Pioneering Chinese People: China's New High-Level Think Tank (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: Zhang Xiaoming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: China began to have both the name and reality of "high-level think tanks" in the late 1970s. At that time, with the gradual development of democratic construction and the openness of national and public customs, a group of reform-minded young and middle-aged intellectuals and scholars wrote books, frequently voiced their opinions, exposed social problems, and inspired trends, becoming the new force of society and creating a spectacular scene. However, even then, there was great division among these "think tanks," with significant differences in their academic and policy views on understanding the world and transforming China. Today, the main focus of the "new high-level think tanks" is on fundamental social issues, such as social relationships, structures, interests, disparities, and trends. They are not confined to their own fields of expertise; the diverse knowledge they possess serves as a ladder and bridge for understanding and analyzing society—just as the saying goes, "all roads lead to Rome." As the most sensitive nerves of society, they consciously or unconsciously feel that the fundamental driving force of social change should be institutional transformation, the adjustment of distribution relationships, the reallocation of resources, and the improvement of public psychology and national quality. Because their focus is on society and their influence is on the higher levels, they have attracted attention and focus from both society and the higher authorities. While they are instilling new concepts into society, they also trigger a new round of spiritual liberation and intellectual enlightenment. The introduction of "systems theory" and other "three theories" in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the establishment of futurology in China, are clear evidence. Many similar cases exist.