It is both a privilege and an honour to be editor of The China Quarterly for the publication of its 200th issue. The autumn of 2009 is a time of multiple anniversaries. The People's Republic of China has completed its first 60-year great cycle; and The China Quarterly its first half-century. We have invited all of our previous editors to reflect on their life and times at The China Quarterly, and on the study of contemporary China more generally.