Editors have a habit of looking over books written by someone they're about to meet. I have been reading Volume Ten, The Sunset Empire: The Qing Period, of the series Chinese Civilization In a New Light (published in Japan by Sogensha), which you co-authored. I am also very interested in the history books you have written, such as Chen Duxiu Before the New Cultural Movement, Origins of the May Fourth New Cultural Movement, and Cycles of History and Culture. As a historian, you have an interest in cultural turning points as well as the interconnections between history and culture. At the same time you are a publisher in Hong Kong. I would therefore like to ask you whether you think Hong Kong is currently in a period of cultural transition, and also about what changes Hong Kong has gone through recently, both before and after its return to China.

First of all, let me ask you about changes in Hong Kong surrounding the return.

That's an important and very challenging question, but I will try to answer it based on the knowledge I have acquired as a historian as well as my first-hand experience of those changes.

In 2007 Hong Kong will mark the tenth anniversary of its return to China. Before the return, the Chinese government declared that nothing would change for the next fifty years. This was meant to indicate not merely that Hong Kong would remain capitalist, but more fundamentally that Hong Kong would not change, whatever changes might occur in the mainland's government or society. But politics and social conditions are constantly in flux; it might indeed seem strange if they were not. Hong Kong has changed somewhat during the past decade, though there are of course many things that have remained the same. For 150 years Hong Kong was under Western rule, and people from all walks of life share a keen concern about what direction Hong Kong will take from this point on. Since you are interested in culture, Mr. Kato, let me first talk about cultural changes.

In the ten years since its return to China, Hong Kong's society and culture have definitely changed. Under the "one country, two systems" arrangement, the Chinese government does not directly govern Hong Kong. Even so, the influence of China has been tremendous, and not only in the political sphere. Before the return, for example, governance and commerce in Hong Kong were primarily conducted in English, as were many activities of daily life. Today the Chinese language has come into greater use in many circumstances, though it has not supplanted English entirely. Use of the Simplified Chinese writing system is also spreading in Hong Kong. That Chinese language and writing would proliferate since the return is perceived as perfectly natural and indeed necessary. The cultural changes occurring in Hong Kong derive less from political measures than from these changes in its environment. Let me cite a few examples.

Books from the mainland have become much more prominent in the past decade, boasting a large quantity of titles -- both original works and translations -- and a variety of styles and genres. Since these books began coming into Hong Kong they have broadened the selection of Chinese-language books available to Hong Kong readers. This change in reading habits has had no small impact on Hong Kong residents and has contributed to the spread of the Simplified Chinese writing system.

With the opening up of the mainland, interactions between it and Hong Kong grew more frequent, and not only in the areas of business and tourism. These interchanges have had a significant impact on both Hong Kong and the mainland. It is a nearly forgotten fact that before the return, Hong Kong government officials seldom entered the PRC; such contacts were strictly controlled. Restrictions were even more severe on people visiting Hong Kong from the mainland. In recent years, however, China's economic growth has brought Hong Kong into the Chinese economic sphere, and tourists and business people travel back and forth in great numbers. As a result, the lifestyles and cultures of Hong Kong and the mainland have come to resemble each other more closely. This is a big change from ten years ago.

For publishers, the greatest change is that we can now publish one another's works, whether from the mainland, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, and whether in Simplified or Traditional Chinese. Although books on ideological themes cannot yet be readily published on the mainland, we can freely import and export one another's books, work on projects together and even jointly publish books. Close cooperative relationships have also arisen in creative business sectors such as film, television, animation and design. This too is a form of cultural interchange.

The biggest headache involved in these sorts of changes is the difference in writing systems. As you know, Hong Kong and Taiwan use Traditional Chinese characters, so Hong Kong editors must now be able to handle both Traditional and Simplified text. At first that caused a lot of confusion, but lately our editors have gotten used to it and have no trouble working with both systems.

Lately, Hong Kong schools -- from primary schools to university -- have been teaching three languages: Cantonese, Mandarin and English. So the language barrier is gradually crumbling, and Hong Kong residents can now read Simplified text. That and the mainland's growing prominence as an economic, political, and even athletic power have stimulated greater interest in and appreciation of China among people in Hong Kong.

Nonetheless, textbooks and reference books for students published in Hong Kong are all in Traditional text, and most Hong Kong writers still use Traditional characters. Books in Traditional text comprise about 65 percent of all books distributed in Hong Kong, I would say. Of the remainder, less than 10 percent are mainland publications in Simplified text, and over 25 percent are foreign imports, primarily English-language. Although sales of mainland books in Simplified text account for less than 10 percent of total sales, the number of mainland-published titles entering Hong Kong is close to 40,000 per year, far more than the number of titles published in Hong Kong. Incidentally, the total titles exported to the mainland by the SUP group over the past two decades amount to about 1,500.

Yet even with so many mainland titles to choose from and nearly 40,000 new titles entering Hong Kong annually, Hong Kong readers continue to purchase books in Traditional text. They are accustomed to the writing system as well as to the content. Mainland books sell far fewer copies per title than books in Traditional text from Hong Kong and Taiwan. Still, in terms of appealing to a broad spectrum of readers, the more variety the better, so I expect that books from the mainland will proliferate.

I am personally intrigued by Chinese culture and can read the language. When I see a book in a Chinese-language bookstore in Japan that has been published in both Beijing and Hong Kong, it piques my interest. Because Hong Kong is open to the rest of the world, publishing a book in Hong Kong in addition to the mainland seems to represent a conscious decision to attract the interest of readers outside China. Are such judgments or choices indeed made by Hong Kong publishers?

Because of its experience as a British colony, Hong Kong was influenced by Western European culture and consequently does possess an international perspective. It has a positive view toward new things and new ways of thinking, and is quick to adapt to change. Hong Kong has done business with the rest of the world for a long time. But due to the barriers of politics and ideology, Hong Kong residents have lacked a thorough understanding of the mainland. With most people accustomed to "viewing the mainland from Hong Kong," there has not been an adequate effort to treat Chinese history from the standpoint of Hong Kong as a part of China, and of Hong Kong residents as Chinese. In that respect, I believe Hong Kong publishers should rethink their perspective on Chinese history and culture. Given the broad and contemporary outlook afforded to Hong Kong, and its relative freedom from political constraints, its publishers should be able to produce books on culture and history different from those of the mainland.

I first entered publishing in the late 1970s, when Hong Kong was just embarking on a period of economic growth. The Chinese-language publishing industry was a late bloomer in Hong Kong as well as the mainland. I constantly thought about what could be done to utilize Hong Kong's economic growth to develop a state-of-the-art publishing industry. Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s proved to be an excellent environment for achieving that. The movers and shakers who modernized Hong Kong book publishing were people who had graduated from Hong Kong universities in the 1960s and 1970s or who had returned from study overseas in the West or Japan. I was one such person. I entered the publishing industry upon completing my studies abroad, and that is when I began thinking about publishing contemporary books in Hong Kong. Also, I had majored in history, so I was especially interested in publishing culture-related books. For the last twenty years it has been my constant desire to publish books on history, culture and the arts in new formats -- and through publishing, to help advance society and culture. Among the reasons for the growth of Hong Kong publishing since the 1970s was the fact that Hong Kong publishers were receptive to the latest developments in the publishing industries of the West and Japan. Of the books we have published on Chinese history, culture and the arts, certainly one that I have devoted the most effort to is the Chinese Civilization In a New Light series that you mentioned.

When you speak of a Chinese-language readership, I'm reminded that there is a large population of Chinese speakers throughout Southeast Asia -- Singapore and elsewhere. Hong Kong would seem to function as a sort of interface between the mainland and the overseas Chinese communities. Would you say that that's the case?

Yes, it's as you say. From the 1960s to the mid-1980s, most of the books read by overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia were published in Hong Kong. But with the opening of mainland China and the growth of its publishing industry the number of mainland books has proliferated. Therefore, since the mid-1980s, the overseas Chinese readership for those books has been growing. Today the majority of books read by overseas Chinese are probably published on the mainland, and I would expect that percentage to keep rising.

As a publisher, I believe that we are limiting ourselves if we publish books aimed only at the Hong Kong market. Publishers in Taiwan likewise have primarily targeted the Taiwan market, but from now on they, and we, must publish for Chinese readers all over the world, including the mainland.

For example, the Chinese Civilization In a New Light series initially consisted of books written for Hong Kong readers. We subsequently revised and republished them as a new type of series on Chinese civilization for all Chinese, including those overseas. The series has become extremely popular in Hong Kong, and has attracted attention in Taiwan and mainland China as well. The Commercial Press (Hong Kong) is engaged in similar efforts to revise existing publications for Chinese readers everywhere. Books published solely with Hong Kong readers in mind are too narrow in their outlook. Chinese Civilization In a New Light is a model case of the new trend, I guess you'd say.

When I read Chinese Civilization In a New Light my impression was that it was written from a broad perspective encompassing many components that make up China, of which Hong Kong is just one.

We have published this series with the cooperation of a mainland publishing house, with whom we have signed contracts covering copyright and other matters. Publishers on the mainland, in Hong Kong, and in Taiwan still tend to publish with their own particular markets and perspectives in mind. But from a business perspective, it's essential that we join together to form one integrated publishing market. It will take some more time before we can freely publish books on ideological topics, but even so, I think it's time for Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland publishers to band together and build a new Chinese-language publishing framework, instead of publishing in isolation in our respective markets.

As a place that directly received the influence of Western culture for many years, yet is simultaneously an heir to Chinese civilization, Hong Kong has developed a unique culture. How do you think it will evolve in the future?

About 90 percent of the residents of Hong Kong are Chinese, and most of them are Cantonese. Even after 150 years of colonization, most Hong Kong families have retained traditional Chinese lifestyles, customs and ways of thinking. But needless to say, they have also adopted many Western customs and cultural traits. Among these, I think, are a law-abiding tendency, a relatively open outlook, and a tolerance for other cultures. These are all what you might call examples of good influences from the West. How can we put these virtues to good advantage for the sake of Hong Kong's advancement? It's my belief that Hong Kong's publishers and editors bear a responsibility in this matter.

Historically as well as geographically, Hong Kong has long served as a bridge between mainland China and the West. Therefore I would like to see Hong Kong function as a cultural gateway that facilitates the development of the mainland. Playing such a role will contribute to the evolution of the publishing industry, of Hong Kong, and ultimately of all of China. At the same time, Hong Kong is a place where Western culture and traditional Chinese culture can undergo a kind of fusion. The people of Hong Kong have learned many things -- not through intellection, but through experience. How shall we create a new culture that optimizes the special cultural traits and virtues of Hong Kong? And how shall we go about publishing books for Chinese everywhere, and indeed for the whole world? These are the big questions that Hong Kong publishers must answer.

In the past, Hong Kong has often been described as an international city. However, it has also been a city that leaned heavily toward the West. If Hong Kong wishes to be truly international now, it must make an effort to free itself from this Western orientation and adopt a more objective and broader worldview (one that includes places like Africa and South America, about which Hong Kong residents have exhibited little interest in the past). Likewise, Hong Kong newspapers have traditionally been content to simply quote from Western news media, rarely reporting from the perspective of Hong Kong, China, or Asia. From now on we must overcome the tendency to rely on either Western or mainland viewpoints and cultivate a more global perspective that includes Asia, Africa and Latin America. During our 150 years as a colony we absorbed Western culture, and now we are absorbing mainland Chinese culture. But if Hong Kong is to survive and thrive, that is not enough. We must acquire a truly global outlook.

The Hong Kong government appears to be making an effort to implement cultural policies. Would you say that publishing occupies a significant position in what is viewed as Hong Kong culture? Also, can you tell me something about Sino United Publishing, the group of which you are president? What role do you see your group playing in the Hong Kong publishing world?

During the colonial period, the policymakers were British. Now, however, Hong Kong's government officials are entirely Chinese, so it's appropriate for them to devise Chinese-style cultural policies. While it's true that the government has recently been making efforts in that area, there are few people involved in cultural policymaking who know much about culture, and even fewer who recognize the importance of publishing. Consequently there is virtually no concrete support of the publishing industry forthcoming from the Hong Kong government. In addition, one of the unique aspects of the Hong Kong publishing scene is its multidimensional, international character. It includes many different kinds of operation -- British style, Southeast Asian Chinese style, mainland style. Hence it's very difficult to bring everyone together to speak to the government with one voice, as may be possible in Korea or Japan.

The Sino United Publishing group was founded in 1988. Its members include publishers with long histories in Hong Kong, including the Commercial Press, Chung Hwa Book Co., and Joint Publishing Co. Our aim is to be a group of Chinese and overseas Chinese publishers that reach across regional boundaries to engage in publishing and printing on an international scale. We would like to be able to serve as an intermediary for publishers in mainland China, Taiwan and Macau as well. Besides promoting the integration of the Chinese-language publishing market, we aim to utilize our international knowhow to interact and collaborate on projects with Japanese and Korean publishers, and ultimately with publishers around the world. To carry out this mission, we will continue to actively pursue opportunities for publishing exchanges on an international scale.