blossomed to produce good working relationships leading to important developments such as China's accession to the international copyright conventions.
4.2 The Centre, today, hosts a busy programme of study visits and work placements. We now host nearly three times as many Chinese visitors as we did ten years ago. In the current year we expect to look after about 70 visitors. We have developed flexible models for cultural exchange that can be easily adapted to take advantage of new opportunities and areas of interest. Our Work Placement Scheme offers the young generation an opportunity to develop the skills and attitudes needed by a modern China by gaining work experience in British companies and organisations. Such exposure inevitably generates a greater openness and willingness to look critically at Chinese practice. On our Study Visit Programme, Chinese visitors in positions of responsibility are briefed on British institutions, meet colleagues and gain a broader understanding of their professional field and opportunities for cooperation with Britain. They are also encouraged to participate in discussions on areas of current concern. We aim to integrate visits at different levels in order to build up, within China, a critical body of interest in British experience.
4.3 In setting up relevant programmes for visitors we draw heavily on our first hand understanding of the Chinese context and pay particular attention to the details of cross- cultural exchange. The value of this approach is demonstrated by the increasing requests from China to participate in our programme on a self-funded basis.
4.4 Breaking new ground is given a high priority in determining our exchange programme. In early 1992 we hosted the first visit to Europe by a Chinese delegation examining human rights theory and practice. A potentially controversial visit, the Centre provided the visiting scholars with an intensive two week programme of visits, briefings and debate, which has since led to an eight week study visit to Britain examining pre-trial procedures. Funding for such activities is usually on a bilateral basis. The Centre has also been successful in attracting project grants from organisations such as the Ford Foundation; in 1991/92 about 65% of our project funding came from non government sources.
Information
5.1 The last decade has seen a significant increase in information on China both for a specialist and general audience; because of the political context not all the information is reliable and facts can be notoriously hard to come by. Reporting on China is continuously frustrated by controls on foreign journalists and a climate of intimidation which inhibits the public expression of opposition to current government policy. Public opinion in Britain is largely shaped by a media more interested in Chinese exotica than identifying social and economic trends.
5.2 The Great Britain-China Centre places a high priority on being able to provide up-to- date information on China and Sino-British relations and on being able to interpret that information to a non-specialist audience. Those seeking information include radio, television and print journalists, local government, arts organisations, schools, universities, professional bodies, commercial companies, voluntary organisations and the general public. The Centre responds continuously to requests for information and advice. The Centre library, based on the collection of the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, is the only public access and specialist library on China in Britain. Like all staff the librarian is a Chinese speaker and
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