The present book is the outcome of a project initiated by the Jagiellonian University Institute of Middle and Far Eastern Studies, and the Centre for Chinese Language and Culture “Confucius Institute in Krakow”. Both the curriculum and the research interests of the academic staff at the Institute of Middle and Far Eastern Studies focus on modern and contemporary Asia in its cultural, economic, political and social aspects. Several scholars from its Chinese section, whose research and publication topics concern or are related to mass media in China, joined forces with the Confucius Institute, whose mission is promoting Chinese language and culture, and embarked on the realization of the above-mentioned project. The project arose from a desire to supplement the research into contemporary China already conducted in Poland with a perspective that is very significant, but has hitherto been insufficiently represented – that of the media. Its aim was to take the first steps towards the creation in Poland of an academic environment for discussions concerning issues related to mass media in China and the various images of China depicted in the media of other countries.

In his book that sums up the most recent achievements of anthropology (2004, pp. 404-405), M. Herzfeld argues that mass media occupy an important place in the contemporary world.