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《神州交流》Chinese Cross Currents
One of the main tenets of Western classical music—something that really identifies it—is the concept of “counterpoint”. Coming from the Latin expression punctum contra punctum, or “note against note”, the term defines as “contrapuntal” any musical composition that is written in such a way that its various voices are independent in phrasing and rhythm, but interdependent in harmony. The musical rendering of such a technique is, at the same time, pleasing to the ears and stimulating to the spirit. It was owing to this so called “common practice” that the history of European art music has been so productive of great masterpieces from Renaissance times till the beginning of the twentieth century. If we were to look for a similar convention in the industries of the mass media, however, our search would probably end in failure. Nothing seems to exist that can help people to intelligently harmonise and to deeply understand the flood of information we are confronted with every day. Purely inter-disconnected news reaches us through many high-tech devices and e-media. Propaganda is generally known for sorting out news so that it fits some intended purpose, but with a result as poor as one voice musical composition. No real news agency has ever reflected on the double tenets concept of a “contrapuntal composition” for a public information service. For the first three years of its publication, Chinese Cross Currents developed each of its issues around a particular subject. Through its pages, different voices, coming from China or elsewhere, expressed themselves on the various aspects of the same general theme or topic. Points of view and approaches had to be different to avoid repetition. They remained linked in harmony only by the theme they were all dealing with. There was no “counterpoint”. With a new editorial structure starting this year, hopefully, Chinese Cross Currents is near meeting the requirements of a “contrapuntal composition”. As the Contents page shows, the topics proposed in each section of this issue are, so to say, like “various voices independent in phrasing and rhythm”. But beyond the gist of each article runs some “basso continuo” that keeps them in “interdependent harmony”. What does it convey? Beyond the text of each article a low voice expresses itself. Beyond world trends, cultural traditions, popular practices, societal crazes, political pressures, tensions of life, the “basso continuo” gives its own message: in China or Europe, in Chinese or Western societies, in novels or popular movies, in the craze for wealth with a wounded soul, in whatever happens in the world, the first reading of a text is not the final one. Texts and readings have to cross each other to achieve a larger “interdependent harmony”, to generate some deeper meaning in due time. This is what Chinese Cross Currents tries to do. The information media should strive towards this also. That, indeed, would be a great public service. |
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Updated Date:2007-11-26 |
