Seek Truth From Facts: Finding Out More About China

Abstract

It is nowadays easy to get reasonably accurate and reliable information about China, either from Western organizations or the Chinese themselves. Often the information may be somewhat out of date but this is not always so serious as China is in a continuing flux of change. Gone too are the days of excessive Chinese secretiveness, when enquiries could evoke suspicion and giving information to the foreigner could even be deemed treason. For officials to admit a requirement meant there was a deficiency and so in their eyes could imply admitting a weakness. Thus it was only in 1972 that the British team visiting Peking to plan what was then the biggest ever industrial technology exhibition ever held in China asked what sort of exhibits the Chinese would like to see and received the answer: the latest advanced technology that reflects your country’s industry. No more could be vouchsafed, and this single sentence was all the guidance ever received.