Running like a red thread through this book are the manifestations of Sino-African relations dating back many centuries. In this way, The Rise and Decline and Rise of China: Searching for an Organising Philosophy takes forward the work MISTRA conducted on the Mapungubwe society, one of the advanced states that existed in southern Africa some 800 years ago, and which enjoyed trade relations with China and other centres in the East. Mapungubwe rose and fell, long before European colonial incursions. Other states emerged in the vicinity, but they also suffered the same fate. When do southern Africa and Africa at large rise again? Are there lessons that the continent can draw from the experience of the Chinese people? If - beyond material considerations - religion, culture and ideology do play a role in the rise, decline and resurgence of a civilization, what are the similarities and contrasts between these regions? Of course, such research cannot ignore the fundamental questions: whence does the current system of social, economic and political relations in China draw its resilience, how adaptable is it, and is it sustainable? As the outcome contained in this book demonstrates, a research exercise of this kind can only be exploratory. It serves merely as a genesis to work that should find new legs. What makes this research report unique, though, is that the treatment of these issues has been undertaken primarily from an African perspective.

China has made remarkable and rapid progress in the area of science communication, both in theory and practice. This book critically examines all aspects of science communication practices in China. Dealing with major turning points since the introduction of the 'Science and Technology Popularization Law' and the 'Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy', the book tells a success story by scrutinizing structural changes in science communication policies, education system, construction and efficacious utilisation of science popularisation facilities, and creative use of a mix of traditional and modern channels of communication. The book also gives an in-depth analysis of the monitoring and evaluation mechanism, which constitutes the backbone of the national science communication project. The historical roots of science communication in China include shifts in methodologies, policy instruments, effectual approaches and resultant practices since the days of initial efforts to popularise modern scientific ideas. However, the primary focus of the book remains on the initiatives launched at the turn of the present century. Without losing sight of the national dimensions, each chapter of the book draws from provincial as well as grassroots level experiences. Quantitative and qualitative methods have been used to analyse strengths, weaknesses, hurdles and the efficacy of corrective measures. This book offers a remarkable insight to anyone who is interested in probing the causal relationship between science communication and China's transformation into a modern society. The primary objective of the book is to analyse the nature of 'science communication with Chinese characteristics' and the specificity of the socio-cultural environment in which Science and Technology is located. Though the book is of particular interest to scholars, researchers, students and practitioners of science communication, the narrative style makes it accessible to the general reader who is interested in science-society relationship.