Developing a Collection for Chinese Studies

BY S. K. Ll

EvER SINCE the fall of the Chinese main­ Mr. Li has been Reference Librarian of land to the Communists in 1949, the sub­ the Chinese News Service in New York for ject of China has been a highly contro­ the past ten years. versial issue not only in United States politics but also in the United Nations. ments of the Chinese mainland, the With the drastic change of China and Treasury department now issues import its significant impact on the world, the documents for books and magazines orig­ demand for publications from China inating in Red China, while all other and about China has considerably in­ Chinese imports are still forbidden. creased in the last decade. The estab­ It goes without saying that nearly all lishment of more research centers on materials from the Chinese mainland Communism and the call for teaching are Communist literature or non-Com­ about Communism in secondary educa­ munist classical works annotated by the tion are other developments which re­ Communists. A typical example of the quire even a school library to develop a Chinese Communist approach to the tra­ certain collection on China. College and ditional Chinese culture is their interpre­ research libraries are now, more than tation of Confucianism. At the forum of ever before, in need of better collections the China Society of Philosophy recently for the study of China. held in Peiping, the participants heated­ In the face of the United States' non­ ly debated whether Confucius was a "re­ recognition policy toward the Chinese actionary," when he said: "Don't do to Communists and especially of the pro­ people what you do not wish to be done hibition of "trade with the enemy" as to yourself." Like their perversion of enacted during the Korean war, acquisi­ modern world history that it was the tion librarians have encountered con­ Soviet Union rather than the United siderable difficulties in ordering publi­ States that had been the main force in cations originated on the Chinese main­ defeating the Japanese militarists in land. On March 17, 1961, the restriction World War II, is Peiping's historians' on Chinese books was slightly relaxed, characterization of the long history of when President Kennedy ordered the China as a history full of struggles be­ end of an interception system under tween poor exploited peasants and the which the Customs Bureau had withheld feudal landlords. or destroyed Communist propaganda Even in scientific literature, Peiping's sent to the United States from behind theoreticians, believing that the rules of the Iron Curtain. This administrative or­ dialectical materialism are the only uni­ der, however, has caused a heated debate versal law of all social and natural phe­ in Congress. as well as among organiza­ nomena, attempt to apply dialectics to tions and individuals regarding the dis­ scientific knowledge, regardless of mak­ tinction between "Red propaganda" and ing any sense of the subject. Chinese material of research value and question­ theories of medicine read "like an alle­ ing whether or not the post office should gory from the time of Charlemagne forward materials for the Communists. heavily loaded with Marxist dialectics," To promote research on the develop- says Dr. W. W. Bauer, director emeritus

MARCH 1963 131 of health education, American Health piled by Richard Harris lists more pub­ Association.1 Quoting an article by Ar­ lications of American and Chinese pub­ thur F. Gonzalez which appeared in are­ lishers than those published in the Uni­ cent issue of Today's Health (published ted Kingdom. The China Quarterly pub­ by the American Medical Association), lished in London by the Information· Dr. Bauer noted: "[Chinese] patients are Bulletin, Ltd. on behalf of the Congress supposed to fight their sickness with for Cultural Freedom is a scholarly jour­ strong will power and revolutionary op­ nal which carries not only research ar­ timism."2 ticles on China but also a quarterly Chinese Communism is indeed more chronicle and documentation. doctrinaire than Russian Communism. Inside the Communist bloc, produc­ Pyotr Kapitsa, one of the Soviet Union's tion of books about China is rather lim­ outstanding scientists, openly conceded ited in content, largely due to lack of in a recent issue of the Ekonomiches freedom of speech. For instance, Premier Kaya Gazeta) economic newspaper of the Khrushchev criticized the Chinese com­ Soviet Communist Party, that dialectics mune system a number of times in alone could not solve any scientific prob­ speeches. Yet no one in the Soviet Union 1I lem, and he attempts to apply this thesis has written a book critically examining as the unique clue to what has hampered Mao Tse-tung's commune adventures. In the progress of the Soviet science. a On 1946 the Harvard University Press pub­ August 1 the Soviet Communist Party lished a bibliography of Russian litera­ unprecedently announced that the party ture on China and adjacent countries. would not intervene in a theoretical dis­ Compiled by Rudolf Lowenthal, the pute in the field of medicine. bibliography covers the period from l While the Chinese Communists are 1931 to 1936. Tung-li Yuan's Russian rapidly transforming the pattern of the Works on China in American Libraries_, Chinese way of life to suit their totali­ covering the period, 1918-1960, was pub­ tarian ideology, Taiwan is now a reser­ lished by the Yale University Press in voir of traditional Chinese culture. To 1961. The following is a separate and J strengthen its research program on Chi­ brief review of the publications from the na, Stanford University established last Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, and the fall a Chinese culture-research institute in United States.

Taiwan headed by Albert Dien, a sinolo­ MAINLAND CHINA gist. In addition to books from Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, publications Strictly speaking all publications from about _China from United States publish­ mainland China now are but Chinese ers and the university press have been Communist "government" publications, voluminous in recent years. Librarians, because under the severest communiza­ collecting materials for research on Chi­ tion program in the world no private na, should be able to draw from all the publisher in China can do business with­ three major sources: Taiwan, Chinese out official approval and substantial sup­ mainland, and United States publishers port from the Communist machinery. and research centers. Since the Communist occupation of the British and French publishers also mainland in 1949 up to the end of 1950, turn out quite a number of books on the sole Chinese government publishing China. However, a British bibliography enterprise was the Hsin Hua (New Chi­ on China entitled Modern China com- na) book company with some three thou­ sand branch offices all over the country. 1 Seattle Times, December 13 , 1961. In accordance with resolutions adopted 2 New York Mirror,lune 6, 1962. 3 New York Times, pril 15, 1962. by a national conference of the company

132 COLLEGE A' ND RESEARCH LIBRARIES in the fall of 1950, the business of the Tung Book Company is to emphasize company was split into three independent children's literature. units: the Hsin Hua Book Company, According to 1960 Chinese Communist using the original title of the company, statistics, there are 119 publishers on the as the sole national distributor of all Chinese mainland who turned out in publications in the nation; the Hsin the year a total of 2,393,090,000 volumes Hua printing plant as the unit of pro­ under 46,018 titles; 1,884 newspapers, and duction; and the People's Publishing 808 periodicals. Among Peiping's major House as the government publisher. national dailies are the ]en Min ]ih Pao ("People's Daily"), organ of the Central Since 1951, even the nominally pri­ Committee of the Chinese Communist vate companies such as the Commercial Party, the Kung ]en ]ih Pao ("Daily Press, the Chung Hua Book Company Worker"), organ of the National Federa­ and the Kai Ming Book Company have tion of Labor Unions, the Kuang Ming gradually handed over their circulation ]ih Pao ("The Illuminating Daily"), business to the national distributor Hsin organ of the satellite political parties in Hua to "reduce handling expenses and China or the voice of the fellow-travel­ to avoid competition in the same busi­ ling Chinese intellectuals on the main­ ness." Starting January 1, 1953, the Min­ land, the Ta Kung Pao ("The Impar­ istry of Posts and Tele-Communications tial"), nominally owned by civilians and took over the management of circulation officially assigned to publish stories on of newspapers and periodicals in accord­ problems of commerce, finance, and eco­ ance with new measures governing the nomics, and the Wen Huei Pao, also improvement of publication circulation nominally a civilian paper, assigned to work promulgated on December 30, publish materials for teachers in the 1952, while the Hsin Hua Book Com­ public schools. pany with a number of other book stores The major Chinese Communist na­ continued handling the sales of irregular tional magazines include the Hongqi series and general books including text­ ("Red Flag"), fortnightly theoretical books and pictorials. journal of the Chinese Communist Par­ Aside from the People's Publishing ty; the Scientia Sinica ("China's Sci­ House as the government publisher of ence") published monthly by the Chi­ general political, economic, and cultural nese academy of science; the fortnightly works, the Bureau of Publication Affairs Chung Huo Ching Nien ("Chinese of the Ministry of Culture has set up Youth"), organ of the Chinese Commu­ separate publishing agencies to turn out nist youth corps; the monthly Hsueh Hsi books on special subjects such as the ("Studies"), designed for general indoc- People's Science and Technology Press, trination of the Communist cadres and the People's Medical Science Press, the the masses; the monthly ]en Min Wen China Youth Press, and the People's Lit­ Hsueh ("The People's Literature"), or­ erature Press. Meanwhile the nominally gan of the Union of Chinese Writers; private publishers in Red China have and the Chung-kuo Fu-nu ("Chinese been respectively assigned to emphasize Women"), fortnightly organ of the All certain subjects. The· Commercial Press China Women's Federation. and the Chung Hua Book Company are For foreign consumption, the Chinese to turn out more publications on science, Communists publish such periodicals as engineering, and agriculture, the Kai the Peking Review in English, a "weekly Ming Book Company is to stress applied magazine of news and views;" the fort­ science, history, literature, and "middle­ nightly China Pictorial} available in six­ level" reading materials, and the Ta teen foreign languages including Eng-

MARCH 1963 133 lish; the monthly China Reconstructs in publications arranged by the Dewey deci­ English and Spanish; and the monthly · mal system. The most useful reference Chinese Literature in English, mainly book about Taiwan and the major devel­ translations of contemporary and classi­ opments on the Chinese mainland is the cal Chinese literature. The Foreign Lan­ China Yearbook published in English by guage Press in Peiping is the principal the China Publishing Company in Tai­ publisher on the Chinese mainland that pei. Following the inauguration of the produces books and periodicals in West­ Republic of China in 1911, this annual ern languages. The Quozi Shudien (In­ has continued publication up to the ternational Book Store) is the sole dis­ present time. Illustrated with charts, tributor for the Foreign Language Press maps, and photographs, the yearbook publications. contains comprehensive data on Chinese For the reference of research workers politics, economic development, and cul­ and policy makers, the American Con­ tural activities. sulate-General in Hong Kong releases a Another annual useful for the study daily Survey of China Mainland Press, of Taiwan is the Taiwan Directory pub­ a monthly Selections from Mainland lished by the China News and Publica­ Magazines, and Current Background, a tions Service in Taipei. The directory collection of articles on a certain subject. lists basic information on Chinese Na­ All three releases are English translations tionalist government organizations, Amer­ of texts of articles which had appeared ican diplomatic and military missions, in the Chinese Communist periodicals Chinese and American firms, and in­ or daily newspapers. Also in Hong Kong, teresting tourist data. Most of the Tai­ the China News Analysis, a comprehen­ wan radio stations · and newspapers are sive and analytical English weekly news also listed in the directory. Among the digest of the China mainland press, is more than thirty dailies published in useful in helping the people outside the Taiwan, the Central Daily News reflects curtain to catch up with the current the Chinese Nationalist official views on development on the Chinese mainland. the current issues. The two English dai­ The University of Hong Kong has pub­ lies published in Taipei are the China lished a reference tool entitled Contem­ News and the China Post. porary China. Edited by Stuart Kirby, Of the more than five hundred peri­ the 1958 edition contains research pa­ odicals published in Taiwan, those in pers on the current issues of the Chi­ English include the China Culture Quar­ nese Communist movements, the most terly, the monthly Free China Review, important documents of the Reds, and the monthly China Today, the Free a bibliography of books and periodical China and Asia monthly, and the month­ articles about China published in the ly Industry of Free China. Among the British colony and in Taiwan. Chinese periodicals the best known in the purely literary field are the monthly TAIWAN Wen-hsueh Tsa-chih ("Literary Maga­ To keep the public informed about zine") and the monthly Wen Hsing the new books published in Taiwan, the ("Literary Star"). The Information De­ bibliography center of the National Cen­ partment of the Taiwan provincial gov­ tral library in Taipei compiles and pub­ ernment published a 136-page booklet lishes a Monthly List of Chinese Books. comprising a complete list of the peri­ In addition to the continual listing of a odicals, newspapers, news agencies, pub­ "monthly list of Chinese publications" lishers, and radio stations now in Tai­ the journal carries scholarly articles, ab­ wan. stracts, and a selected list of Chinese While the monthly Free China Review

134 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES is rich in resource inaterial on current edge in China up to that period. The subjects, the quarterly Chinese Culture emperor named it Yung-loh Ta-tien after is the scholarly journal which turns out his reigning title Yung Loh. The Yung­ not only academic works but also bibli­ loh Ta-t'ien, completely a hand-copy ographical data and reference materials work, is now incomplete because of de­ useful for research on Chinese tradi­ struction during social disturbances in tions. In cooperation with the China Chinese history and in 1900 in the wake Cultural Foundation, the Institute of of the disastrous Boxer Rebellion. Chinese Culture, publisher of the quar­ terly journal, has published a three-hun­ UNITED STATES WoRKs dred-volume China Study Series. The se­ While the Yung-loh Ta-tien is con­ ries carries such useful bibliographies as cerned with works up to the fifteenth an index of articles in learned periodi­ century, Henri Cordier's Bibliotheca cals of China published since 1912, by Sinica, with its final volume printed in Chang Chun; index to educational ar­ 1924, recorded publications in western ticles, 1946-56, by Szu Chi; bibliography languages from sixteenth century up to of Chinese bibliographies from ancient the twentieth century. To continue Cor­ to modern times, by Liang Tze-han; and dier's Bibliotheca Sinica, Tung-li Yuan the national bibliography of the Repub­ completed in 1958 his China in Western lic of China by the National Central li­ Literature. This bibliography includes brary. For foreign readers, the National all publications produced both inside Central library publishes a selected bib­ and outside China in the western lan­ liography of the Republic of China. Ar­ guages from 1921 to 1957. In 1961, ranged by subjects, this selected list of Yuan's Guide to Doctoral Dissertations books is published together with a di­ by Chinese Students in America, 1905- rectory of publishers in Taiwan. Section 1960, was released under the auspices of VII of the bibliography lists the most the Sino-American Society. To provide important works on Chinese history and information on books released on the ancient classics. Chinese mainland, the East Asian Re­ The Ssu-ku Shan-pen Ts'ung-shu search Center of Harvard University has Kuan, Chinese rare-book publisher in compiled a bibliography entitled Chi­ Taipei, has started reproducing in fac­ nese Communist Studies of Modern Chi­ simile a series entitled Ssu-ku Shan-pen nese His tory listing some five hundred Ts'ung-shu ("Collected Reprints of Rare books dating up to 1959. Works from the Four Classics of Chi­ According to Edwin Beal of the Li­ nese Literature"). The Taipei China brary of Congress, the first of the three News reported early in 1962 that the volumes of an index to the Chinese col­ World Book Company in Taipei would lectanea was published in Communist publish before the end of the year 1,000 China in 1959.4 Comparatively up-to­ of the original 11,095 volumes of the date information on the development of Yung-loh Ta-tien ("Yung-loh Encyclo­ the various fields on the Chinese main­ pedia"), reputed to be the greatest aca­ land was made available by the United demic endeavor in Chinese history. Com­ States Joint Publications and Research piled by some three thousand scholars Services by releasing among other things during over four years in the early fif­ a bibliography, Contemporary China, in teenth century by the order of Emperor 1961. It lists titles and a brief descrip­ Cheng Tsu of the Ming dynasty on the tion of the contents of the articles which basis of all the books available at that appeared in the Chinese mainland serials time, the four-hundred-million-word set • Library of Congress Quarterly Journal of Current covers the entire range of human knowl- Acqttisitions, February 1961, 66-67.

MARCH 1963 135 from late 1957 to July 1960. All articles United States organizations concerned listed have been translated from Chinese with Chinese studies. into English. Prepared for the joint com­ The journal of Asian Studies} organ mittee on contemporary China of the of the Association for Asian Studies, Inc., American Council of Learned Societies is essential to research on China. Its com­ and the Social Science Research Coun­ paratively comprehensive book reviews cil, the bibliography was compiled under together with an annual bibliography the coordination of the technical service will keep one up-to-date about publica­ of the Department of Commerce. tions in the field. Other publications of Meanwhile, G. K. Hall & Co. an­ the association, the newsletter and the nounced in August the publication of monographs, are also helpful. With the an Index to Learned Chinese Periodicals expansion of United States research pro­ of the East Asian Library of Columbia grams on China, the study of the Chi­ University. The index is an author and nese language has steadily increased not subject guide to the contents of thirteen only at the research centers but also in Chinese journals, covering the years 1923 secondary education. According to a sur­ to 1954. In addition to the East Asian vey recently conducted by the Institute Institute of Columbia University, other of Far Eastern Studies, Seton Hall U ni­ major institutions or libraries doing re­ versity, there are now twenty high search and holding large collections on schools, four adult education programs China include the Library of Congress, and seventeen elementary schools in the Chinese Division; the University of Cali­ United States where instruction of the fornia (Berkeley), Center for Chinese Chinese language is given in one way or Studies; the University of Chicago, Far another.5 Eastern library; Harvard University, Universities which offer comprehen­ East Asian Research Center and Chinese­ sive Chinese language courses include Japanese library; University of Michi­ Princeton, Columbia, Southern Califor­ gan, Department of Foreign Studies; Stan­ nia, Stanford, Yale, American,. George­ ford University, Hoover Institution on town, Michigan State, Michigan, Min­ War, Revolution and Peace; University nesota, St. Louis, Cornell, Oregon, Penn­ of Washington, Far Eastern and Russian sylvania, Pittsburgh, Washington, Wis­ Institute; and . I~stitute of Far Eastern consin, and Ohio State. • • Studies, Seton Hall University. The American Institutions and Organizations G "Report on the Teaching of the Chinese Language in High Schools," by Dr. J ohn B. Tsu at the annual Interested in Asia compiled by Asia So­ meeting of the Association of Teachers of Chinese Lang­ uage and Culture held on May 11, 1962, at the Univer­ ciety is a comparatively complete list of sity of Maryland, College Park.

Midwest Academic Librarians Conference

ST. LoUis UNIVERSITY and Washington University are jointly sponsoring the eighth Midwest Academic Librarians _confer_ence on April_ 5 and 6 i? St. Louis. Registration and Friday's meeti. ~gs will be at Was_hmgt~n ~m­ versity; Saturday morning's and lunch will be ~t St. Loms Umversity. Speakers will include Joseph H. Reason, executive secretary of ACR~ , Eugene Mackey of the architectura~ firrr;t of ~ urphy a?d. Mackey, St. Loms, who designed the Washington Umvers1ty Ltbrary bmldmg. Don Oehlerts, Colorado State University, and Baniel P. Bergen, St. Benedict's College, will lead round table discussions. • •

136 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES