"Look, somebody is finally going on a journey." In the China Today magazine office, this is almost the highest accolade for a young journalist.

The ancient city of Beijing preserves its original outlook, a picture in the fifth issue of 1952.

As a multi-language international communication magazine, its readers are of diverse nationalities, and their cultural backgrounds, life styles and political beliefs are different from those of the Chinese people. It is therefore necessary for its editors and journalists to get to know the culture outside China, and understand the differences.

The English edition of China Today has the largest circulation of all its various editions. Editors pay great attention to the differences between the Chinese and English and American cultures. For instance, Chinese people advocate the doctrine of the mean, and when answering questions, often avoid the direct responses, "right" or "wrong," preferring to use more non-committal phrases such as "perhaps" "maybe" or "possibly." The Chinese culture is heavily influenced by hierarchy and seniority, which is in direct contrast to that of the West, where independence and equality are advocated. One example of this is reflected in the addressing of an envelope. In China, the order is country, province, city, and street, while for an English envelope the order is just the opposite. The Chinese stress is more on the collective and less on the individual, as pointed out by Shen Suru in his book, "China's International Communication -- A Theoretical Study." In the past, the Chinese people would use self-deprecatory expressions, and refer to themselves as "your humble servant" or as being "without ability." Westerners can be seen to be quite the opposite, simply in their capitalization of the letter "I." Also, at a Chinese dining table, the dishes are shared by all, while in a Western restaurant, each diner eats his or her own discrete meal.

At the initial stages, young journalists were trained through the practice known as "driving ducks into the water." They would be sent to cover stories in various regions of the country, given strict instructions, and were required to write news stories in English. When a young woman college graduate came to work for China Reconstructs, she was assigned to cover a story in a village in Hunan Province. No one was there to greet her, and she spent the night on the upper floor of an uninhabited bamboo bungalow, as the lower floor was used as a livestock shed. Later, this young woman became an expert in dealing with economic and medical topics. In the past 50 years there have been many ups and downs, and life has been colorful. The editors and reporters of China Today, after so much time and practice, are now precious talents within China's international communications. In recent years, Shen Suru, former deputy editor-in-chief of China Today, has published two books on international communications, introducing its basic principles, and summarizing the experience he has accumulated over decades. These books have become guides to newcomers.

The purpose of editors and reporters in understanding the cultural differences between the East and the West prior to China's reform and opening changed after the policy came into force. Before China's reform and opening, editors and reporters wanted to adopt forms that were acceptable to all readers and arouse in them a feeling of affinity. Since China's reform and opening, however, the structure of the world has changed, particularly as regards China's status in the international community. The role of "savior" has been discarded, and China is introduced to the world in a calmer, more confident manner, the emphasis being on the pursuit of mutual understanding.