The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) is the highest academic research organization in the fields of philosophy and social sciences as well as a national center for comprehensive studies in the People""s Republic of China.

1. Short History

CASS was established in May 1977 growing out of the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Professor Hu Qiaomu was the first President accredited to CASS, and Professor Ma Hong was the second and Professor Hu Sheng was the third and Professor Li Tieying is the fourth. Prof. Chen Kui-yuan is the current President. Before the establishment of CASS, the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was composed of 14 research units: Institute of Economics, Institute of Philosophy, Institute of World Religions. Institute of Archaeology, Institute of History, Institute of Modern History, Institute of World History, Institute of Literature, Institute of Foreign Literature, Institute of Linguistics, Institute of Law, Institute of Nationality Studies, Institute of World Economy and Research Division of Academic Information and Materials. The staff members totaled more than 2,200.

From 1977 to 1981,a batch of new research institutes and some other institutions were established one after another in CASS. They are: Institute of Industrial Economics, Institute of Rural Development, Institute of Finance and Trade Economics, Institute of Journalism (now the Institute of Journalism and Media),Institute of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought, Institute of Sociology, Institute of Population Studies, Institute of Ethnic Minority Literature, Institute of World Politics (later it and the Institute of World Economy were amalgamated into the Institute of World Economics and Politics),Institute of American Studies, Institute of Japanese Studies, Institute of West European Studies (now the Institute of European Studies),Editorial Office of Social Sciences in China, China Social Sciences Publishing House, Graduate School. and Office of Committee for Compilation and Publication of Guo Moruo""s Works (now the Guo Moruo Museum).The Institute of Soviet Union and East European Studies (now the Institute of East European, Russian and Central Asian Studies),Institute of West Asian and African Studies and Institute of Latin-American Studies were also incorporated into CASS during this period.

Since 1981,the Institute of Quantitative and Technical Economics, Center for Documentation and Information, Research Center for Chinese Borderland History and Geography, Institute of Political Sciences, Institute of Taiwan Studies as well as Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies have been established in succession.

CASS is now made up of 31 research institutes and more than 50 research centers, which carry out research activities covering about 260 sub-disciplines of different grades, among them 131 are key ones. Now CASS has 3,767 on-the-job staff members in all, of which 2,975 are professional workers. Among the professional workers,1,538 persons are with senior professional titles, and 1,437 with intermediate and junior professional titles. There are many scholars and experts of great attainments and high prestige both at home and abroad. There are also some middle-aged and young scholars being the backbone of their respective institute and showing their brilliant capabilities in scientific researches.

Giving full play to its own advantages of having complete disciplines and an abundance of capable people in the fields of social sciences and the humanities,and being rich in materials,CASS has been creatively carrying on theoretical exploration and policy studies,undertaking the mission of raising the overall level of the studies in social sciences and the humanities in the course of China""s reform and opening-up and the socialist modernization drive.

2. Basic Goals and Tasks

The basic goals of the development of CASS are to prosper and promote the development of social sciences,and fully pursue the strategy of invigorating the nation through science and education,devote great efforts to construct a number of research institutes with international reputation,foster a number of scientific scholars enjoying great prestige both at home and abroad,put out a batch of scientific research achievements which are valuable towards nation""s significant policy decisions and the development of disciplines; build the CASS into the highest academic research organization in the fields of philosophy and social sciences,which will rely on basic theoretical research and will be characteristic of multi-disciplinary and comprehensive studies with emphasis on a macroscopic,strategic and foresighted nature.The CASS will gradually become a research center for Marxism-Leninism,Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory,a research center for economic reform and development,a research center for socialist democracy,legal system and social development,a research center for Chinese nation""s civilization and socialist culture,and a research center for the theory of international issues and strategy,as well as an important base for training and bringing up first-class talents in social sciences and the humanities and highly-qualified personnel in management.

The basic tasks of CASS are to promote the development of social sciences while put emphasis on basic theory research; actively conduct countermeasure and application research with a macroscopic,strategic and foresighted nature; stick to the policy of "making the past serve the present and foreign things serve China",critically carry on the excellent cultural heritage of the Chinese nation,and bravely absorb and use for reference all the useful achievements of human civilizations; arm people""s mind with scientific theory in order to raise the ideological and moral levels and improve the scientific and cultural quality; and to train talents of the high attainments in social sciences and highly-qualified management personnel.

Establishing extensive foreign academic exchanges is a long-term principle of CASS.The academic exchanges between CASS and foreign countries have been continuously increased over recent years.The annual flow of exchange has been expanded from several dozens of persons-times (in some ten batches)in 1978 to about 2,378 persons-times (in 942 batches)in 1998.At present,CASS has already established academic exchanges with more than 200 social sciences research institutions,academic groups, universities, foundations and government departments of 80-odd countries and regions of the world.Exchange agreements have been signed with over 30 academic institutions and universities across boundaries.Among the exchange partners,there are both developed countries and developing countries.Leaders of many countries including state presidents,government premiers,senior cabinet officers as well as the well- known figures from political and academic circles,often pay visits to CASS and deliver their speeches.The officials of foreign embassies in China,representatives of international organizations,and the overseas journalists as well,also come to CASS for academic discussions and interviews.These frequent contacts between CASS and foreign institutions and individuals promote not only the development of China""s social sciences undertakings but also furthered the mutual understanding and friendly cooperation.

The various forms of external academic exchanges of CASS are as follows: visiting scholars exchange,joint research,long-term training,conferences,seminars and lectures.In recent years,all the disciplines,whether the traditional ones like history,archaeology,linguistics,nationality studies and world religions,etc.,or those ones closely related to the development of China""s economy,construction of the socialist market economy and the legal system as well as the creation of a peaceful stable international environment such as economics,law studies,sociology and international relations,have been developed in the course of academic exchanges,and the research activities have been developed and enlivened in the course of academic exchanges.

The increasingly expanded external academic exchanges are playing an important role in flourishing China""s social sciences undertakings,promoting the development of various branches of learning,and training qualified personnel.CASS closely combines academic exchanges with its research projects and brings about a great advance in major projects researches and all disciplines in social sciences and the humanities through external exchanges.Benefiting from going abroad for advanced studies and academic visits,large numbers of researchers have widened their research fields of view and improved their abilities.Many of them have become the backbone in scientific studies or leading researchers in their respective branches of learning.

4. Research Activities Management and Documentation and Information Services

The implementation of CASS"" scientific research planning is in conformity with nation""s Five-Year Plans for social sciences.CASS undertakes a number of research projects sponsored by the National Social Sciences Fund.Besides,the CASS itself defines a certain number of key projects at academy-level and institute-level according to the nation""s demands for socio-economic development and development of various branches of learning.At the same time,CASS also actively conducts research projects,entrusted by the Party Central Committee and government departments.The CASS"" major projects aim at researches on vital theoretical and practical problems in China""s reform and opening-up and modernization construction as well as topics of high academic value in the development of social sciences.In the researches,scholars"" group advantages in comprehensive and multi-disciplinary studies can be brought into full play so as to produce more scientific research achievements of great academic value and social benefits.The CASS"" major projects are conducted usually by research teams respectively and managed directly by the CASS.And institute""s key projects are set up and managed by the institute itself.A researcher undertakes research tasks assigned by the CASS or his /her institute in accordance with his/her professional skills or interests.Of course,he/she can also engage in his /her own studies.

The accumulation and utilization of documents and materials are essential preconditions of research work.The Center for Documentation and Information,or CASS Library,has both the function of library and the function of information studies.Now it has a collection of some 5,500,000 volumes and annually increases over 100,000 volumes.It is a library system that has the largest special collection in the humanities and social sciences in China,possessing a basic range of books and documents,ancient and modem,Chinese and foreign,including a considerable number of rare and precious ones.The CASS library carries out literature exchanges with academic institutions both at home and abroad.It also provides researchers with documentation and information services through publication of various information journals and establishment of databases in social sciences.

The information network of CASS is under way.Its backbone has been opened and connected to the Internet,which promotes the exploration and utilization of information resources and speeds up the process of information industrialization.

Since the founding of CASS,its researchers have got remarkable achievements in the fields of the humanities and social sciences.According to the statistics,from 1977 to 1998,the CASS has published 5,400 academic works,66,000 papers,9,000-odd findings and research reports,as well as a considerable number of translations,classical books with punctuated,collated and annotated texts,various dictionaries,reference books,and books of popular edition.Annually some 300 academic works,3,800 papers,500 findings and research reports are published. These research achievements contribute greatly to the following aspects: research on Marxism, especially Deng Xiaoping Theory, on the establishment of system of the socialist market economy and strategy of economic development, on socialist democracy and legal system and social development, on socialist new culture with Chinese characteristics, and on the theory of international relations and international strategy. Many excellent achievements have exerted a great influence on the academic circles both at home and abroad.

Social Sciences in China (a bimonthly in Chinese and quarterly in English),Historical Research, Archaeology, Economic Research Journal, Philosophical Research, Journal of Law, Literary Review and World Economy are the representatives of the 82 CASS journals. These journals put emphasis on introducing the latest achievements and academic developments and reflect the level of the research of social sciences in China. With a purpose to publish academic works, China Social Sciences Publishing House, Publishing House of Social Sciences Documentation, and Economic Management Publishing House, affiliated to CASS, have also published a large number of works on social sciences and have contributed greatly to the development of social sciences in China.