the role of language in safeguarding national unity. Her research on minority languages in Thailand, and in the countries neighboring Thailand, has opened up new areas for studying Thailand’s national culture.

The Excellent Organizational Work of Beijing Forum

The theme of the Panel Session at Beijing Forum that dealt with linguistics was Language Identity and Language Change in Collision, and Dialogue Between Civilizations. However, thanks to the dialogue portion of the session, the colli- sion between civilizations did not lead to any overt conflict between the panel- ists or the members of the audience.

Professor Theraphan offers the languages of Northern Thailand and Southern Laos as examples to illustrate the language variation and change that has re- sulted from language diversity. She argues that linguistic variation and change that are due to linguistic diversity can be accommodated without conflict or negative feelings when they are introduced gradually and naturally through lan- guage contact. She also suggests that language assimilation should be encouraged, and that bilingualism and multilingualism should be both promoted and valued as key factors in policy formulation.

This is Professor Theraphan’s first attendance at Beijing Forum and she says that she is deeply impressed by the excellent work of Beijing Forum’s organizers. In comparing other conferences with Beijing Forum, she praised its outstanding organization and careful planning, mentioning specifically the relevance of the topics selected for discussion and the quality of the scholars invited for participation. Theraphan explained that her experience with Chinese academic forums was not always good, and that last year she had attended a conference held at a Chinese university in which there was almost no provisions made for the non-Chinese-speaking scholars who were in attendance at presentations de- livered entirely in Chinese. She was highly impressed that Beijing Forum pro- vided simultaneous interpretation at the Chinese sessions since the majority of the attendees spoke fluent English. She said that it was a pleasure to discuss issues with scholars from around the world since language difference ceased to Language Identity and Language Change in Collision and Dialogue Between Civilizations

be an obstacle to the exchange of ideas and the communication of thoughts between participants.

More Professionalism is Desired

The scholars of linguistics at the Panel Session on language and civilization were drawn from different research areas of the discipline, and each participant brought her or his latest research findings to share at the forum. However, the expertise of one scholar did not always coincide with the specializations of the rest, and therefore the unique nature of a number of the linguistic studies and the unex- pected interpretations of some of the outcomes were productive of periods of lively discussion and debate, not to mention occasional lapses in communication. Nevertheless, the periodic need for explanation and clarification did not dampen the enthusiasm of the scholars in their discussions.

The paper delivered by Professor Theraphan was entitled Language Change Without Collision: A glimpse at Linguistic Diversity in Northern Thailand and Southern Laos. Since not many participants on this panel were familiar with this area in the field of linguistic study, Professor Theraphan, tried her best to sim- plify her research methods and her research findings, refraining for the most part from using abstract terminology and obscure theories. Theraphan suggested that in the future the forum might want to be more specialized in its focus on schol- arly topics so that its invited guests could engage in more profound discussions and thus gain greater benefit from the conference. Professor Theraphan’s rec- ommendation is an area that Beijing Forum’s planners may wish to consider in their pursuit of continuous improvement.

Fast Growing China and the Lovely Chinese People

Professor Therapan first came to Peking University to attend a Linguistic re- search conference in 1982. She said that she was amazed at the transformation that China had undergone in the past 25 years, emerging from a backward coun- try in which the people were poor and the living conditions meager, into a mod- ern nation with modern transportation. She said that when she visited Beijing and Peking University this time she could not contain her admiration: “The changes in China are so huge. The city is so clean and the environment so good. The development of China is too fast to be true.”

She went on to express her approval: “I like China very much” she confessed, “the Chinese teachers and the Chinese students are lovely. The Chinese people are lovely.” She recalled that she once traveled to Yunnan Province to conduct an on-site study of an ethnic-minority group village, but the trip was unfortu- nately marred by an accident in which she broke her leg. The injury was so severe that she could not walk at all, so the Chinese driver had to carry her on his back down the hill to the hospital in the village. On the way, some warmhearted villagers went to the town to bring the doctor to her, and the county magistrate and many other local leaders came to see about her treatment. “If it were not for their help,” said Professor Therephan, “I can’t image how long it would have taken me to recover.”

The Language Scientist and the Language Specialist are Different

In discussing the difference between learning a foreign language and studying linguistics, Professor Theraphan pointed out that the language specialist and the language scientist are very different animals. The language scientist understands language as a phenomenon for scientific investigation, while the language spe- cialist considers language as a tool for communication. Learning a foreign lan- guage is like studying any other academic subject, she said, it requires hard work, patience, and a great deal of practice in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

As a language scientist, Professor Therapan is devoted to her work. She has made many excursions to Yunnan, Guangxi and Hainan provinces to conduct on-site surveys and has had to undergo various physical hardships and technical difficulties, but she remains committed to her discipline. Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility

Bernard Yeung, Abraham Krasnoff Professor of Global Business at Stern School of Business, and Director of China House, New York University

Bernard Yeung: Problems with Corporate Social Responsibilities are “Growing Pains”

Interviewer: Zhang Shengming At the Panel Session on The Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility, Professor Bernard Yeung from New York University pre- sented a paper entitled China’s Product Safety: Issue and Action that was warmly received by the participants. Since the first half of the year 2007, China’s recur- ring problems with product safety have occasionally gained headlines from the international press, and this concern was the subject of our reporter’s interview with Professor Yeung.

The Concern over the Safety of Chinese Exports is a Blessing in Disguise

Journalist: In your presentation just now you mentioned that the international concern over the safety of Chinese exports is a blessing in disguise. Could you tell us why?

Bernard Yeung: Food safety in China is an issue of great significance because it concerns the sustainable development of the Chinese food export industry. The frequency with which China has had problems with the integrity of her food products has attracted international concern over China’s environment protec- tion practices and her product safety record. China has been criticized by the outside world because her monitoring of the food safety situation has been insufficient, but the Chinese food industry has benefited from this exposure in two ways: first, it has attracted the attention of all concerned. This type of inci- dent that directly involves the public wellbeing draws the interest of the Chinese government, the managers of the food industry, the media and the citizenry, and it has the effect of raising the awareness and the social responsibility of the Chinese food enterprises. Second, it establishes a link between behavior and outcome: when we realize that the actions we perform now will lead to certain outcomes in the future, we have an incentive to improve our behavior. For this reason I believe that the international focus on the safety of China’s food ex- ports is a “blessing in disguise”.

Journalist: In your presentation you also mentioned that oversights on matters of corporate social responsibility, such as inadequate product-safety protection, environmental pollution issues, and inadequate labor standards are all “grow- ing pains” in the economic development of China. In your opinion, what are the causes of these oversights? Which of them are universal, and which ones are unique to China?

Bernard Yeung: Generally speaking, problems with product safety, with envi- ronmental pollution and with poor labor standards are all universal, and a great many countries in the world have experienced these “pains” in the course of their growth.

In the early stages of their development, enterprises can do harm to others un- wittingly and due to their lack of anticipatory information and pre-emptive awareness. However, as these companies acquire more information about safety standards this unintentional harm will decrease. At the moment, our lack of funds and our antiquated technology prevent us from solving all of these safety problems. We must keep in mind, though, that a company’s poor performance in environ- mental protection measures and inadequate safety procedures is not always the Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility

result of the manager’s neglect of the situation, but may come from the company’s insufficient organizational capabilities.

Corporate growing pains can affect three areas of social responsibility. First of all, a company can be unaware of its dangerous operational practices because it lacks the relevant protective information. Second, even when a company is aware of its safety problems it may lack sufficient resources to resolve them. Third, a company may be cognizant of its safety deficiencies and it have the resources to overcome them, but it still may lack the necessary organizational abilities. Only once the pain of these three social responsibilities has been eased can the em- ployees and the management of a company work together to achieve a better record in environment protection and in product safety.

Journalist: What lessons do you think we can learn from developed countries that will help us to solve these kinds of safety problems?

Bernard Yeung: I think we can learn a great deal from the advanced countries of the world. First, we can study the way in which they have responded to their social responsibilities by putting into practice adequate safety procedures, suffi- cient environmental safeguards, and appropriate labor standards, and by learn- ing from them we can take a shortcut and save the money of trial and error. Second, we can study their technology, and where needed replicate it. Third, we can encourage the developed countries to help us solve our problem with prod- uct safety by importing our products.

Journalist: A major divergence of opinion emerged at this panel session con- cerning corporate social responsibility, and whether it should be increased or decreased. In your opinion, what is the ideal or the appropriate level of a corporation’s responsibility to society?

Bernard Yeung: I think that when it comes to corporate social responsibility we cannot impose a single, uniform standard on all companies. The social and eco- nomic strengths and weaknesses of each country must be taken into consider- ation when deciding whether a company should increase or reduce its social responsibilities. China has a great many laws on the books, but the enforcement of such laws is not always an easy matter. Therefore, I think that the first priority must be to improve the government’s ability to regulate and enforce the existing laws, and only then can we turn our attention to the question of whether compa- nies should increase or reduce their responsibilities to society.

Challenges to Corporate Social Responsibilities in the Era of Globalization

Journalist: In your opinion, what challenges will globalization bring to corpo- rate social responsibilities, such as product safety, environmental protection and labor standards?

Bernard Yeung: The effect of globalization and outsourcing on the obligations of corporations to their societies will change as the world changes, and will become increasingly more complicated and more uncertain as time passes. I think that globalization and outsourcing will influence corporations’ awareness of their social responsibilities in the following ways.

First, globalization produces an open-ended resource distribution system that operates around the world. In one scenario, the finished piece of merchandise is produced as a cooperative project. Each part of the final product is first manu- factured and then shipped to the assembly point by a different producer, thus making it much more difficult to identify the source of a safety problem in the finished product. For example, who should be held responsible for the harm to a child who had swallowed a miniature toy train? It would be difficult to mete out the blame fairly.

On the other hand, globalization exerts more pressure on enterprises to be com- petitive and to lower their production costs for short-term benefits, and this in turn leads to their poor performance with respect to their social, responsibilities and this is a problem with short-sighted planning.

In the context of a domestic economy, the cost of solving those problems that Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility

come about as the result of the responsibilities of corporations to society will be borne by the tax revenues from the consumers. However, in the context of globalization, the government of the producers which bear these social expenses could hardly be expected to receive any compensation from the governments of the consumers. This inability to fairly assign the costs of social problems could contribute significantly to the difficulty of identifying the social responsibilities of the individual corporations.

To sum up, the separation of behavior from results in globalization will worsen the problems related to corporate social responsibilities.

Corporate Social Responsibilities in China

Journalist: What is your assessment of the current situation of corporate social responsibility in China? Considering the unique characteristics of China, what measures do you think that China should take to anticipate and to deal with safety problems?

Bernard Yeung: China has a great many problems with product safety, but the Chinese are improving their record all the time. Chinese enterprises produce hundreds of millions of good-quality products, and only about one percent of them turn out to pose a safety risk. However, despite this small percentage of defective goods, the Chinese should not be satisfied with this accomplishment. In quality control but should make every effort to reduce this ratio to zero. To this end, it is of vital importance that the government set up a reasonable stimu- lus system to encourage enterprises to fulfill their social obligations. I believe that a combined effort over a reasonable period of time will lead to the eradica- tion of all these problems.

Journalist: Over the last decade, many well-known multinational enterprises have continued to release reports on their social responsibilities to the outside world. They have even been honest in disclosing their “skeletons in their closets”. What can China learn from this straightforward practice? Bernard Yeung: I think this is exactly what Chinese enterprises should do. Trans- parency in business is very important, not only because figures show that trans- parency reduces capital costs, but also because transparency is the easiest way to win the broad confidence of the consumers. In the short term, transparency may have some negative outcomes, but over the long run this policy will defi- nitely yield abundant rewards.

Jiang Ping, Vice-Chairman of the China Law Society, Professor Emeritus, China University of Political Science and Law

Jiang Ping: More Profound Communication and Cooperation is Required between Economists and Legists

Interviewer: Wan Zhao On November 2nd, 2007 the Grand Opening of the fourth Beijing Forum was held in The Great Hall of the People. Mr. Jiang Ping, Vice-Chairman of the China Law Society and Professor Emeritus of China University of Political Sci- ence and Law, was invited to the meeting room to act as the commentator for the keynote speakers of the Panel Session. During a break in the meeting, Pro- fessor Jiang agreed to be interviewed by the Peking University Gazette.

Journalist: What do you think we can learn from each of the speeches made by the four keynote speakers today?

Jiang Ping: The four professors who delivered the keynote speeches just now Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility

impressed me most with their discussions of three relationships that we usually are unable to handle properly, but which we must learn to deal with in a sincere and proper way. The first of these relationships is the one between law and the economy, the second between the private interests of enterprises and their social responsibility, and the third and final one is the relationship between the strate- gic concept of China-based development and the globally based development of Chinese enterprises.

Of the four speakers we just heard from, two are professors who teach at the business school, and the other two are professors at the school of law. Ordinarily, professors from business schools think more of global competition and the eco- nomic benefits that can accrue to individuals and society from successful enterprises, both of which are issues of great concern to world economists. Pro- fessors from schools of law generally think more about social order and social harmony. The exceptional nature of this meeting today, and its special promise for all of us lies in the fact that legists and economists sat down side by side to discuss the development of Chinese enterprises. When legists make laws, they should first take the economic growth and the efficiency of society into consideration. I firmly believe that we need to encourage more dialogue be- tween economists and legists on the subject of the lawmaking mechanisms in China, especially with respect to business law, so that economist and legists can combine their efforts in studying the growth of Chinese business enterprises.

With respect to the second relationship, the one between the private interests of businesses and their public responsibility, it goes without saying that these enter- prises are chiefly interested in making profits and in promoting their own interests. However, all business enterprises must concern themselves with a multitude of fundamental relationships that they must handle properly if they are to succeed, and these include dealings with employees, with consumers, with debtors and with other related parties. In the past we have more often than not separated business responsibilities from business interests, when it would be more con- structive to treat business interests and business responsibilities as equal parts of an organic unity. Finally, with respect to the third relationship, the one that contrasts the China- centered development of business with the globally-based growth of Chinese enterprises, we must acknowledge that China has become globalized economically, and that it is now legally integrated with the rest of the world. Nevertheless, the global profile of Chinese business is comparatively small, and many people still think that only large enterprises or multinational companies should enjoy global notoriety. Many people wonder why small enterprises would bother to seek global prominence because they believe that small operations do not worry about having a global plan of development, but in fact a global out- look is important to global success.

Journalist: Of the speeches at the Beijing Forum this year, what viewpoints are comparatively more interesting to you?

Jiang Ping: Different participants may have different preferences, but Professor Yip has undertaken a very interesting study which he has supported with a large amount of relevant data. Professor Yip’s report concerns not only the subject of business management, but also the status of employees of businesses in different countries and their role in sustaining business efficiency, a study that is both realistic and practical. Since Professor Wu Jinglian and I have worked together in setting up a research center that deals with Chinese law and the Chinese economy, I am especially interested in empirical studies presented by professors from business schools. For example, both the United States and China employ a similar management system in which the board is run by an independent directorship. However, what are the differences between these management models since this system works well in the U.S. but does not work at all in China? What effects, if any, are produced when this management system involv- ing a board of independent directors is adopted? Furthermore, in the U.S. there is no board of supervisors, but in China there is. This type of comparative study between different countries can be very instructive.

Journalist: Business management and law are by nature very different subjects. What do you think brings scholars of these two different subjects to sit side by side on the same panel? Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility

Jiang Ping: I have always thought that the connection between business law and business economics is not understood at all, and it is frequently ignored in the drafting of Company Law. Seldom are the opinions of companies welcomed in these discussions, and their business managers usually disregard the applicable laws. I teach EMBA courses at several universities where business law is always included as one of the key courses. However, I think that more efforts are needed in this respect, that is, in providing managers of companies with legal knowledge and with legal training, while legists should be encouraged to make laws that meet the economist’s objectives of management and efficiency. This meeting of minds is essential because the laws should also abide by economic rules. If a law fails to take into consideration the management efficiency of a business, it is not an effective law.

Journalist: What is your advise for young people who are engaging in the study of the law?

Jiang Ping: To satisfy future needs, Chinese educators are encouraging the inte- gration of the materials from different subjects, and the development of interdis- ciplinary courses. Currently, society has more than enough specialists who have been trained in a single subject. Now, the fast pace of social change is demand- ing inter-disciplinary knowledge and skills, and since the economic development of China depends heavily upon economics and law, the study of these two sub- jects should be brought together. Generally speaking, economics stands for effi- ciency and law stands for order and rules. However, these two seemingly in- compatible approaches to social order should be reconciled. Sometimes the imple- mentation of rules and order limits the role of efficiency, but if it is well handled, efficiency can be established on a more orderly basis. It has been said that the economists help to make the cake bigger while legists help to divide the cake properly. This is not always the case. We are better off if we say that the fairness of distribution should also be the concern of the economist, while the legist should also consider the efficiency of the distribution. As it rests now, legists usually choose to ignore efficiency because of their predilection for justice and order, and this is why Chinese society is desperately in need of talents that are capable of taking in the broader perspective. Kaneko Yuka, Professor of International Cooperation, Kobe University

Kaneko Yuka: The Short-sighted Eye, the Biggest Problem with Chinese Companies Interviewer: Wan Muchun Question: What is your impression of Beijing Forum?

Answer: Well, I’m delighted by the huge scope of the forum. It involves profes- sors from a great many countries, and I honestly didn’t expect such a big confer- ence here. I sincerely hope that Peking University can continue to host this ex- cellent forum in the future. I am, however, a bit disappointed about the limited time allotted for the participants speeches. The sessions allowed the speakers no more than twenty minutes for their presentations, and that is a bit too short, so we were unable to go into a deeper discussion on our chosen subjects. In any case, this was a very valuable opportunity for me, and I suppose for many other foreign professors who know what is going on in China and who are aware of China’s global interests.

Question: Before the Panel Sessions we talked about the economic conditions that have brought about the development of Asia, but now that Asia accepted its role in globalization, what impact do you think that this will have on China and Japan?

Answer: First of all, I think it provides an opportunity for us to attend Beijing Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility

Forum where we can join with professors from China to discuss these issues. Beijing Forum offers a chance for a renewed cooperation between China and Japan. Several years ago, the Chinese were profoundly concerned with Japanese issues, but lately their interests have diversified, and have shifted more to the United States and to a number of European countries. However, I believe that China and Japan should attempt to pursue a more cooperative relationship in every field, especially in the areas that relate to the economy and to education. And Beijing Forum is the ideal opportunity for Japanese professors to maintain contact with their Chinese counterparts to exchange their respective views on these issues.

Question: Can you give a brief introduction to the area of your study?

Answer: I am especially interested in economics and the law. I understand that China and Japan have their own economic and social backgrounds, and that in a great many areas their societies are incompatible with western culture. However, what we need to do is not to simply copy the west, but to find the most suitable model that will correspond with our economic realities. I think we should learn more about our respective economies and then find the right models to promote them.

Question: Comparing similar companies in Japan and China, what do you think distinguishes the Chinese companies from their Japanese counterparts?

Answer: I am doing surveys on a number of companies in Japan and comparing them with their Chinese counterparts, and one of these big differences that I have discovered is that the Chinese companies tend to be more independent in their daily transactions. The Chinese companies that I have studied are more interested in quick and independent transactions than in establishing long-term relationships with other companies. The Japanese companies seek long-term relationships that are based on product systems, or on other systems that tend to stabilize productivity, and therefore they attract long-term business friends who are interested in investing with a far-sighted eye. Because this far-sighted busi- ness model is more of an investment in the future than in the present, it may be something that companies in China might want to consider by way of improvement.

Question: What do you think is the biggest problem that Chinese companies are having to face at the present moment?

Answer: The biggest problem that Chinese companies are facing is that they have a short-sighted eye on business, and therefore they think only of short-term profits. But a company should be a long-term venture, and therefore the maxi- mization of short-term profits is not the only concern that a company should have. So, I think that Chinese business people should learn to look at the larger picture and learn to invest in the future.

Question: So, do you think that Chinese companies need to experience some sort of revelation?

Answer: Yes, I now understand that Chinese corporate law is improving, and this means an improvement in Chinese companies’ business activities. An issue that is becoming increasingly popular in business circles is the responsibility that companies have to society, and this is an important problem that they will have to be prepared to tackle. A better knowledge of corporate law will help these companies understand their responsibilities to the communities they service. Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility

William Blair, High Court Judge, Queen’s Bench Division, U. K.

William Blair: Social Responsibilities Should Benefit All Those Involved

Interviewer: Zhang Shengming At the Beijing Forum session held on November 2nd and 3rd, Professor William Blair, the former Queen’s Counsel in Great Britain, delivered a paper entitled The Social Responsibility of Financial Institutions: The Development of Inter- national Rules on Money Laundry and Financing Terrorism. During the lunch break, Professor Blair agreed to be interviewed by Zhang Shengming, a corre- spondent from Peking University News.

Journalist: One of the topics under debate at this session of the Forum is whether the responsibilities that corporations owe to society should be established un- der law or should be left to informal regulation or to the company’s moral conscience, Also, should corporations be subject to more or less social responsibilities? What is your opinion on these topics and how do you think China should respond?

William Blair: Convention holds that corporations aim at maximizing their prof- its for their shareholders, and there is nothing wrong with that. But if these corporations focus only on short-term returns they might end up with little long- term profits. So corporations should assume their due social responsibilities, be it for the sake of their own interests or for the sake of public’s interests. The best way to make corporations assume their due social responsibilities is to make them realize that by so doing they can achieve commercial success.

I think corporations should take on more social responsibilities, including Chi- nese companies. In fact, China’s new corporation law supports this position.

Journalist: Who are the major players in China who are addressing the issue of corporate social responsibility? And what are the roles of each link in this process?

William Blair: I think many institutions should get involved in addressing the issue of corporate responsibilities. Corporations, share-holders, consumers and the different levels of government should all play their due roles. In other words, all the stake holders should get involved because corporation in modern society, especially against the backdrop of globalization, should no longer seek only their own profits, but should assume some social responsibilities that will benefit the whole of society. Relative institutions should also get involved in addressing the issue of corporate social responsibilities.

Journalist: How has globalization influenced the legislation of corporate so- cial responsibilities?

William Blair: That is a very interesting question. Because globalization has played a very important role in corporation growth and development around the world, every country is involved in the expansion of globalization. For example, com- merce and finance, among other aspects of trade, are heading towards globalization. Therefore, the impact of globalization must be considered in the legislation of all corporations’ social obligations. Many scholars have raised questions concerning the impact of globalization on corporations’ social responsibilities, and how multinationals in a globalized world should assume their social obligations in the foreign countries in which they operate. I think that informed discussions on these topics are very necessary. Global Strategy of Enterprises and Corporate Social Responsibility

Journalist: In the era of globalization, how can corporations properly assume their social responsibilities, and at the same time, avoid the collateral damage caused by those companies who refuse to acknowledge their social obligations?

William Blair: Today’s international business environment is very competitive, and it has put an enormous amount of pressure on corporations to increase their profits. As a result, it is inevitable that some corporations will be short-sighted and to fail to properly shoulder their social responsibilities. We should work hard to generate an environment which can benefit both the society and corporations. When a corporation fulfills its obligations to society it benefits the whole of society.

Journalist: What is your comment on the way in which Chinese companies are shouldering their social responsibilities, and is there a particular direction in which China should go in the future?

William Blair: Fifteen years ago, I visited the Great Hall of the People for the first time. Since then, I have witnessed China’s enormous economic achievement; I have witnessed China’s social and economic miracle.

I believe that China is progressing with the same speed and enthusiasm in its determination to take care of corporate social responsibilities. Indeed, I have compared the provisions in China’s new corporation law with the amendments to Britain’s corporation law, and I applaud China’s magnificent efforts. David Legge, Associate Professor in the School of Public Health, La Trobe University

David Legge: China Should Move Step-by-step in its Efforts to Reform its Health Care System

Interviewers: Lin Wei & Ding Maoyu Beijing Forum was delighted that David Legge was able to travel from La Trobe University in Melbourne Australia to Beijing in order share his considerable knowledge on public health care systems with the participants at the 2007 session. A professor in the School of Public Health at La Trobe University, David Legge expanded upon his extensive research on the transition of the Chinese public healthcare system. In a break after four rounds of discussion, Professor Legge readily agreed to be interviewed by Lin Wei & Ding Maoyu of Peking University News.

Journalist: Would you please explain to us why you have chosen “medical insurance and hospital efficiency” as examples to illustrate your viewpoint on the policy impasse in the China health care system?

David Legge: Because medical funding and hospital inefficiency are the greatest challenges facing China’s health care system today. There is an enormous gap between the financial institutions who provide the funds for health care and the health institutions who are responsible for the medical care of the patients. The former institution is charged with making sure that the funds for health care are Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

used efficiently, while the latter institution is consistently unable to find an effec- tive way to regulate its finances. I think this lack of coordination is the largest problem contributing to the impasse in the operation of the Chinese public health system. Therefore, I have selected this one issue to illustrate my viewpoint.

Journalist: Where do you think China has done its best in the area public health during this transitional phase?

David Legge: China has done a very good job in medical technology research and in the establishment of grass-root medial care systems. China boasts one of the most advanced medical service complexes in the world, and China is also leading other countries in its advances in medical science and technology. However, there is a clear inconsistency between high medical costs in China and the quality and universal availability of health care.

The Chinese government encourages the combination and coordination of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, a very good policy in principle. The two approaches to medical care are so different that the combination of the two of them will definitely lead to progress in both.

Journalist: China’s health care system is so different from those that have evolved in other countries around the world, how is China going to be able to discover a suitable path of development for itself ?

David Legge: Different countries have different health circumstances, and each will have to find its own unique path of development. There is no easy way to reach universal health care that can be followed by all countries. China is now in the process of transition, and during this time it is facing serious problems with the difference in the quality of health care that is available to those living in rural areas as opposed to those living in urban areas, or to the rich as opposed to the poor. However, as China’s health care system continues to develop, these issues will gradually disappear. I often tell my Chinese students that they should study the history of the evolution of the medical care systems in different countries, such as Britain, Germany, France and India, in order to learn the different prin- ciples and strategies employed by each.

Journalist: China’s transitional period is one of the reasons why it is experienc- ing an impasse in its health care policy. Could you please explain how Germany was able to ride out its transition in health services after World War II and the United States after the Great Depression, and then offer China some sugges- tions on how it might best cope with its own transitional period?

David Legge: This is a good question. My overall impression of China’s current health care dilemma is that the country is facing a bigger challenge than both conquered Germany after the Second World War and the United States after the Great Depression.

The key to understanding the scope of the problem under the current Chinese system of health care reform is that there was no sound system of health care under the planned economy and that a new system of health care under a market driven economy has only been proposed. After a series of reforms to state-owned enterprises, they have been released from the responsibility of having to pay for public services, like education, but at the same time China still has no existing public health care system.

Also, the United States that emerged after the Great Depression was very differ- ent than China is now. For one thing, the United States inherited an established public health system. The new unified Germany that recently materialized after the reunion of East and West Germany serves as another good example, although the current population of Germany is far less than that of China. Another differ- ence between China and the unified Germany that makes a comparison of their health care transformations difficult is that the latter received strong support from outside friendly nations, while the reform that China is undergoing must be completed from within.

The Chinese legal system that governs the fiscal interrelationship between grass- Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

root, middle level and top level governments is of great importance to an emerging market economy system, but it is especially vital to a nascent health care system that needs financing from all government revenues, such a taxation.

Journalist: Would you please describe for us the prospect you envisage for a Chinese operated and funded public health system, and then tell us your under- standing of the step-by-step process that would lead to its realization.

David Legge: China’s vast and complicated medical health care system is in a state of uncertainty and disorder, and the only way to bring about the necessary reforms that will rescue this giant complex is to reduce it to its bare fundamen- tals and then proceed forward step-by-step. As the health care policy under the former complicated system will become increasingly cumbersome and unpredictable, the new long-term policy will need to be flexible so that it can be modified to accommodate new situations that will crop up from time to time.

However, the stability of different levels, departments and issues will have to be considered under the step-by-step approach to the reform of the Chinese health care system. The key to the reform of the system will lie in how to integrate all the different demands at each stage of the process with a certain degree of consistency, rather than to give in to the special needs of certain interest groups. The stable health care system that we are pursuing today is exactly what differ- ent people with different perspectives on health care are seeking, and this revi- talized system will make Chinese society more equitable and efficient for all of its citizens.

Therefore, I believe that in the coming twenty to thirty years, the public health care system in China will develop a clearer overall design. Hu Yukun, Associate Professor in the Institute of Population Research, Peking University

Hu Yukun: Structural Challenges in the Health Care of Rural Chinese Women

Interviewers: Ding Maoyu and Lin Wei As a panelist at the session on The Diversity of Population Development and Health Security addressing the theme of “The Health of Vulnerable Groups”, Dr. Hu Yukun delivered a paper entitled The Health of Chinese Rural Women in the Age of Globalization: The Burden of Diseases, Structural Challenges, and Future Choices.

Taking forty minutes out of her busy schedule, Dr. Hu Yukun agreed to our interview. During our conversation, Dr. Hu recounted some stories about a number of considerate but unhappy women who live in the rural areas of China, and she introduced us to her research topic that focused on the living conditions and the health issues facing rural Chinese women during the period of social transformation and globalization.

Rural Women: China’s Most Vulnerable Group

Towards the end of the 1990s, Hu Yukun was completing her doctorate in the United States by defending her PhD thesis on the effects of half a century of environmental change on an Inner Mongolian village. Continuing her interest in Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

the rural areas of China, Dr. Hu shifted the focus of her research to women’s health issues, especially those that concerned women’s reproductive health.

Dr. Hu admits to having been deeply moved in the closing years of the twentieth century by the miserable lives that many women in rural China have to endure from day to day. In the past two years, she has compiled a great deal of informa- tion on the causes of their unrelieved suffering, and has focused her research on their general health and physical wellbeing.

Dr. Hu was particularly intrigued by a survey she involved on the suffering and the daily struggles of Chinese women in the rural areas of Yunnan province. According to the study, they are constrained by their traditional cultures and lack basic human rights, they are illiterate and are afraid of going into the cities, and they suffer from extreme poverty and mental exhaustion. In Yunnan province, the living conditions and the health issues endured daily by these rural Chinese women is in urgent need of redress.

Over the past few decades, concerted efforts at social development and health intervention have brought some relief to these rural women. However, as China enters the world community and moves with other nations towards globaliza- tion and marketization, the shifting power base and the assurances of the coun- try has made great impact on vulnerable groups, including rural women. Ironically, the Chinese government’s promise in 1970s that “everyone will have health care by 2000” has not materialized, and this is especially the case with rural women, especially those who are poor.

“Small Illnesses can Develop into Serious Ones”: The Precarious Health of Rural Women is Worrisome

Some studies claim to show that the morbidity among women living in rural areas of China is lower than that among women living in urban areas. Dr. Hu’s explanation for this anomaly is that the morbidity published in the report is not based on the total number of sick women in rural areas as opposed to the urban areas, but only upon the number of sick women who sought help from doctors. The disparity in the morbidity among women living in rural areas of China and those living in urban areas is clear if we note that the incidence of short-term, two-week illnesses and the incidence of chronic illnesses are much higher in urban areas. When the healthcare demand and the provision of health care are not balanced, the ability to see a medical doctor will depend largely upon affordability, not upon the healthcare demand. Urban workers can take advan- tage of different kinds of social healthcare insurance, but for most of rural people, health insurance is not an economic option. Many rural people cannot afford to see a doctor, and this is particularly the case with rural women whose economic and social status is so low.

Without proper medical attention, small illnesses can develop into serious ones, and the result is that some poor people can eventually lose their ability to work, and some can even lose their lives.

Working as an expert on social gender for the China-United Kingdom project on water supply and sanitation, Dr. Hu visited Yunnan and Sichuan provinces to conduct field research. Afterwards, she said, “When we were working on the research report, some of the members shed tears.”

In a Yi village in Yunnan province, the female population became the major source of labor in the fields when most of the men migrated to the large cities to find employment. When one of suspension bridges in the area was washed away by floods, the women workers had to wade across the river in order to get to the fields on other side. Eventually, most of them developed problems with arthritis and rheumatism, but because of their lack finances and an inadequate transpor- tation system, their only remedy was to inject doses of penicillin to kill their pain. When someone asked what they really needed to ease their pain, they blurted out, “A bridge!”

Constrained by the dictates of their traditional cultures, and ignorant of safe child-bearing and child-rearing practices, many Chinese women living in rural areas are unable to take proper care of themselves and their offspring, and so there is a high incidence of maternal mortality. In addition, many women who Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

are made desperate by the misery of the countryside and seek relief and comfort in the cities, find only the twin specters of discrimination and neglect. In order to survive, some of them descend into prostitution and become the victims of HIV or AIDS. After the Cultural Revolution, China’s moral standards began to decline, and some young people in the rural areas refused or were unable to care for the elderly, which resulted in great hardship and suffering for a great many elderly women. All of these unpleasant examples of female disenfranchisement demon- strate that poor women living in rural areas in China have almost no resources and very little assistance in preserving their health and in prolonging their lives.

Globalization: Structural Challenges to the Health of Rural Women

Gender inequality in China and the gap between the services that are available to the people living in the urban and the rural areas contribute significantly to the multitude of problems that confront China’s rural women. These two areas of disparity underlie a huge number of interrelated factors affecting the health of rural women, so the implementation of a few policies simply cannot rectify the problem.

Against the backdrop of globalization, China has to begin on its own path to social reform, and in the initial stages it is inevitable that there will be many problems with staying the course. However, these challenges are much greater for China’s large population of rural women. For example, because of healthcare reform, many city dwellers can now afford health insurances, but this not true for rural women. In order to resolve this problem of the inequities in health services and health care, particularly faced by rural women, we must address the root causes and initiate changes at the institutional and structural levels. Fortunately, the Chinese government has realized the urgency of these health care issues and is introducing remedial legislation.

In the early stages of the implementation of the Chinese government’s family planning policy, Dr. Hu said that some rural areas leaned towards population control, which negatively affected women’s health since they shouldered the major responsibility for family planning. For example, it was the women who had to suffer when the family sought birth control through sterilization or the use of intrauterine devices. However, after International Conference on Popula- tion Development, the Chinese government’s focus on family planning changed from birth control to a policy that favored people-centered development, and therefore the government attempted to control population growth by effecting a balance between social, economic, resource, and environmental demands. To this end, the Chinese government has launched a great many quality service projects.

Building a Harmonious Society: Bringing Health Care to China’s Rural Women

Rural women are an integral part of the Chinese population, and therefore a harmonious society must be one that respects their health and their civil rights. China must seek to eradicate the political and economic injustices that privilege the urban population if it is to break the vicious cycle of poverty, inequality and disease, and so bring hope to rural women.

Dr. Hu also praised the Chinese government’s determination to set up a mini- mum living-allowance plan that would bring needed relief to the most vulnerable part of the country’s population, the rural poor. She concluded the interview by saying that the Chinese government is taking its lead from other successful coun- tries who are attempting to eliminate extreme economic disparity between their peoples, to guarantee equal rights for all of their citizens, and to ensure that every man, woman, and child can reap the benefits of the nation’s growth and prosperity. Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

John Cleland, President of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population

John Cleland: Because This Is an Important Job

Interviewer: Li Xiaoyan On the afternoon of November 4th, 2007 the last meeting of the Panel Session on The Diversity of Population Development and Health Security was held in Room 203 of the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University. Professor John Cleland chaired the meeting and delivered his paper entitled The Diversity of Fertility Levels and their Implications for the Future.

Professor Cleland pointed out in his speech that the level of human fertility is more varied by country and region today than at any other time in history. In some African countries, the women still undergo on average seven births during their lifetimes, while in some European countries the fertility level is at the other extreme of not more than one birth per woman. These extremely high and low birth-rate averages provide a sharp contrast and reveal the great disparity in human fertility levels around the world. Professor Cleland pointed out that over the last forty years the birthrate in comparatively poor countries, such as those in Asia and Latin America, has suffered a dramatic decline, while the birthrate in Middle East and Africa countries has remained relatively high, although in the long run it has declined too. In certain parts of the world, the current situation, he concluded, is very grave. For example, in African areas to the south of the Sahara, every woman on average will bear five children. Although recently there has been a sharp decrease in the birth rate in some of these countries, this decline can be attributed for the most part to the spread of AIDS, making the population problem even more complicated and difficult. Furthermore, high birth-rate lev- els lead to food shortages, rendering Africa more dependent on assistance from outside.

Professor Cleland observed that “unless the situation in Africa improves, 20% of the world’s population will be reduced to poverty.” When talking about the solution to this problem, Professor Cleland remarked that population migration is not an effective way to deal with overpopulation, and its likelihood of attract- ing international aid and monetary relief is also doubtful. According to Dr. Cleland, the only way to succeed in combating overpopulation is to lower the high birth rate level in the affected countries, and this is only possible if the populations’ demand for contraception and birth control is satisfied. He also pointed out that China has played a tremendously positive part by being a role model for the rest of the world. At one period in its history, China ignored the threat of overpopulation, but fortunately the Chinese government realized the growing severity of the situation and decisively adopted the family planning policy, thus effectively controlling the growth of its population. Professor Cleland mentioned that China’s timely solution to its threat of overpopulation should provide a good lesson for Africa.

When talking about the low birth rate in Europe, Professor Cleland commented that the redistribution of populations could not be taken as a final solution, be- cause in order for Europe to maintain its current population level, it needs an annual influx of 1.8 million people. In the future, Cleland pointed out, Europe would require 3 million a year, and this number would continue to increase down the road. However, Europe has a limit to its capacity. This contradiction between population migration and capacity worries many European governments. When asked by the interviewer how Europe could solve this anomalous situation, Professor Cleland offered the relatively optimistic reply that each country in Europe would need to adopted measures particular to its own situation, and in adopting such measures some countries have produced certain positive effects already. Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

The problem of fertility level diversity around the world is a difficult one, but what leads to this problem? Asked this question after the panel session, Profes- sor Cleland replied that the diversity of fertility levels in different countries is caused by many factors that are cultural, educational, economic, geographical, and many depend upon the will of the people. For example, some women’s lifestyle is not conducive to having children because they like to work, to travel, and to enjoy themselves, and therefore they do not want to give birth to children. There are different explanations for the diversity of fertility levels in different countries around the world because it is a complicated problem and there are a great many factors behind it.

At the end of the session, Professor Cleland was asked why he was interested in conducting research in the field of world population growth, and he replied that “This is an important job.” This terse reply might be enough to make us reflect on the various and complex problems that face our society, our planet, and the fate of humankind as a whole. Yao Yuan, The Deputy Director of the Population Develop- ment Studies Center, Renmin University of China

Yao Yuan: The Participation of Old People in the Olympics is a Cultural Phenomenon of a Harmonious Society

Interviewers: Lin Wei & Ding Maoyu During the Beijing Forum of 2007, a panel of noted scholars was convened to discuss the theme of The Diversity of Population Development and Health Security. Among the experts present at the Panel Session, Professor Yao Yuan presented a paper that examined a number of issues related to the aging popula- tion in Chinese society and population control, and then afterwards agreed to be interviewed by our reporters, Lin Wei and Ding Maoyu.

As a country with a historically large population, China has needed to turn its attention to the issue of population control. The Chinese government’s stated determination “to build a harmonious society” is a policy that has garnered great attention and concern, both here in China and abroad. For this reason, we de- cided that our interview with Professor Yao Yuan should begin by asking him to talk about this topic.

Journalist: China is the most populous country in the world. What do you think are the future implications of helping senior citizens to play their role in society, and of involving them in the process of building a harmonious society? Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

Yao Yuan: The ongoing role of senior citizens in Chinese society has enormous implications for the country as a whole because the ageing of the overall popu- lation leads to the growth in the number of old people. As the ratio of the elderly increases with respect to the entire population, this group will call for the expen- diture of a relatively larger amount of the country’s social resources for old-age support. The reality of the situation is that the distribution of the country’s social resources is like the sharing of a cake. The increasing demand of resources for the maintenance of old people will decrease the share for the middle-aged popu- lation and for the young. This will inevitably lead to conflicts between the differ- ent generations. Early this year, an internet article entitled “23 Strict Rules for the Elderly by the Young” in which the producers vividly described the increas- ing conflicts that were arising between different generations because of the ag- ing population.

However, an area of latitude in the implementation of government policy still affords us plenty of room to resolve the conflicts between the different generations. Nevertheless, it is only after the problems involved with maintaining an aging population are resolved, and only after the old people are made psychologically healthy that they can take their rightful place in society with respect to the other generations. Only then can the government seek, and society enjoy genuine harmony.

Journalist: Both in your abstract and in the delivery of your paper, you re- ferred to some ancient Chinese anecdotes that dealt with the respect for the elderly in Chinese society. So, from the perspective of globalization, what do you think that the Olympic spirit and ancient Chinese philosophy share in com- mon in their attitude towards the elderly?

Yao Yuan: The Olympic spirit calls attention to commitment, to participation, and to social harmony, values which are very important to the elderly because the elderly constitute a vulnerable group in society that cannot solve all of its problems on its own. The elderly need the love and care of society. As a whole, the traditional Chinese ethical system has placed its highest value on filial piety, a child/parent relationship which is responsible for the harmony between the different generations. The observation that society can be seen as a “hierarchical system” is very different from recognizing that the Chinese ethical system is based on filial piety, a relationship in which “the father is kind and the son is filial.” This reciprocal principle requires that the old take care of the young, and in turn the young take care of the old, a social obligation that, if honored, all but guarantees intergenerational harmony. To make this point about the cardinal importance of filial piety in the traditional Chinese ethical system, I cited Mencius’ adage on “the Road to Kingship” in which he observes that “gray-haired people will not be in the streets carrying heavy burdens on their backs,” and the anec- dote in which the Duke of Lo asks Confucius to elaborate upon his maxim that “the benevolent live long”.

Journalist: So, in your estimation what message can be taken from the partici- pation of the elderly in the staging of the Olympic Games in Beijing, and in the spread of the Olympic spirit?

Yao Yuan: First of all, the participation of the elderly in the 2008 Beijing Olym- pic Games will solve the problem of any shortage of unpaid helpers, and will help to diversify the age and the type of the volunteers. Second, the large-scale involvement of the elderly in the Olympics as volunteer workers will demon- strate to the world that the hosting country is both peaceful and harmonious, and that the old people in China enjoy good health. In turn, the good health and the active lifestyle of the old people in Beijing will point toward the economic effectiveness and the high standards of the medical system in China.

Journalist: The theme of the Panel Session on population was “The Diversity of Population Development and Health Security”. Do you think that the East and the West have different rates of growth for their aging populations, and do the policies of the respective governments need to be flexible enough to accom- modate these differences?

Yao Yuan: Certainly the growth rates of the aging populations of different coun- tries are different. For example, the phenomenon of an aged sector of the popu- lation in France has a history of 100 years, during which time the French economy Diversity of Population Development and Health Security

witnessed continuous growth and its social security system was gradually ad- justed to meet the needs of the elderly. In China, the growth of the aged popula- tion is both widespread and rapid. It took France 100 years to reach the critical stage with its aged population, but China has almost reached this point after only several decades. It should be noted that China has had a significant aged sector of its society ever since 1999.

The policies that need to be adopted by all governments, both East and West, are ones that establish and coordinate an old-age security system, and that set up a comprehensive social service network. Laws protecting the legal rights of the old people need to be established, and the whole of society needs to be mobi- lized to take care of its old people, thus creating a sound social environment of support, care and assistance for the elderly.

Journalist: A light question to conclude this interview. Could you please tell us how the old people in your family will participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games?

Yao Yuan: My mother is already 82 years old and therefore will not have a direct participatory role in the Olympic Games. However, she will pay close attention to the ceremonies and to certain competitive events. In conducting my research, I have come to the same conclusion about the aging population of China in general. About 80% of the old people know when China will hold the Olympic Games, and many of them intend to follow the Games closely. I think that even some young people in China may be less informed than many of the elderly. So, although the great majority of old people in China may not take part in the Olympic Games directly, they will probably be involved indirectly in some way, such as by following the events through the media coverage, or by exchanging their ideas with their children, or with other members of their communities. As I mentioned in my talk today, the number of old-age volunteers who are healthy and skilled enough to participate in helping to hold the Games is quite small. However, there are various ways that Beijing’s old people can participate indi- rectly in the Olympic Games, such as by working to maintain a good social order and a clean environment within their respective urban communities. This will also be an important contribution to the success of the Beijing Olympic Games.

Lo Ven-Hwei, Director of the Department of Journalism, Chenchi University

Lo Ven-Hwei: The Taiwanese Media Community has the Academic Foundation for Case Studies

Interviewer: Bian Zhuozhou On the afternoon of November 3rd, 2007, Professor Lo Ven-Hwei delivered a paper at the Panel Session on New Media and Society that focused on the con- troversial issue of “pornography” in the media. Professor Lo explained in the session that he had employed quantitative research methods to analyze how the important concepts of mass communication, such as “optimistic prejudice” and “the effect of the third person,” are reflected in the “the public’s perspective on pornography”. During the tea break, a journalist from Peking University News interviewed Professor Lo.

Journalist: Your essay is based on a quantitative study of a social phenomenon. This type of an approach to a research topic is rarely seen in studies conducted on the mainland of China. How do you account for this difference?

Lo Ven-Hwei: Yes, most of my scholarly research involves case studies, an ap- Cultural Diversity, Harmonious Society and Alternative Modernity: New Media and Social Development

proach to my subject which has a great deal to do with my educational background. In Taiwan, 80% of the communication researchers have PhDs from overseas educational institutions, and because of their backgrounds they lean towards the American way of conducting research, which by and large entails the application of quantitative methodologies. On the mainland of China, there are fewer researchers who have had this type of overseas educational training, and therefore they have no experience with using quantitative research methods to analyze concepts in mass communication. But of course, with many research- ers returning to China in recent years with Western educational backgrounds, the number of experienced quantitative researchers is growing, and as a conse- quence more and more mainland scholars are starting to conduct research from this quantitative perspective.

Journalist: You mentioned in the thesis to your presentation that “pornogra- phy” has become an issue that can no longer be ignored because some of the Taiwanese media are simply exploiting this problem as a way to entertain the public. Last September, many TV programs and televised reports called for “A Decade for the Abolitionist Movement” as a way to publicize pornographic subject matter in order to gratify prurient public tastes. What is your opinion?

Lo Ven-Hwei: Indeed, there have been many TV programs and many media reports on pornography, and all of them have been commercial features that ultimately may have a negative impact on reducing the appeal of the subject. This form of publicity is not the best way to crack down on the spread of pornography, but every coin has two sides. This type of popular programming can bring public attention to the plight of the sex-trade workers, and can show that they are likely at the bottom of the social pyramid and can only survive by prostitution. So, from this perspective we can conclude that a crackdown on prostitution by itself is ineffective. Pornography is everywhere in Taiwan, and we must treat it as a complex social issue.

Journalist: We have noticed that in recent years “citizen news” has been on the rise in the Taiwan media. What is your comment? Lo Ven-Hwei: The mass media has an ever increasing influence on society, but the traditional reporting practices no longer meet the demand of the general public for a type of media that can interact with society. Now, “citizen news” has modified the old news reporting format by making news coverage interactive, responding exactly to public demand and to the new developments in communi- cation media. My opinion is that public news reports should be based on facts, and we cannot be certain about the source and the validity of those aired by “citizen news”. This lack of credibility is one of the most serious weaknesses of “citizen news,” but now it is too early to gage the future direction and success of the “citizen news” phenomenon. Perhaps the definition of news coverage is changing.

Journalist: You have conducted research on the media workers in Taiwan, in Hong Kong, and on the mainland of China. What is the biggest difference that you have found that distinguishes the media professionals who are working in these three places?

Lo Ven-Hwei: I would have to say that the biggest difference between the media employees in these three locations is their educational backgrounds. For example, many of Hong Kong’s media workers have studied mass communication in Taiwan, since the educational infrastructure in Taiwan is quite advanced. The second important difference is the contrasting attitudes that the media personnel have toward the purpose and the function of the media, such that the Taiwanese media have excelled at exposing political scandals, while the mainland media have focused primarily on disseminating propaganda. This difference is of course a philosophical one, and it exists for historical reasons.

Journalist: You just mentioned that the educational infrastructure in Taiwan is advanced, but we know that the public credibility of Taiwanese media is very poor. Why is this?

Lo Ven-Hwei: I am convinced that the development of the mass media in any social context reflects the social development of that particular region, and for a long time the Taiwanese media have been preoccupied with reporting negative Cultural Diversity, Harmonious Society and Alternative Modernity: New Media and Social Development social news, such as political corruption and pornography. While these kinds of reports are useful in disclosing the darker side of society and in revealing press- ing social problems, this one sided approach to news reporting may be very different from many other local media. The competition between the Taiwanese media is very fierce, and indeed it stands in need of considerable improvement.

Journalist: It is said that in Taiwan few media workers are more than forty five years old. Why is this the case?

Lo Ven-Hwei: That is correct. Most of the Taiwanese media are large corpora- tions that strictly limit the career promotions and the pay increases of their young journalists. For this reason, many Taiwanese journalists seek employment in other professions before they reach the age of forty, some of them gravitating to business, some to hospitals, some to other vocations. In a word, the phenom- enon of relatively young media employees in Taiwan is mainly the result of the media companies’ personnel policies. Qiao Mu, Dean of the Center for International Communication Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University

Qiao Mu: The Cell Phone Is Changing China

Interviewer: Li Jianxiong At Beijing Forum’s Panel Session convened to discuss the topic of New Media and Society on the afternoon of November 3rd, 2007, Dr. Qiao Mu, Dean of the Center for International Communication Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, presented a paper that focused on the way in which the cell phone is irreversibly changing our lives and imperceptibly reshaping our world. After Dr. Qiao’s presentation, he agreed to be interviewed by our correspondent, Li Jianxiong.

According to Dr. Qiao Mu, along with the TV, the radio, the newspaper, and the computer as a means of online networking, the cell phone has reached the highest communication status, becoming the “fifth media”. Its growing popular- ity and its widespread use in China is attested to by the Beijing municipal government’s taking for granted that a group cell-phone message expressing the government’s thanks to the Beijing residents for their consideration during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, and another explaining the government’s position on the 2005 anti-Japanese demonstrations, would reach everyone. Dr. Qiao explained that he had received such global messages during his visit to Britain, and he decided to investigate this phenomenon upon his return to China. Cultural Diversity, Harmonious Society and Alternative Modernity: New Media and Social Development

In Dr. Qiao’s presentation, he pointed out that the statistics from China’s Min- istry of Information show that by the end of July 2007, there were over 508 million cell phone users on the mainland of China, accounting for 38.3% of the total population. Originally used only as a device to facilitate wireless communication, the cell phone now uses information and internet technology to provide a multitude of services, such as short message sourcing (SMS), online computer surfing, digital game playing, and online shopping. With a doctorate in political science and training in specialized knowledge, Dr. Qiao is currently studying the impact of the cell phone as a form of new media on people’s politi- cal involvement in modern society through analyzing the cell phones application in short message sourcing (SMS).

Dr. Qiao argues that the SMS service transmits messages in a “decentralized” way. This means that no one participating in an SMS transmission is in the con- trolling position since everyone has the power to be both a sender and a receiver. Unlike conventional media that functions without a target group, the SMS ser- vice targets users on the basis of their interpersonal relations and their shared interests, thus creating a more effective transmission experience.

Dr. Qiao says that the Chinese people felt the great impact of SMS for the first time during the SARS outbreak in the spring of 2003. The outbreak began in November of 2002 in Guangdong province and ended its infectious course after punishing the Beijing residents in June and July of 2003. During this time, the SMS service produced new SARS related topics of discussion rather than sim- ply repeating those topics that were set up by the conventional media.

In Dr. Qiao Mu’s presentation to the panel on New Media and Society, he also alluded to the Chinese anti-Japanese demonstrations in 2005 when the SMS service was used effectively to mobilize the public into widespread political agitation. The SMS was able to capitalize fully on the cell phone users’ interper- sonal relations when the Sino-Japanese ties began to sour and Chinese national- ism began to run high Messages, such as “Boycott Japanese products and dem- onstrate against Japan,” were quickly spread among family members, and then among friends, finally reaching more and more people, and inciting anti-Japa- nese sentiment into a fury. Eventually, the Chinese government followed suit by using SMS to communicate its stance on the anti-Japanese demonstrations and to clarify all unfounded rumors in a timely fashion. The size and complexity of this public incident also convinced the government to put the use and the control of SMS on its agenda.

As early as 2002, the annual revenues from China Mobile’s SMS services ex- ceeded that of the combined revenues from both the TV and the radio businesses. During the first seven months of 2007, 328.43 billion SMSs were sent on the Chinese mainland alone, and with each transmission costing the sender 0.1 RMB, the total revenue of China Mobile’s SMS service stood at 32 billion RMB. Since there is a trade-off between corporate profits and moral responsibilities, it seems there would be a direct conflict of interest if an attempt were made to force the implementation of the real-name registration system for mobile phone users. So, the upcoming third-generation era (3G) will have to continue the political de- bates on these new technologies.

Dr.Qiao Mu argues that with the development of information technology and the development of individualized communication approaches represented by the use of mobile phones in particular, the conventional international communi- cations with nations, countries, international organizations and transnational media as its leading forces will make more individuals the active players in interna- tional communications which features more effective interpersonal communications.

The multi-media service (MMS), the mobile TV service, and the heatedly de- bated 3G can all be regarded as new media frontiers whose future development and social impact are still uncertain, but what is certain is that these new media will not simply replace the conventional media, but each medium will help to reinforce the other. Cultural Diversity, Harmonious Society and Alternative Modernity: New Media and Social Development

Xiao Dongfa, Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University

Xiao Dongfa: Understanding the New Media from a Wide Perspective

Interviewer: Bian Zhuozhou The Blog, the Mobile Phone Novel, Shareko, RSS, the Net Magazine…Are these all legitimate multimedia forms of publication? What direction should the traditional publishing industry take when it is challenged by the rapidly evolving new publishing media?

As a member of the Panel Session devoted to “New Media and Social Develop- ment” held at Beijing Forum 2007, Xiao Dongfa Professor in the School of Journalism and Communication at Peking University, gave a detailed analysis of the application and effect of new media forms on the evolving publishing industry. Our reporter from Peking University News was able to conduct an interview with Professor Xiao Dongfa.

Professor Xiao prefaced his remarks by stating: “In our study on the relationship between new media and publishing, we must adopt a wider perspective on the publishing industry”.

“Publishing is not Dependent upon Paper; Many Media are Publications in their Own Right.”

Professor Xiao explained that “The basic essentials in the publication process are the compilation of information, the processing, the copy, and the wide spread distribution of the finished work. Paper is not a key component in the publica- tion process, and therefore many new forms of media are publications in and of themselves. This, then, is what we may call a wider perspective on publishing”.

According to Professor Xiao, many emerging new media forms are all part of the concept of an all-inclusive publishing industry. For example, the Blog is an individualized publication meant to facilitate a reader and audience-centered communication. Publications like Mobile Phone Novels provide a brand-new platform for publication, and the emergence of Sharekos to display salaries and stocks on the internet reflects the two characteristics of interaction and sharing that are necessary to satisfy the wider definition of publication.

“The time and effort that it takes to understand the new media publication indus- try is a process in itself. In the past, our research has focused mainly on fields of activity that are closely related to traditional publishing, such as Audio and Video products, Discs, and E-book circulation. Today,” explained Professor Xiao, “we must include these new media forms within our new all-inclusive definition of publishing, and thus provide new areas for our research into the publishing business”.

“The Monopoly on Publishing has been Broken, and Traditional Publishing is Facing Fierce Challenges.”

Traditional publishing has long enjoyed the position of a monopoly in the industry, an exclusive control of the publishing market that has been broken by the emer- gence of the new media. “Media like the internet and the mobile phone are now competing for available resources alongside conventional books and magazines,” pointed out Professor Xiao, “a factor which further increases the stagflation in traditional publication houses, resulting in less publication volume and increased stocks in warehouses.”

The new media is developing all the time; neither its form nor its content is fixed. New technology provider is already involved in the creation of original works,” Cultural Diversity, Harmonious Society and Alternative Modernity: New Media and Social Development

added Professor Xiao, “creator of original works in new media publication does not necessarily integrate with traditional publishing houses. This is undoubtedly a tremendous challenge for traditional publishers.”

New media publication comes as a huge shock both to traditional publishing industry and the industry chain. It also poses new problems to the management. “Should it be under supervision or not? How to solve the problem of piracy and infringement of copyright? Is it the case that those to be supervised are under- supervised while those not to be supervised are over-supervised?” Professor Xiao expressed his worries.

“Multi-media Publication is a Growing Trend, and the Traditional Publishing Industry should Face it Forcefully.”

When talking about the measures adopted by the traditional publishing industry, Professor Xiao commented that “traditional publishing houses do not concern themselves with new media at the outset, but just adopt a wait-and-see attitude. If a form of new media establishes a foothold in the industry, the traditional publishing houses carefully follow its development, recognizing that they may need to change their understanding of the responsibilities of the publishing business, its position, its content, its form and service.”

Professor Xiao explained that as the traditional publishing industry continues to development and to accommodate itself to the emerging new media, it is inevi- table that it will need to establish a digital publishing company of its own, to create a large database to satisfy its particular requirements, and to establish definite content standards and digital standards.

Professor Xiao concluded the interview by asserting that, “The trend towards digitalization in the publishing industry is irreversible. In order for the business to continue to develop in a constructive way it must have a clear understanding of the general trends in the industry, and it must meet the challenge of the arrival of new media with a positive attitude and with a willingness to adapt”. Zhou Yongming, Professor in the Anthropology Department, University of Wisconsin at Madison

Zhou Yongming: Looking at the New Media with the Cold Eye of History

Interviewer: Zhu Yuejun At Beijing Forum’s Panel Session that met on the afternoon of November 3rd 2007 to consider the topic of New Media and Society, Zhou Yongming, an an- thropologist from the University of Wisconsin, delivered a paper entitled Teleg- raphy and Politics in Late Qing China in which he examined the new media from a historical and theoretical perspective Our journalist, Zhu Yuejun, had the opportunity of interviewing him after his presentation.

Research out of Doubt

When I asked Professor Zhou why he chose to pursue the study of the history of the telegraph and Chinese politics in the late Qing dynasty in China, he gladly recalled his experience as a research fellow at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. in year 2001. He claimed that many of the scholars at that time took a rather unimaginative and stereotypical position with respect to the internet, arguing that it was a brilliant new technology that would promise many good things for the future. Zhou Yongming says that he was aware of the power of the new technology, but viewed it with suspicion as a double-edge sword. In order to convince his fellow scholars of their naivete, and inspired by a detail in his graduation thesis, he began the research that would Cultural Diversity, Harmonious Society and Alternative Modernity: New Media and Social Development

eventually lead to his paper: “Telegraphy and Politics in Late Qing China”.

Supported by a wealth of historical evidence and an abundance of precise data, Zhou Yongming’s research has attracted a great deal of attention from members of the academic community, and has increasingly won him the approbation and the support of many scholars worldwide, Echoing the sagacious words of Confucius, Zhou Yongming, advised: “Gentlemen, seek harmony but not conformity.” He concluded by saying: “I am very satisfied with my current level of acceptance.”

Being Neither Pessimistic nor Manic

When I asked Zhou about the influence of the new media on Chinese society, his reply revealed clearly that he viewed so-called technological progress with the cold eye of historical hindsight. He said that there is a crucial difference between the leadership in the late Qing Dynasty and the Chinese government today in terms of their approach to the arrival of new technologies. He pointed out that the Chinese government is already cognizant of the role of the new media with respect to society, and it is attempting to use its economic and political power to guide the evolution of the media in concert with the social development of the Chinese people, thereby exploiting its advantages and avoiding its disadvantages. The impotence of the late Qing Dynasty in failing to recognize and embrace the new telegraph technology, a communication breakthrough at the time, is clear historical evidence that overlooking the advantages of a new form of media can have serious social consequences. The Qing Dynasty’s oversight spelled delay and hardship for telegraphy in China. This mistake does not need to be repeated in China, and with the firm guidance of the Chinese government, the future of the new media in this country will be far more beneficial to society then the telegraph was to the late Qing Dynasty.

The development of new media is an unavoidable and irreversible trend in our modern technological age, and the key to taking advantage of its benefits is to face it with a sober, but optimistic mind. For example, the “zero-barriers to entry” for users of BBS and BLOG will be a moral challenge for society, but we do not need to be entirely pessimistic about these types of developments be- cause the government’s macro-control and the public’s moral self-discipline will regulate the deployment of the new media. Technology only opens up new chan- nels for us to explore, but it is quite another matter whether or not these chan- nels will lead us to a better civil society. Facing the breathtaking pace of the developments in the new media, we need not panic or lose hope, but should face these developments with clear vision and a sober mind.

No Haste, No Waste

Zhou Yongming mentioned that the year 2007 has seen the fourth successful meeting of Beijing Forum, and that he was delighted to have been a witness to its ongoing development and growth as an international conference of reputa- tion and repute. When talking about the contribution that Beijing Forum has made to the world at large, he said that the organizers of the conference had not expected to recreate the universe in a single day, but had intended to assemble renowned scholars in the humanities and the social sciences from around the world who would be willing to engage in a serious conversation on how to best promote world harmony and prosperity. He went on to say that the scholars and world experts present at Beijing Forum should attempt to transmit their thoughts and ideas to a world-wide audience of academics and professionals who have the ability to persuade their countries’ decision-makers into developing more comprehensive and more benevolent policies. Zhou Yongming suggested that evidence of positive change in the world would be a great reward for the schol- ars who have chosen to participate in the Forum. He was confident that as a world event it will surely continue to enjoy an increasingly powerful influence, and its value and significance as a voice for global change will be heard and understood by more and more people. . Zhou Yongming expressed his deep appreciation to Peking University for spon- soring Beijing Forum, and he extended his thanks to its faculty, staff and stu- dents for their great efforts in organizing and hosting the conference. The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations

In a short interview of less than fifteen minutes, Zhou Yongming was able to articulate clearly his views on the benefits and the dangers that society might well experience as it continues to embraces the thriving new media technologies, and he counsels both individuals and governments alike to proceed with caution and with the cool eye of historical memory.

Chen Changdu, Professor, The School of Environmental Studies, Peking University

Chen Changdu: Attaching Importance to Our Natural Heritage

Interviewer: Li Xin On the afternoon of November 2nd 2007, Beijing Forum’s Panel Session examin- ing the theme of The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civili- zations was held in Jilin Hall located in the Great Hall of the People. Chen Changdu, a senior Professor in Peking University’s School of Environmental Studies, and one of the visionaries who laid the foundation for China’s land- scape ecology, attended the session and made a presentation on China’s natural heritage, and on the management and conservation of its ecological environment. Review the Value of our Natural Heritage

Professor Chen is the only expert attending this session of Beijing Forum who is dedicated to natural heritage studies, and his solitary presence here speaks loudly of the low status of natural heritage studies in comparison with cultural heritage studies within the heritage studies academic circle. As Professor Chen points out, nothing can exist without nature; so people should attach more importance to their natural heritage, which is the basic “wealth” of society and the founda- tion for all development, including cultural development.

According to UNESCO, our natural heritage includes our geological heritage, our landscape ecology, and our biological heritage, the latter of which is con- cerned with bio-diversity. The term “natural heritage,” therefore, is a very com- prehensive one, and it demands of the expert on environmental studies an exten- sive knowledge of many different fields of academic enquiry. Environmental research conducts rigorous investigations into the relationships between living organisms and their interactions with their natural or developed environments in order to better understand and protect our natural heritage. Professor Chen ex- plains that this type of research is arduous, and that it has not received due attention from either the academic disciplines or from the public at large. He suggests that when the phrase “human heritage” is mentioned, people immedi- ately think of the rich historical and cultural heritage of the country they live in, and neglect their natural heritage. The potential risk to ignoring our shared eco- logical environment is that it will not only endanger some important aspect of our natural heritage, but will put at risk the whole of the natural environment on which we depend for our future.

Biodiversity shows the Richness and Unique Character of China’s Natural Heritage.

In simple language, biodiversity refers to the diversity and the variability of liv- ing organisms and the ecological community or systems they make up. The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations

Professor Chen tells our correspondent that China’s rich land forms and vast territories provide the country with a bounty of natural heritage resources, espe- cially biological resources. Biodiversity is a measure of the diversity and the variability of living creatures in an environment, and data show that there are over 30,000 advanced plant species in China, not to mention that it has the largest number of gymnosperms on the planet. Data also reveal that the verte- brates that live in China account for 14.2% of the world’s total, that China’s birds are 14.5% of all birds, and that its mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish are 14.2%, 5.9%, 7.4% and 20.3% respectively.

According to Professor Chen, a large portion of the living organisms in China are ancient creatures, and this is because China’s vast territories and unique geological conditions made it immune to the impact of the Quaternary Glacier. The beloved Panda, the ginkgo, the argyrophylla and the Yangtze River dolphin, as well as other early species that are unique to China, are all part of China’s important natural heritage that the Chinese people must learn to cherish and to protect.

Germplasm resources, such as domestic animals, cultivated plants and wild ani- mals are all common in China, but as common as they may seem, they are all vital assets that nature has provided for the Chinese to take pleasure in, and to treasure. China has the largest number of domestic animals in the world, it is the country in which wild fruit trees were first cultivated, and it is where rice and the soybean originated. In addition, China boasts over 10,000 medicinal plants, as well as 2238 species and 30 families of original flowers.

Professor Chen goes to great length to enumerate many of the abundant species of animals and organisms that regard China as their home, and he makes the point that these tangible natural-heritage assets contribute to the intangible Chi- nese cultural heritage, for they inspire China’s music, its literature, its painting, and many other of its original art forms. Nature provides the Chinese with the beautiful source materials that allow them to cultivate and to share their unique sentiments and their distinct vision of the world. The spectators who came to China to see the Beijing Olympic Games, Professor Chen muses, should have been invited to visit China’s vast natural reserves to witness the beauty of China’s remote mountains, for this natural spectacle would certainly have added to the charm of their Olympic trip.

Pay Attention to the Problems involved in Natural Heritage Management.

Professor Chen says that the bio-diversity of China reveals the large number of species in China, but the large number is itself a problem because environmental- ists have great difficultly in classifying these natural heritages properly in order to better protect them, to manage them, and to utilize them. In the future, as in the past, China will have to assume the difficult and arduous task of protecting its natural heritage.

Professor Chen noted that China has established a number of natural reserves, but he added that their management is not quite up to world standards, and they are beset by a lack of relevant knowledge and by the improper allotment of economic resources to their bio-culture, which has undermined their bio-diversity. In addition, these natural reserves are fewer in number and receive far less atten- tion than China’s cultural heritage sites, to the detriment of China’s natural heritage.

In conclusion, Professor Chen stressed that only by treating natural heritage and cultural heritage as equal assets, only by balancing socio-economic development and human heritage, only by promoting eco-harmony through care and conservation, and only by harmonizing man and nature can China realize the harmonious development of its entire society. The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations

Fan Jinshi, Director of the Dunhuang Academy, China

Fan Jinshi: A Long and Tortuous Path to Harmony

Interviewer: Zhu Mengtian The Beijing Forum Panel Session entitled The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations was held in Jilin Hall of the Great Hall of the People on the afternoon of November 2nd, 2007. The theme of Fan Jinshi’s talk at this year’s Beijing Forum was Caring for Cultural Heritage Together: Coop- erative Conservation in Dunhuang through International Collaboration.

Our journalist, Zhu Mengtian, met with and interviewed Fan Jinshi, a distin- guished Graduate of History and Archeology from Peking University, a CPPCC member, and a recipient of the Moving-China Forward Award for 2004.

“Dunhuang Needs Me”

When Fan Jinshi was asked what motivated someone like her, who grew up in a big city, to leave her family behind and spend 44 years in the vast desert of western China known as Dunhuang Grottoes, she replied: “It is all because Dunhuang needed me.” She confesses that in the beginning she was merely as- signed to work in the Northwest and that she had not intended to stay there for long because of the poor living conditions and the deplorable road and rail networks. However, as time went by, she says that she developed a liking for Dunhuang, and eventually found that she and Dunhuang could not be separated. Now, her passion for Dunhuang drives her to accomplish all of her invaluable work.

Fan Jinshi talks with fervor and confidence about the protection of Dunhuang Grottoes’ relics, saying: “Economic growth is the basis for social development. Cultural and economic development should work in tandem and harmoniously, and they should not be isolated from each other. Driven by short-term economic returns, people are liable to focus on economic growth and neglect cultural protection, since culture is intangible.” Fan Jinshi says that she sees culture as the soul of a country and a nation, and believes that culture will bring long-term rewards. In the case of the Dunhuang Grottoes, attaching equal importance to culture and the economy means fulfilling the task of conserving, maintaining, and properly utilizing this invaluable cultural resource, while at the same time developing its tourism potential.

Fan Jinshi confesses that “Harmony” is what she pursues in her life and work.

Seeking Harmonious International Cooperation

According to Fan Jinshi, the international cooperation in protecting the Dunhuang Grottoes began in the late 1980s. With a history of over 1600 years, the Dunhuang Grottoes, are large in scale and suffer from various destructive forces, thus re- quiring enormous funding and technical support. Seizing the great opportunity afforded by China’s period of reform and opening-up, the Dunhuang Academy has cooperated with the United States’ Getty Conservation Institute, the An- drew W. Mellon Foundation, Northwestern University, the Tokyo Institute of Cultural Assets, and Osaka University, to carry out projects that have involved not only supervision, analysis, and research, but also the training of specialized conservators. During the period of cooperation between these academies and foreign institutes and the Dunhuang Grottoes, the conservators took full advan- tage of foreign help and resources and carried out joint projects based on mutual trust and expertise. For example, they have had to face the huge challenge of The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations

protecting the cliffs and their murals against the frequent sand storms. The Getty Conservation Institute set up a world-class automatic weather station on top of an adjacent cliff which monitors the weather on a continuous basis, thus allow- ing conservators to keep an eye on the movement of the sand storms and pre- vent damage to the Dunhuang cliffs.

By working together, the Dunhuang Academy and the Getty Conservation In- stitute has jointly developed a sand prevention and control system that has effec- tively reduced sand flow in the region of the Grottoes by 70%.

When our interviewer inquired of Fan Jinshi if there were any problems that arose during the course of the international cooperation on the Dunhuang Grot- toes’ protection, she replied that some difficulties have arisen owing to the dif- ferences between Chinese and Western cultures. Most foreign scholars and re- searchers recognize fully the value of the murals and painted statues in the Dunhuang Grottoes, but their approach to analyzing and managing conserva- tion problems can sometimes impede cooperation. The Chinese conservators prefer to take the “Middle Way” when it comes to identifying maintenance and repair problems, whereas the westerners favor precision, and they want to pur- sue absolute science. However, it is through these cultural clashes that both sides learn to communicate with each other, to understand and to cooperate in their joint efforts to preserve the priceless relics in the Dunhuang Grottoes.

Just such appeals to “harmony” in Fan Jinshi’s supervision of the Dunhuang Grottoes conservation project have characterized her actions and are embedded in her work.

The Permanent Preservation of China’s Cultural Relics

The Dunhuang Academy is dedicated to the conservation and the protection of the Dunhuang Grottoes’ relics and antiquities, and it has already saved many endangered artifacts. Fan Jinshi pointed out that, although the conservation ef- forts of the Dunhuang Academy can prolong the life of these valuable relics for some time, it seems impossible to conserve them forever. Every day, the conser- vationists have to confront the question of how this precious cultural heritage can be conserved and admired for a longer time. Fan Jinshi relates that on an occasion when she had returned to Beijing and was as always pondering this problem, she came across a computer for the first time, and it suddenly occurred to her that high tech might be part of the solution. She thought why not use digital image technology to store images of the relics? Unlike the relics themselves, these digital images could be stored for a long time, they would be more precise than drawings, and they could be enlarged for careful examination and close study.

According to Fan Jinshi, the number of visitors to the Dunhuang Grottoes is increasing every year, and this poses challenges for those who are protecting the integrity of the murals and the painted figures. She explains this ongoing problem: “The murals and the painted figures are made of clay and straw and are quite fragile. The more people who come and view them, the more sound and mois- ture they must tolerate. Our monitors reveal that when there are many visitors, the CO2 concentrations in the caves increases proportionally.” Having digitally stored all of the relics, she reflects upon how she can satisfy the tourists, while at the same time minimizing the damage to the murals and the painted figures. She explains that once the digital display hall has been completed, the tourists can view the three-dimensional display of the relics and listen to descriptions of their composition without actually going into the caves. This will not undermine the visitors’ fascination with the painted murals, but it will reduce the number of tourists who go inside the caves and the amount of time they spend there. After a decade-long period of construction and renovation this project is expected to come on line in the near future. Fan Jinshi is satisfied; her long-cherished dream of establishing a balance between conserving the invaluable relics and artifacts of the Dunhuang Grottoes and exposing them to more people will finally be- come a reality.

Looking forward to the Future and the Next Generation

In her conversation, Fan Jinshi is able to communicate to our correspondent how strongly she values the proper education and training of talented The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations

conservators. According to her, the many years she has spent in dedication to the Dunhuang relic’s conservation, to international cooperation on the project, and to the advancement of new technologies was not in the sole interest of applying a specific technology to a single conservation project, but also in find- ing and training young people who can grasp, improve, and apply relevant tech- nologies to ancient artifacts. Fan Jinshi identified two ways to locate and pre- pare would-be conservationists. First, through seeking more international cooperation, young researchers can gain access to advanced technology and can gain valuable experience. Second, by selecting staff pursue short-term and long- term studies and carry out research in American or Japanese universities and institutes. In order to be able to train more conservation personnel within a shorter time-span, Dunhuang Academy recently joined up with the Court auld Institute of Art of London University in offering post-graduate courses on mural conservation. This year the joint venture will graduate its first generation of qualified conservators.

Fan Jinshi tells our correspondent that the current high school system in China requires the students to choose between the liberal arts and the sciences too early, and the result is that the liberal arts students lack knowledge in the area of natural science, while the science students have a weak appreciation of the humanities. Archaeological work requires an in-depth understanding of both the liberal arts and the natural sciences, and relic conservation similarly entails ex- pertise in a number of different disciplines. Some newcomers to the conserva- tion business who have a background in physics might find relic preservation relatively easy at first, but in the long run they will find that it is more difficult than they originally thought. And graduates who have only a liberal arts degree will not be able to handle this type of work either.

When answering our interviewer’s question about how the Dunhuang Academy managed the task of recruiting competent personnel for its conservation project, Fan Jinshi said that prior to the reimplementation of the college-entrance exami- nation system, the staff who were hired by the Academy varied greatly in their abilities, and the proportion of college graduates was relatively small. The busi- ness of conserving valuable and endangered historical relics requires both theo- retical and practical knowledge that is very specialized. In the past, workers like Fan Jinshi were assigned to their posts, but now newcomers have to compete for their jobs. What especially concerns Fan Jinshi is that many young people may want to join the Duhuang Academy only to secure a salary, or to use the Acad- emy as a springboard to a better position. If a worker lacks passion for the painstaking repair of flying Apsaras (gods) and beautiful patterns, he or she is unlikely to perform this delicate restoration work well, or to stay in the desert for a long time.

Fan Jinshi relegates the future of the Dunhuang Grottoes to the next generation. She expressed her hope that irreplaceable historical sites like the Dunhuang Grot- toes will continue to be managed well, that the necessary conservation tech- niques and technologies will continue to progress, and that young people with knowledge, with vision, with expertise, but above all with a love for Chinese culture and China’s cultural heritage will dedicate themselves to this monumen- tal work.

Fan Jinshi’s Beauty and Perseverance

The colorful history of the Dunhuang Grottoes and their conservation is marked by a saga of neglect, of theft, of discovery, and finally of love and painstaking effort. Fan Jinshi’s hometown is in the southern watery region by the West Lake, but she has spent half of her lifetime in the western desert of Dunhuang pursuing her passion for the preservation of the remains of the ancient civilization of Dunhuang, and her love for flying Apsaras. The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations

Neville Agnew, Principal Project Specialist, Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles

Neville Agnew: The Key to Cultural Heritage Conservation Lies in the Education and the Training of Professionals

Interviewer: Kuang Yingqiu On November 2nd, 2007, at the Panel Session of The Inspiration of Human Heri- tage on the Progress of Civilizations, Dr. Neville Agnew of the Getty Conserva- tion Institute located in Los Angeles, delivered a paper entitled Culture Heri- tage Education in China. In his presentation, Professor Agnew called for com- prehensive education in heritage management and for the establishment of pro- fessional standards for cultural heritage conservation. After the session, our re- porter was granted an interview with Dr. Agnew on the subject of his address.

Journalist: In the paper that you just delivered at the session, you proposed that China must strengthen its education in cultural heritage conservation in order to tackle the new problems and challenges that are being brought about by globalization. What do you think China should do in this respect?

Neville Agnew: China has only quite recently started a formal education pro- gram in cultural heritage conservation, and it takes time for these types of pro- grams to become established at the university level. The style of education that China has pursued in the past was mainly informal, short-term training, and it lacked the participation of the related departments at the universities. Ordinarily, it is far from sufficient for these kinds of educational programs to rely solely on informal training. Related government departments should also attach more im- portance to formal educational qualifications in order to enhance their work. Apart from short-term training for technicians, which is essential of course, what is more important is to produce highly educated professionals through disciplin- ary education. The conservation of a country’s cultural heritage is a complicated process, and China should direct its efforts into training specialists who can carry out this task. I am pleased to say that in the twenty years that I have been working in China, impressive improvements have been made at the local and the national levels in the conservation and management of heritage sites, and in the training of specialized conservation practitioners. I am urging that this attention to historically important cultural locations and the training of qualified conser- vationists to protect these sites continue at an intensified pace.

Journalist: The Getty Conservation Institute has not only played an important role in the conservation of the Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang, it has also been among the first organizations to conduct systematic training and education on China’s vast cultural heritage. What ideals and standards do you think we should concentrate on in our strategy for heritage conservation?

Neville Agnew: The focus of education on heritage conservation should be on the protection of the relic or the historical site rather than on its restoration or reconstruction. For a long time, China has operated under a misunderstanding of what exactly constitutes cultural conservation. For example, there has been, in more than a few instances, a focus on restoration and reconstruction rather than on conservation, particularly with regard to China’s archaeological heritage. The restoration or reconstruction of an artifact or a historical place leads to the disappearance of its cultural significance as a legitimate part of a country’s heritage. Fan Jinshi, Director of the Dunhuang Academy, has distinguished her- self by her perseverance to the ideal of strict conservation, and it is this common ideal that has served as the basis for the lasting cooperation between the Dunhuang Academy and the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI). She has understood that the conservation and the management of cultural heritage are integrated activities, The Inspiration of Human Heritage on the Progress of Civilizations

and that both must work together to protect fragile, irreplaceable, but highly significant national and world treasures, such as Mogao.

Journalist: As for the unique aspects or features of China’s cultural heritage, which attributes do you think students of heritage conservation and manage- ment should focus on in their practical education?

Neville Agnew: First of all, let me clarify here that many of the challenges facing cultural heritage today in almost all countries around the world are the same, and these are increasing pressure from tourism, inadequate funding for monitor- ing and maintenance, and too few, and insufficiently trained staff. Consequently, the cultural significance of heritage settings, which includes their historic, artistic, scientific, and social value, as well as their economic importance, inevitably suffer. As for the distinct features of Chinese heritage, or any other countries’ cultural or historical heritage, I think they mainly relate to the civilizations’ diversified forms of expression. Therefore, education programs in heritage conservation should be multi-disciplinary, and should include in their curricula the many dis- ciplines in which the thinking and the technology in the different fields of study coalesce. To produce first-rate specialists in cultural heritage conservation, I think that professional standards of practice at the highest level must be followed. The conservation of a people’s cultural heritage is a grand enterprise. For example, the conservation and management of the Dunhuang Grottoes is a group project and calls for best efforts of a community of artists, historians, scientists, administrators, and skilled conservators, among a great many others.

Journalist: Peking University has set up the Faculty of Archaeology and Museology, and thus it is attempting to make its contribution to the preserva- tion of China’s cultural heritage, and perhaps even to the cultural history of the world. In your opinion, how should Peking University develop its cultural conservation efforts in the future?

Neville Agnew: The impressive achievements of the Faculty of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University are well known in the world of heritage conservation. Since its inception, this university department has produced many skilled graduates and undertaken conservation projects in numerous areas that merit great recognition. In its future disciplinary development, the department of Archaeology and Museology at Peking University should continue to develop its cultural conservation efforts in two directions. First, the school should accept graduates from a variety of academic disciplines in order to produce advanced post-graduates with interdisciplinary degrees in heritage management and conservation. This will ensure overall direction and guidance in depth and breadth. Second, the school’s exchange and cooperation with other countries and other international organizations should be expanded and strengthened. For example, the Getty Conservation Institute in the United States has collaborated with the Dunhuang Academy in China and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, in developing a Masters degree course at Lanzhou University. These mutually ad- vantageous partnerships and group-alliances should continue to be fostered by the university. The Getty Conservation Institute’s contacts and exchanges with Peking University have just begun, and it is with great sincerity that I express my hope that we can encourage more strategic cooperation and further work to- gether in order to assist in the preservation of China’s ancient and vast cultural heritage. Social Change and University Development

Richard Leigh Henry, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, The University of New South Wales

Richard Leigh Henry: The Protection of Traditional Culture in Diversified Cultures

Interviewer: Cai Rongrong On the afternoon of November 3rd, 2007, the Panel Session dealing with educa- tion under the title Social Change and University Development, was held in Yingjie Exchange Center at Peking University. Responding to the question on how to resolve conflicts between traditional cultures and diversified civilizations in the context of globalization, Professor Richard Leigh Henry from the Univer- sity of New South Wales, Australia, argued that to protect the development of diversified cultures was also an important way of protecting traditional cultures. After the afternoon discussion, Cai Rongrong, a journalist with Peking Univer- sity News conducted an interview with Professor Henry.

We are Proud of our Bi-cultural Background

Journalist: As a country of immigrants, does Australia have its own traditional culture?

Professor Henry responded: “That is a good question. Yes, Australia is a coun- try that is made up primarily of immigrants, which suggests that it might not have an ancient traditional culture of its own. However, every person who calls Australia home is proud of being an Australian because we not only have our comparatively recent Australian cultural background, but also that of an earlier civilization.”

Professor Henry went on to say: “We Australians are proud of our bi-cultural background, and take it as an advantage over those cultures that only have one. For example, at the University of New South Wales we have a Swiss soccer fan who told me proudly that he could cheer for two teams during the World Cup, and could enjoy the patriotic feelings aroused by each country’s play on the football field because of his investment in two cultures. He confessed that when the national team of Switzerland was playing he would cheer in a red jersey, but when the Australian National Team was on the field he would exchange it for a yellow jersey.”

Professor Henry explained that although Australia is a country whose popula- tion is largely composed of immigrants with different cultural backgrounds; this does not mean that the older, traditional culture is not protected in Australia. Culture should not be the sole possession of one ethnic group, said Professor Henry, it should belong to the whole of mankind. A country which successfully enjoys a widely diversified culture, like Australia does, should allow the differ- ent cultures within the larger mixture to become unalienable parts of the ever evolving culture of the whole nation. This is what Australia has done with great success.

“International Universities Play an Important Role in the Development of Diversified Cultures and in the Protection of Traditional Culture”

Journalist: As an international university, how can the University of New South Wales play its role in protecting Australia’s traditional culture?

According to Professor Henry, international universities can play an important role in the development of diversified cultures and in the protection of tradi- tional ones. “People may have some misunderstandings about international Social Change and University Development

universities,” he said. They may think that the internationality of the school will prevent it from protecting the traditional culture, when in actuality traditional culture is frequently more respected and better protected at international univer- sities than at residential ones.”

Professor Henry claims that it is exactly because of the University of New South Wales’s multi-cultural environment that the students are sensitive to cultural diversity and therefore are more likely to celebrate the traditional culture of their motherland. In addition, the presence of many foreign exchange-students who have different cultural backgrounds and who see Australian culture with fresh eyes helps Australian students to deepen their understanding and appreciation of their own culture. And it is through its students’ interactions with different cul- tures that the international university fulfills its unspoken but understood mis- sion to promoting cultural tolerance and protecting traditional culture.

Professor Henry explains that in protecting traditional culture the university com- munity does not have to abandon international communication or to respond to the challenges of globalization in a passive way. Instead, we should strive for a more comprehensive understanding of the spirit of globalization and attempt to use it to promote the international exchange of different cultures while simulta- neously protecting the integrity of our traditional cultures.

Professor Henry concluded our interview on a positive note: “I think that those who have attended Beijing Forum, and especially those who watched the bril- liant art performance on November 3rd, would be deeply impressed by the inter- nationality of Peking University. Nevertheless, I think that what has most im- pressed and inspired everyone here is the rich, traditional Chinese cultural spec- tacle that the Forum has shared with us all.” Simon Marginson, Professor of Higher Education, University of Melbourne

Simon Marginson: The University Remains the Backbone of Higher Education in the Global Knowledge Market

Interviewer: Cai Rongrong In the global knowledge market, private educational institutions are providing employment-oriented training that meets the needs of the labor market, thus threatening the traditional position of universities which have enjoyed a long- standing dominance in the area of higher education. Universities have to con- sider where their future lies, and how they can balance the relationships between education, research and the demands for social and economic development?

On the morning of November 3rd 2007, Beijing Forum held its Panel Session on the theme of Social Change and University Development. The scholarly presen- tations by Professor Simon Marginson of the University of Melbourne and oth- ers sparked a lively debate among presidents and professors from universities around the world on the future role of traditional universities in the global knowl- edge market. After Professor Marginson’s talk, our journalist from Peking Uni- versity News conducted an interview with him. Social Change and University Development

The Biggest Challenge: How Universities can Exploit the Full Potential of the New Communications Technology

When Professor Simon Marginson addressed the issue of “the biggest challenge faced by universities today”, he commented that “communication will always be an issue meriting the greatest attention in all the fields, and its influence on those universities, which are the mainstay of higher education, will be especially important”.

Unlike most of the private institutions operating in the education market, many universities today have not realized the huge potential of the new communica- tion technologies. Their focus on traditional teaching methods to the exclusion of the new educational technologies means that university education lags behind the reality of social development because the universities are reluctant to take advantage of recent developments in information delivery systems.

In discussing the wide applications of the new communication technologies, Professor Marginson said that he found them exciting because they can helps us to organize academic focus-groups globally, or to gather specialists and schol- ars from all over the world for an academic symposium. Using this new technology, university scholars can administer transnational research projects, and they can monitor the ongoing progress of their projects at any time.

Professor Marginson admitted that most university people of his generation lacked direct experience with these new information delivery systems, but argued that the next generation will see the value of this technology, and in exploiting, its potential will radically change the academic and research strategies of universi- ties around the world. Dr. Marginson maintained that university administrators today should take the implementation of the new communication technologies as one of their most important tasks because in this way they can make their institutions relevant and efficient, and thereby clear the way for future development. Providing the Best Product: Providing Quality Education to Students According to their Specific Needs

In order to compete with ambitious privately-run educational institutions in the era of globalization, will the world’s universities have to change their role from the dispensers of higher education and the proponents of scholarly research to the retailers of products for social and economic development?

Professor Marginson responded that sponsors of higher education in many of the world’s universities today are increasingly moving the focus away from aca- demic research and towards the marketing of social products for education consumers. He went on to say that this does not imply that universities will lose their significant place with respect to higher education. Although privately-owned educational institutions can be effective in providing practical skills that will serve the public, they cannot offer society the advanced technological and scientific expertise that is unique to universities.

Professor Marginson remarked: “To a certain degree, education can be seen as a kind of product, and the relationship that obtains between the teachers and their universities as an economic one. This understanding is generally accepted in the world, but it neglects the wider significance of education. The ultimate aim of education is to raise the quality of life for the whole of society rather than to teach the individual to use tools. As for the students, they pay their tuition fees in order to learn what they want to learn. In a privately-run educational institution, students can never enjoy the stimulating atmosphere of university culture and experience the camaraderie of ‘student life’, both of which are essential to the university students’ personal growth and the development”.

Professor Marginson insisted that the scholarly traditions and the research strengths of the universities are irreplaceable in the development of modern societies. He argued that schools that lack the traditional educational base and the history of academic research can never pretend to serve the social and the economic needs of society. Social Change and University Development

Since privately-run educational institutions lack the powerful teaching and re- search strengths of universities it impossible for them to undertake large-scale and complex research projects, and therefore they cannot produce the type of results that truly cater to the social and economic needs of the people. These privately-run institutions are teaching-centered, and their primary goal is not to advance the sciences and the arts and move society forward in the ways that are second nature to research-oriented universities.

At the end of the interview, Professor Marginson concluded that although glo- balization has brought with it enormous challenges and extraordinary opportuni- ties to these institutions of advanced research and higher learning, the university still remains the backbone of higher education.

Su Zhiwu, President of the Communication University of China

Su Zhiwu: The “Hybrid Major” is not an Ideal Way to Cultivate Competent Communication Graduates

Interviewer: He Tao On the morning of November 2nd, 2007, Dr. Su Zhiwu, President of the Commu- nication University of China delivered a keynote speech entitled Communication Influences the World, and Education Influences Communication at the Panel Session on Social Change and University Development. During the tea break, Dr. Su was interviewed by a journalist from Peking University News.

Journalist: The Chinese communication industry has been faced with an un- precedented period of development, and in order to stay relevant higher educa- tion has had to match this progress. Yet some people still think that the current content and quality of Chinese education in communication are unable to keep pace with the rapid development of society. What is your opinion?

Su Zhiwu: This is a very good question. Now, the development of the commu- nication industry is a product of the gradual convergence of a number of differ- ent media. And the branch of higher education that deals with communication must try to keep pace with the times. In order to accommodate these advances, it must adjust its curriculum, reform its teaching methods, and give free rein to personnel development and to scientific research in the ever booming media industry.

Journalist: While education in mass media is expanding, more and more gradu- ates in the field of communication cannot gain the upper hand over graduates from other disciplines when they are applying for jobs. Given this circumstance, how should the communication graduates make full use of their advantages?

Su Zhiwu: We have to acknowledge that the personnel-recruiting system of the regular employers of communication graduates has already changed. For example, a great many new specialized TV channels and radio channels have emerged, and so the employers are seeking graduates from other disciplines as well as communication graduates. I think the best solution would be to integrate pro- fessionals from the other disciplines with those from that of mass media. Some economics and law majors have a solid foundation in general knowledge, but they are sorely lacking in communication expertise. So once they get involved in the mass media industry of TV or radio, they will need a period of time to adjust to the industry. If the development of the entire communication industry de- pended solely on these people, there would be some serious problems. For instance, if the personnel employed by a TV station to develop and deliver the Social Change and University Development

content of a program on economics were all economics majors, I would imagine that the news on economics produced by these people would be highly unsatisfactory. In a case like this, the expertise of communication graduates would be more than obvious.

In order to meet the diverse needs of employers, some colleges are producing “hybrid” graduates who have combined majors in a variety of disciplines. For example, some graduates combine a major in economics with a major in law. I don’t think this approach is the best way to produce competent graduates. A better method might be to have the students study different subjects at different stages in their academic careers. For example, a student could major in mass communication as an undergraduate, and then study law, economics, or any other discipline in graduate school. If students are forced to study two disci- plines simultaneously, they will master neither.

Journalist: Nowadays, some regulators of mass media have introduced vulgar- ity into their programming. To some extent, this phenomenon has caused a lapse in morality and credibility standards in society. What responsibilities do educators who are teaching courses in mass media in schools of higher educa- tion have to promote the higher principles of human civilization?

Su Zhiwu: Different schools in different countries expect different standards of morality from their communication graduates. In China, we emphasize in our universities that communication majors should have a higher level of political astuteness than other majors. The negative phenomenon you have mentioned should be curbed by the government through the enforcement of censorship laws. In Chinese colleges, our major responsibility as educators is to improve the students’ political and moral standards, to produce qualified graduates, and to ensure that communication graduates seek the truth from the facts, and be- have as responsible journalists. Xu Zhihong, President of Peking University

Xu Zhihong: Striking a Balance Between Independence and Social Demand in University Development

Interviewer: He Tao The Reunion of University Presidents was held as part of the morning session of Beijing Forum for November 4th 2007, and this gathering was attended by presi- dents from over 50 universities from around the world. At this meeting, Xu Zhihong, President of Peking University, agreed to be interviewed by our jour- nalist from Peking University News.

Journalist: Now that Beijing Forum has been held successfully for four years in a row, to what extent do you think such a high-profile forum will help to build Peking University’s prestige as a world-class university?

Xu Zhihong: Every year there are a great many academic conferences held in venues around the world, but most of these conferences focus on a single discipline, more often than not one from the field of natural science. Beijing Forum is distinguished by its focus on humanitarian studies, on the social sciences, and on the world-wide demand for social change and development. What is unique about Beijing Forum is that its main focus is the humanities and various fields in the social sciences. Social Change and University Development

I am confident that the scholarly activities at Beijing Forum will broaden the horizons of the faculty and the students of Peking University, not only by giving them a deeper understanding of their own civilization, but also by allowing them to see their culture within the wider global context. Beijing Forum makes a contribution to world peace and prosperity by providing a platform for informed exchanges between the very best scholars and the most distinguished thinkers from all over the world on topics that bear directly on the health and the social development of all humankind.

Journalist: In this session, scholars from all over the world have paid close attention to the social responsibilities of universities. According to Clark Kerr, an American educator, the function of modern universities should include nur- turing talent, conducting scientific research and serving society. Do you think that is how Peking University positions itself as an academic institution?

Xu Zhihong: Historically, Peking University has positioned itself in the academic world as a “research-oriented university”. On one hand, we are in the business of nurturing undeveloped and emerging talents, and over the years we have edu- cated graduates for our country who are cultivated in the various fields of the humanities. On the other hand, as a research-oriented university we must strive for and achieve high standards in a comprehensive range of scientific endeavors. Currently, many of our teachers in the liberal arts and the sciences are undertak- ing important state-level scientific research projects.

Apart from nurturing promising talents and undertaking important scientific research, projects, our university resources are also dedicated to serving Chi- nese society. For example, many of the results that have been achieved by our researchers are presently being employed in our industrial sectors. Outside of the purely academic sphere, we provide various types of training in different localities, and many of our students are committed to voluntary community service. In modern times, universities enjoy great social support, and I believe that it is necessary for us to contribute to the society and pay back the investment that China has made in education. Journalist: A university exists within a distinct social context, which means that many external factors will have an impact on the university’s development. How will Peking University respond to outside social demands and pressures, and at the same time retain those characteristics that have made Peking Uni- versity what it is today?

Xu Zhihong: Actually, this is a common challenge that must be faced not only by Peking University and other Chinese universities, but also by universities and educational institutions in other countries. Modern Chinese universities are not the ivory towers they once were in the eighteenth century, but after the imple- mentation of reform and the opening up policy, they have become more autono- mous both in their funding and their administration. For example, Peking Uni- versity includes traditional departments that pursue traditional disciplinary research, but also a law school and a school of business that must answer first to the demands of the judiciary and to the free market economy respectively.

Modern universities cannot ignore the needs and demands of their hosting societies, but must try to strike a balance between scholarly independence and social reality. In other words, many of the applied disciplines that are taught in universities can benefit from the insights and the initiatives found in the humani- ties and the natural sciences, while many of the pure and hypothetical disciplines that are pursued by academics can benefit society by discovering ways to make their achievements serviceable to the public. Afterword

Beijing Forum celebrated its fourth successful anniversary in Beijing from the 2nd to the 4th of November, 2007. On this memorable occasion, 441 renowned scholars drawn from 42 different countries from around the world met at the Great Hall of the People and various Peking University venues to discuss the theme of “Diversity in the Development of Human Civilization” in the pursuit of “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All”.

As in the earlier meetings of Beijing Forum, the atmosphere of the two day conference was charged with exciting and illuminating discussion and with the clash of scholarly argument and debate, giving new authority to the old Confu- cian maxim that “Exemplary persons seek harmony but not conformity”. The great variety of scholarly presentations and papers were warmly received by all of the participants, and many significant academic achievements were unveiled by the speakers and recorded by the media attending the conference from home in China, and from many nations abroad.

A three day window does not provide enough time to complete the work of this world-class conference, or so many of the scholars insisted while earnestly pur- suing their academic exchanges. Notwithstanding, the annual gathering of some of the world’s finest minds at Beijing Forum is an event of far-reaching signifi- cance since it is a unique opportunity for renowned scholars in the humanities and the social sciences to meet and share the findings of their latest scholarly investigations while discussing their original perspectives on the Forum’s ongo- ing theme of “The Harmony of Civilizations and Prosperity for All”. The forum is also an ideal chance for these scholars and world experts to broadcast their humanitarian ideas to a wider audience of informed academics and professionals who have the power to influence their countries’ decision-makers and persuade them to develop more wide-ranging and compassionate policies. This is the return paid back by these talented minds and the true meaning of Beijing Forum.

Zhou Yongming: Look at New Media with a Cold Eye of History, Interviews with the Scholars of Beijing Forum, Volume IV. P71 As a way to compensate for the protracted nature of Beijing Forum, and at the same time to preserve an accurate record of the scholarly discussions and the lively debates that have distinguished this particular session of the conference, the Editorial Committee of Beijing Forum has carefully and judiciously chosen twenty six of the best and most informative interviews with the renowned schol- ars who participated in the Forum, and has compiled them into a single volume entitled Interviews with the Scholars of Beijing Forum, Volume IV. Unlike the profundity and opacity of most specialized academic works, this book was de- signed for the average reader and features lively and simple language on topics that are closely related to reality.

Owing to the limited space in this edition of Interviews with the Scholars of Beijing Forum, the Editorial Committee had the difficult and unenviable task of selecting from among all of the interviews conducted with the scholars. However, those who are interested in acquiring additional information on the participants, or more details about the annual meetings of Beijing Forum and its academic achievements can log on to the official website of Beijing Forum at www. beijingforum.org.

In conclusion, the Editorial Committee of Beijing Forum would like to extend its sincere thanks to all of the editors and reporters from Peking University News Center, and to all of the staff of the Secretariat of Beijing Forum for their untir- ing efforts in helping to give birth to this edition of Interviews with the Scholars. Any criticisms and corrections will be greatly appreciated.

The Editorial Committee of Beijing Forum June 2008