Counter to misrepresentations

Alongside its tours and public events, SACU also built a publishing presence. In the late 1960s, it founded a press and information group whose core members wrote letters to editors of British mainstream media, such as The Times, to correct factual errors and refute misrepresentations of China in reports.

In May 1970, it launched a monthly magazine, China Now, designed to provide Western readers with more in-depth discussions of developments in China. The magazine was renamed China in Focus in 1996, and since 2004 has appeared as China Eye.

The content of the magazines was mostly written by SACU members, with stories ranging from the latest news about China, announcements of upcoming lectures, book reviews and the first-hand reports about China written by members who had returned from the latest SACU tour.

For the past 21 years, Walter Fung has been involved in editing China Eye. He said he never tires of doing it.

"Because there's so much negative coverage of China in the daily press, I like to highlight the positives — China's achievements and the good things in people's lives," he said. "It's also about showing how, in many ways, life in China is just the same as anywhere else."

"I get real satisfaction from pushing back against the negative narratives," he added.

Li Linxi, a lecturer at the Communication University of China, said the society's publications have "great historical value" and past issues have been digitized. Li led the digital archive project of the SACU papers, which was put online in 2023.

"There are many important figures and moments in Sino-British cultural exchanges since the 1950s that are often overlooked in mainstream historical narratives," Li noted. "Through the lens of China Now and its successor magazines, we can re-cover stories that deserve to be remembered and cherished."