The term knowledge means a realm of scholarship. It does not mean information for communication purposes. Knowledge is that scholarship which is defined within an educational organization—namely, a higher education institution. It does not mean the kind of knowledge that a person possesses that would enable him or her to operate within his or her community.
Chinese studies used in this book has three different definitions: an administrative organization within a university, a realm of knowledge that constitutes various disciplines, and a knowledge community of academics from different organizations. In this study, the term Chinese studies does not include the contents of the various curricula taught to students in each discipline. Readers should also note that the realm of Chinese studies discussed in this book is viewed from the perspective of Western countries and not from that of Greater China.
The term Britain is used in this book as a synonym for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (U.K.).
