By staff reporter LI XIA

　Dialogue of the Century：Cultural Evolution and China's Fate
　Author: A Zheng
　537 Pages
　Published by China Social Science
　Publishing House
　Price: 28.00 yuan

　　What should Chinese intellectuals do, what obligations do they have towards society, and what is their role in the 20th and 21st centuries? These questions have sparked off hot debate among young scholars in recent years, reflecting a self-discovery by Chinese intellectuals of their role within society. Despite intellectuals being measured largely by their professional achievements, they should nevertheless maintain a social voice, and fulfill their responsibilities in the ways they are best qualified.
　　Dialogue of the Century, published during the last days of the 20th century, heralds a Chinese intellectual environment wherein intellectuals may fulfill their social obligations by means of their unique voice. The prerequisites include: first, with the 20th century marching to its close, 100 years worth of history, encompassing numerous issues, has been left at the intellectual door, in expectation of an appropriate conclusion. Second, the relationship between intellectuals and the general public, and society as a whole, has taken a turn for the better. For a certain period of time in the 20th century, owing to intense oppression, the voice of Chinese intellectuals was faint. Now, however, the situation has changed, and intellectuals may have their own say within society. Third, thanks to the rapid advancement of the media over the past few decades, intellectuals have a more ready access to the public. They can be heard through TV, the internet, books, newspapers and magazines. Under such circumstances, any default on the part of the intellectual in taking the opportunity for free speech means a loss, both to society and to themselves. It was with this overriding principle in mind that A Zheng, a prominent editor in Fujian Province, compiled the book, Dialogue of the Century.
　　Through the medium of dialogues, this book explores the assessments and analyses of various thinkers on the cultural issues of this century, as well as their suggestions and predictions for cultural trends in the 21st century, all with the aim of bringing to Chinese culture a greater vitality.
　　Within these dialogues, cultural issues fall into three categories: first, the basic tenets of Chinese culture - which aspects should be considered as heritage and therefore maintained and developed, and which should be discarded; and how traditional culture translates into China's social process. A thorough scrutiny of this issue, while involving many differing approaches, nevertheless brings into sharp relief a cultural panorama of the 20th century.
　　The second category focuses on mass culture, am inevitable phenomenon of everyday life, but largely ignored nonetheless. TV, for example, has become a staple item in most people's lives, but few consider the full implications of this fact. Still fewer would acknowledge the extent to which TV changes and influences our way of life, the alignment of our society and the course of its history. By delving into subjects involving the common people, scholars can themselves speak as a part of the masses, and offer guidance. Consequently, more people will become cognizant and therefore wary of the traps lurking within common cultural phenomena.
　　The third category — media culture — saw a miraculous development in the 20th century, and its influence has spread to an unimaginable extent. The internet, in particular, is putting a new perspective on all aspects of human life. As a communications channel for scholars to impart their ideas, as well as a window for the masses to comprehend the society in which they live, and contribute to it their voice, the media constitutes a bridges between academic circles and the general public, and scholars and the common people. Media culture can therefore exert influence on the academic expression and research of scholars, as well as on the more mundane affairs of the masses. The media offers information, expert opinion and suggestions, choices and options. However, the Chinese media is still far from mature. There are still many problems and questions to resolve, and it is therefore imperative that it be an open topic for general discussion.
　　All the above issues will survive the old century, and their significance will carry on for the next 100 years. At the turn of the century, many thinkers have fallen into profound reflection, rationalizing the culture of the 20th century, and attempting, within their own scope of perception, to adapt it into a framework which will follow on into the 21st century. Such endeavors have a great bearing on social development and the nation's cultural progress.
　　The editor believes that the medium of dialogue suits his book best. In the first place, he views dialogue as a means of confrontation between ideas and knowledge. The concepts sparked off from such confrontations are invariably more profound and complete than any emanating from an individual viewpoint: the instant received ideology fuses with latent academic accumulation on a binary level, what may then be brought into play is a concept both new and extraordinary. At the same time, the language of dialogue has greater impact through being on a more common footing, making easier its acceptance on a broader level, rather than exclusively that of an intellectual elite. Theories within the sphere of the educated may therefore find their way into the consciousness and eventual comprehension of the masses.
　　From the reader's point of view, the expounding of ideas through dialogue can emulate a face-to-face scenario. This sense of being on-the-scene gives the reader the scope for imagination eminently lacking in more prosaic narrative writing. On top of this, hot debate inevitably features gaps, both in language and logic. Readers, may thus fill the role of another participant in the discussion, and, metaphorically, take the floor. This is useful practice as a means to broadening one's views, sharpening one's perceptions and expanding one's eloquence. Voiced expertise, the concerns of the public and the language of the common people: these three phenomena concur in making this a compelling book.
　　A Zheng, originally named Zheng Junyan, graduated from the History Department of Xiamen University in 1984. After many years spent working in the publishing business, Zheng is now head of the Beijing Studio of Fujian Lujiang Publishing House, and has won such awards as Young and Mid-Age Press Theorist and Top 10 New-Generation Elite of the Press.