Suggestions

After conducting serious research and investigation, we would now make the following suggestions:

1. Among Chinese magazines for overseas readers, China Today is the best. It has made great improvements to its columns, articles, language, and layout design. For many years, it has served as a window on China's culture, economy, and politics, playing an active part in expanding the influence of China and promoting the understanding of China's reform and opening-up.

2. Since copies of the magazine are complimentary at Chinese embassies abroad, China Today is regarded by readers as a foreign public relations publication financed by the Chinese government. As it is not distributed through commercial channels, its channel of circulation is restricted, and it gives no impression of market competition. In general, therefore, its improvements in various aspects are not fundamental to its basic aim.

3. The boss of the Brussels Great Wall Bookstore, who is an old friend of China, is not in favor of the free copies of foreign-language periodicals available at the Chinese embassies. He says that these publications should be transferred into commercial channels. When readers buy magazines at their own expense, they read them more seriously, and free copies find few readers. He appeals to the departments concerned to pay attention to this. Some friends also suggest that greater improvements should be made regarding articles and pictures so as to make them more appropriate to the tastes of foreign readers.

4. Strengthening the role of magazines in Sino-foreign exchange. We suggest you carry more advertisements, such as for major Chinese travel agencies, important cultural and economic activities, and arts festivals. In recent years, the number of Chinese visiting Europe has increased year by year. They go there to travel, give performances, or do business, but have difficulty in finding relevant addresses and phone numbers. It would be appreciated if you could help solve such practical difficulties.

The Cultural Department of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium

Suggestions

China Today is popular among Singaporean readers. The pictures and articles in your magazine are excellent, and vividly reflect the prosperity of today's China. We would make the following suggestions as regards improving your magazine:

1. Increase the contents on current affairs, and improve the quality of texts and pictures.

2. Shorten your articles and increase the quantity of information.

3. The contents of culture and tourism are rich, but we would like to see more information about services.

4. Expand the influence of your magazine through invitations to investors and tourism promotion.

The Cultural Department of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore

Suggestions

I suggest you change your magazine from monthly to bi-monthly, which would make it more punctual. Articles should be shorter, and geared more to the readers' preferences, and those on tourism should be more practical, providing tour routes and names of travel agencies. In addition, the style of your articles might be changed a little to make them more readable.

Xu Shicheng
Institute of Latin-American Studies