1. Only in the late 1970s, after the death of Mao Zedong, the Communist Chief, did China begin to realize that her backwardness and poverty were largely caused by her self-isolation. “Go to the world” became a slogan for modernization. It was understood that China has first to understand the West if she wants to meet the West. Great efforts have been made to learn about the West. As a result, Occidental studies have become a popular subject once again in China since the reform started in the late 1970s. Confucius, the great Chinese sage of the 6th century B.C.E., once said, “Do not worry about people not understanding you, but worry about not understanding people” (Analects 1:16). Jewish and Israeli studies have benefited as subsets of such learning, since Jewish culture is one of the major sources of western civilization. The slogan “Not to understand Jewish culture is not to understand the world” is actually the motto of the Circle of Judaic Studies in China .

2. Intellectuals are beginning to appreciate the value of independent thought. The first group of Chinese scholars who visited Israel by 1990 believed it was important to see Israel and make their own assessments. To some extent, they could have risked their careers by doing so, but none of them hesitated when the opportunity to go to Israel arose. These and other visits brought back first-hand knowledge and information about Israel, which, in due course, is replacing dated and stereotypic perceptions of Israel and its people. Those who pursued Israel studies in the 1980s should similarly be regarded as courageous pioneers. Their awakening made it possible for the authors under review here to air their own views on Israeli topics.