| No crystal glasses tinkling nor champagne sparkling, we silently cheered putting to bed the 52nd issue of Beijing Review, the last one for 2009. The past 52 weeks have fled in the twinkling of an eye, so swiftly that reporters were scratching their heads; while the editors were barking on a Thursday night to meet the publishing deadline for the first issue of the year seems an episode of only yesterday.
We spent a genuinely crazy year digging and investigating, because the planet was totally crazy. It entered 2009 facing the blows of recession and bid farewell in climate chaos. China participated in every act of the drama, as did Beijing Review. We were busy reporting every unforgettable moment, which ranged from the great ceremony commemorating the 60th anniversary of the founding of New China to the riots in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the rebuilding at the site of the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan to final preparations for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, to international events such as the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue and several joint military drills of China's and foreign navies. To make the Review more interesting, readable and worthwhile, we gave greater space to analytical stories and opinion, with substantial help from a number of Chinese and foreign think tanks. Last year also witnessed the ongoing expansion of the scope of our business as our online news, features, photos and files became widely quoted, linked and sold; and also transferred via various media including twitter.
China has been progressing steadily in spite of the global situation's turbulence. More work is ahead for the staff of Beijing Review, who have a mission to cover and analyze what is happening in the country, what effect it has on the world, and why. The good news is the market for our magazine is always there and constantly growing but, at the same time, better ideas, hard work and sleepless nights will be key concepts during the coming year, as long as we want to maintain high standards and values of journalism while connecting with a wider readership.
 (Deputy Editor in Chief) |
