Collection of Essays on the History of Chinese Radio and Television - Continuation

Author: Zhao Yuming
Editor-in-Chief: Han Wangchen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-01-01
Features:
Excerpt:
Afterword: In 1992, I selected over 60 articles I had written on the history of Chinese radio and television since the reform and opening-up, totaling about 300,000 words, and compiled them into the book Collected Works on the History of Chinese Radio and Television. It was published by the China Radio and Television Press in 1993. In the past decade, due to my position as Vice President of Beijing Broadcasting Institute, my main focus has been on organizing and leading the institute's teaching and research work. As a "dual-shouldered" cadre, I could only the teaching and research work on the history of Chinese radio and television. Last February, as I had reached the age of 60, I no longer held administrative leadership positions and was able to shift my main focus back to professional work. Taking this opportunity, I slightly organized a batch of articles published between 1986 and 1999 and selected over 30 of them to compile into the Collected Works on the History of Chinese Radio and Television (Continuation), dedicating it to readers who are concerned with the study of the development history of Chinese radio and television. The selected articles are broadly divided into four parts:
The first part consists of three articles written at the invitation of the editorial board of China Radio and Television Journal to commemorate the centenary of Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi's birth and mourn the passing of Deng Xiaoping, in order to honor the leadership and care of these three century-old great figures for the radio and television industry. The second part includes several articles on the chronicles of Chinese radio and television history, covering topics such as radio in old China, radio in liberation areas, and early radio after the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as reviews of radio and television chronicles and yearbooks. It also includes articles and materials written by others. The third part consists of articles and research reports on journalism education and research, as well as radio and television education, including several articles where the author shares insights and experiences on the reform of radio and television higher education. The fourth part includes the preface written for the Encyclopedia of Chinese and Foreign Radio and Television, three representative entries, and the afterword to the fourth volume of Recollections of Chinese Radio.
The appendix includes selected articles, translations, and annotations related to Lenin and radio broadcasting, as well as two interviews with the author. Regarding the selection of Lenin's letters on radio broadcasting, it is necessary to explain the background. Among the founders of Marxism-Leninism, Lenin paid great attention to radio broadcasting. In the early 1960s, for teaching reference, I began collecting Chinese and Russian historical materials on Lenin's radio broadcasts. In 1965, together with Comrade Wen Jize, we compiled and printed the book Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin on Newspapers and Magazines·Lenin on Radio Broadcasting (in small octavo format) for internal teaching reference. The book included six of Lenin's letters on radio broadcasting (except one translated from the Russian edition of Lenin's Collected Works, the rest were selected from the first Chinese edition of Lenin's Collected Works). Later, due to the outbreak of the "Cultural Revolution," the Broadcasting Institute was forced to close, and this research work was interrupted. After the Broadcasting Institute resumed operations in 1973, it was the late stage of the "Cultural Revolution," and normal teaching and research work was difficult to carry out. Comrade Wen Jize and I revisited this matter and once again began collecting historical materials on Lenin and radio broadcasting. I used my spare time during the "movements" to travel repeatedly between the Beijing Library, the Translation and Compilation Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the Central Broadcasting and Television Administration, collecting, copying, translating, and organizing a batch of historical materials over approximately two to three years. In January 1977, we once again collaborated to compile and print the book Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin on Newspapers and Magazines·Lenin on Radio Broadcasting (in large octavo format). The book included 16 letters and telegrams from Lenin on radio broadcasting. Five were selected from the first Chinese edition of Lenin's Collected Works, and 11 were translated from the fifth Russian edition of Lenin's Collected Works. Except for one old translation, the other 10 were translated into Chinese for the first time. For the sake of caution, the 11 translations were reviewed by relevant colleagues at the Translation and Compilation Bureau. Unlike the previous version, the selected letters on radio broadcasting by Lenin were also given titles and annotations. At that time, Comrades Jin Chigao, Zhang Guangquan, and Fang Zao also participated in this work. With the passage of time, the two versions of Lenin on Radio Broadcasting mentioned above are now difficult to find. Now, coinciding with the publication of the second Chinese edition of Lenin's Collected Works, I have reorganized and processed the letters on radio broadcasting scattered in various volumes, compiling them into Selected Annotations of Lenin's Letters on Radio Broadcasting as an appendix to this book. This can also be considered a way to mark an incomplete sentence for the work that spanned 30 years.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Journalism Department of Beijing Broadcasting Institute, and personally, I have also gone through 40 years of in teaching and researching the history of Chinese radio and television. As we are about to enter the 21st century, looking back, I deeply feel the limitations of my personal level and ability. If my existing achievements can serve as a stepping stone for the research work on the history of Chinese radio and television, then it will be enough to bring myself comfort.
Author
May 1999, Beijing