''China Today'' (), until 1990 titled ''China Reconstructs'' (), is a monthly magazine founded in 1952 by

Soong Ching-ling Rosamond Soong Ch'ing-ling (27 January 189329 May 1981) was a Chinese political figure. As the third wife of Sun Yat-sen, then Premier of the Kuomintang and President of the Republic of China, she was often referred to as Madame Sun Yat-sen. ...

in association with Israel Epstein. It is published in

Chinese language Chinese (, especially when referring to written Chinese) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and many minority ethnic groups in Greater China. About 1.3 billion people (or approximately 16% of the ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, French,

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

and Turkish, and is an official outlet of the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...

, intended to promote knowledge of China's culture, geography, economy and social affairs as well as positive view of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and its government to people outside of China.

Background and role in China

Foreign advisor and naturalized Chinese citizen Israel Epstein was editor-in-chief of ''China Today'' from 1948, and later returned to China at the request of Soong Ching-ling. The magazine was renamed ''China Today'' in 1990.Jiang Zemin
To China Today
, ''China Today'', 20 November 2001. ''China Today'' is usually published the first week of the month. The editors usually showcase what they characterize as the growing modernization and development which has happened in China since 1949.
, ''China Today'', 23 July 2007. The novelist, playwright and translator

Gao Xingjian Gao Xingjian (高行健 in Chinese - born January 4, 1940) is a Chinese émigré and later French naturalized novelist, playwright, critic, painter, photographer, film director, and translator who in 2000 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature " ...

, who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2000, worked in the magazine as the chief of its French edition from 1975 to 1977. The actor, translator and politician

Ying Ruocheng Ying Ruocheng (; June 21, 1929 - December 27, 2003) was a Chinese actor, director, playwright and vice minister of culture from 1986 to 1990. He first came to the attention of Western audiences for his portrayal of Kublai Khan in the 1982 miniser ...

briefly worked for the English edition of the magazine in the 1970s. He went on to serve as China's vice minister of culture in the 1980s and played a supporting role in the 1987 Oscar-winning film ''

The Last Emperor ''The Last Emperor'' ( it, L'ultimo imperatore) is a 1987 epic biographical drama film about the life of Puyi, the final Emperor of China. It is directed by Bernardo Bertolucci from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Peploe, which was adapted ...

''.

References

External links

''China Today'' official site
* Large, searchable, and downloadable archive, 1952- 2007. 1952 establishments in China Communist magazines Cultural magazines Magazines established in 1952 Magazines published in Beijing Monthly magazines published in China Multilingual magazines {{culture-mag-stub