| Note | INTRODUCTION, Yves Nalet, S.J., Chief-Editor, 1988-1998.
On August 25, 1953, the first issue of China News Analysis (CNA) was published in Hong Kong. A weekly newsletter of seven pages printed on thin "Indian" paper, it was, as its editor wrote three years later, "then and now the only English newsletter about China based on Chinese sources." (CNA, No. 145, August 24, 1956, p. 5). Indeed, "with the purpose of serving all those who want to follow events inside China" (CNA, No. 1, August 25, 1953, p. 1), the newsletter drew its analyses from a careful reading of a collection of Chinese newspapers and magazines.
A SHORT HISTORY
Father Lazlo Ladany, the founder of the newsletter was its sole editor from 1953 until 1982. First a weekly, CNA became a fortnightly in January 1979. In 1982, after having published 1,250 issues or some 8,750 pages, Father Ladany decided to retire to devote time to the writing of books. In 1988, he published The Communist Party of China and Marxism, 1921-1985—A Self-Portrait (C. Hurst and Company, London, 588 p.) and in 1992, two years after his death, a manuscript he had left was edited by Marie-Louise Näth under the title Law and Legality in China—The Testament of a China Watcher (C. Hurst and Company, London, 179 p.).
In 1983, the publication of the newsletter was suspended but resumed in January 1984 under the editorship of a team of four Jesuits: FF. Maurice Brosseau (publisher), Dominique Tyl (chief-editor), Michel Masson and Yves Nalet (editors). In 1984, the newsletter continued to be a fortnightly, but in 1985 it became a twice-monthly, with 25 issues a year, the last one being the year index. In 1988, Fr. Michel Masson became the publisher and Fr. Yves Nalet, the chief-editor. In 1994, the decision was taken to move from Hong Kong and join the recently established Socio-Cultural Research Center (SCRC) under the College of Law at Fu Jen University, Taiwan. Fr. Nalet continued as chief-editor until the decision was taken to stop the publication in December 1998.
THE CONTENTS OF THE CD-ROM
The whole collection of China News Analysis consists of 1,625 issues: 1,250 until 1982 and 375 between 1984 and 1998, a total of over 12,200 pages. These issues and pages are now available to researchers on this CD-Rom.
The preparation of the CD-Rom included first a scanning of the whole collection, which is available as “image.” The HTML version that was derived from this first scanning (with the exception of the indexes which appeared every 25 issues, but which are available in the image files) went through a process of multiple revisions and editing. If, despite this careful revision work, some of the numerous errors that occurred during the conversion process are still to be found in the HTML version, we apologize to the users and invite them if they have a doubt to check with the "image" version.
The purpose of CNA was for Fr Ladany and the editors who continued after 1982 to “serve all those who want to follow events inside China.” Between 1953 and 1998, China went through multiple changes. However, to understand what is happening in present-day China, knowledge of the past is fundamental. This new tool will not only help researchers to find information and material on a given point of history but also anyone who wants to put into perspective the evolutions and changes of China today.
Print edition (OCLC#1554317) data:
Original newsletter size varies, 22-26 cm.
Semimonthly, Feb. 1989-1998.
Forty-eight no. a year, 1953-1978
Biweekly, 1979- . No. 1 (Aug. 25, 1953); Ceased with no. 1625 in 1998.
Suspended with no. 1249/50 (Dec. 31, 1982); resumed publication with no. 1251 (Jan. 2, 1984).
Issues beginning Sept. 1, 1994 published by: Socio-Cultural Research Center, Fu Jen University, Hsinchuang, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan, R.O.C.
No. 1-300, Aug. 25, 1953-Nov. 6, 1959 ; No. 301-450, Nov. 1959-Jan. 4, 1963. ; No. 452-600, 1963-Feb. 1966. |
