Preface to this Edition

The first-hand observations on which this book is based date from the years 1978 to 1983 that I spent in China as resident correspondent for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Real Life China" was first published only in Australia, thanks to the marketing arrangements of multinational corporate publishers. For most of the past twenty years the book has been out of print. During this time I have continued to hear from readers who have valued the perspectives provided on contemporary events in China, and who have sought out copies of the book in libraries and second-hand bookshops.

Electronic publishing now makes it possible for the book to be generally available once more, and perhaps to reach a wider range of readers and researchers interested in China's complex path through modern history.

Reviewing the text after twenty years, I decided not to attempt the extensive revisions and annotations that would be needed if I were to try to account for all that has happened in China and the world since 1983. Rather, the book is available in its original form, as a reflection of China during the period in which the book was generated, not the China or the world of today. I have amended the book title to "Real Life China 1978-1983", so as to clarify the temporal context.

Acknowledgements

This book was possible only through the trust and co-operation of very many ordinary Chinese, official and unofficial, including the Information Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, my formal hosts in China. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation assigned me to China as a correspondent, and supported me there over the five years during which the material was gathered. Lastly, my wife Dilber, supported, advised, and nursed me generously throughout the long months of gestation. To each of these, and to other friends who may recognize pieces of themselves in these pages, I owe my sincerest thanks.

Author's Note on Pronunciation

For Chinese names and phrases, I have used the Pinyin romanizations now accepted as the world standard for the Chinese language. A decision is not so simple in the cases of place names such as Peking and Canton which have been standardized in the English language for generations. A number of governments, however, including American and Australian, have been persuaded in the course of restoring relations with the Peoples Republic to adopt standard northern Chinese pronunciations and spellings for these place names. There is no sensible precedent for this, and the Chinese certainly do not reciprocate, coining their own versions at will for all foreign names, to suit their own language. However, on the grounds that official and journalistic usage are following this odd and onesided trend, I have been persuaded to use here the two most common place names, Peking and Canton, in their local forms - Beijing and Guangzhou.

For those unfamiliar with the Pinyin romanization, a rough guide:

Vowels - closely approximate to English. Read diphthongs as separate vowels.

Consonants - generally consistent with English, with the following variations: the second column represents the nearest English equivalent.

c = ts
q = ch
x = sh
z = dz
zh = j (not the Russian voiced sibilant, as in Zhivago)

© Richard Thwaites 1986-2011