Abstract:

"This is a view of China in transition through the eyes of six members of the intelligentsia. They are addressing the issue of freedom of expression and censorship. Among them are: an author who points out that if his book gets banned in China he will reap the profits from foreign sales; a film director who know how far he can go to get by the censors; a journalist dedicated to socialism who feels she must expose corruption despite receiving threats; a dramatist who speaks out about China's transformation; a composer who observes that Western music has gained acceptance; and an artist who looks forward to the day when "more voices can be heard." They offer widely differing opinions about China's future. Some have developed into high powered entrepreneurs; others still long for communism in its purest form. Artistic freedom is no longer looked upon as a force that threatens the system. There is a growing understanding that in a society as complex as China's, the state-sanctioned arts of the communist era are simplistic and irrelevant."