China watcher
Encyclopedia
China watcher, or, less frequently, Pekingologist, is a person who monitors current event
s and power struggles in People's Republic of China
.
During the Cold War
, China Watchers centered in Hong Kong
, especially American government officials or journalists. Mutual distrust between the United States and the PRC and the prohibition of travel between the countries meant they did not have access to press briefings or interviews. They therefore adopted techniques from Kremlinology
, such as the close parsing of official announcements for hidden meanings, movements of officials reported in newspapers, and analysis of photographs of public appearances. One analyst for the American Central Intelligence Agency
explained it was "no semantic accident that observers of the Chinese political scene are more often called 'China-watchers' than 'Sinologists,' while analysts of the Soviet Union are frequently referred to as 'Kremlinologists.'" She went on, the "art of China-watching is imprecise at best, and hardly deserves yet to be called Sinology." Those sympathetic to the Chinese Revolution sometimes criticized the China Watchers for their Cold War views.
In the years since the opening of China, China watchers can live in China and take advantage of normal sources of information. Others remained in Hong Kong, however. The Hong Kong Chinese journalist Willy Wo-Lap Lam has been called the "quintessential China watcher, practised in the art of Pekingology," whose "scope is wide, but the focus of his analysis is the Zhongnanhai
and factional manoeuvring among the political elite."
Sinologist in general usage sometimes loosely refers to anyone who studies China, but, especially in the United States, more frequently refers to those who study classical language, literature, or civilization. In other languages where the term Pekingologist doesn't exist, the usage of these terms are less rigidly delineated. In French for instance, a sinologue would refer to both a researcher in Sinology and a reporter of Pekingology.
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
s and power struggles in People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, China Watchers centered in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, especially American government officials or journalists. Mutual distrust between the United States and the PRC and the prohibition of travel between the countries meant they did not have access to press briefings or interviews. They therefore adopted techniques from Kremlinology
Kremlinology
Kremlinology is the study and analysis of Soviet politics and policies based on efforts to understand the inner workings of an opaque central government. The term is named after the Kremlin, the seat of the Russian/Soviet government. Kremlinologist refers to academic, media, and commentary experts...
, such as the close parsing of official announcements for hidden meanings, movements of officials reported in newspapers, and analysis of photographs of public appearances. One analyst for the American Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
explained it was "no semantic accident that observers of the Chinese political scene are more often called 'China-watchers' than 'Sinologists,' while analysts of the Soviet Union are frequently referred to as 'Kremlinologists.'" She went on, the "art of China-watching is imprecise at best, and hardly deserves yet to be called Sinology." Those sympathetic to the Chinese Revolution sometimes criticized the China Watchers for their Cold War views.
In the years since the opening of China, China watchers can live in China and take advantage of normal sources of information. Others remained in Hong Kong, however. The Hong Kong Chinese journalist Willy Wo-Lap Lam has been called the "quintessential China watcher, practised in the art of Pekingology," whose "scope is wide, but the focus of his analysis is the Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai
Zhongnanhai is an area in central Beijing, China adjacent to the Forbidden City which serves as the central headquarters for the Communist Party of China and the State Council of the People's Republic of China. The term Zhongnanhai is closely linked with the central government and senior Communist...
and factional manoeuvring among the political elite."
Sinologist in general usage sometimes loosely refers to anyone who studies China, but, especially in the United States, more frequently refers to those who study classical language, literature, or civilization. In other languages where the term Pekingologist doesn't exist, the usage of these terms are less rigidly delineated. In French for instance, a sinologue would refer to both a researcher in Sinology and a reporter of Pekingology.