Today, in an age when economic con-siderations are paramount, the marriage of economic and sinological research has emerged as the dominant trend in sinology for the 21st century. Professor Roderich Ptak, former head of the Sinological Section of the Institute of East Asian Studies at Germany's Munich University, can be said to be at the forefront of this trend. Professor Ptak, in his early 40s, is an expert in both economics and sinology, and is among the youngest sinology professors in Germany. Economic agencies such as Bavaria's Haus der Bayerischen Wirtschaft often draw on his expertise by inviting him to take part in economic forums.

In addition to practically oriented research, Professor Ptak's main areas of study also include Chinese classical and modern novels, the early history of China's maritime trade, the history of China's international relations, and the history of Macao with reference to Sino-Portuguese relations. He gained his doctorate from the University of Heidelberg with a thesis on the Yuan-dynasty dramatist Zheng Tingyu, and his professorship with a monograph on the story of the early-15th-century voyages of the imperial eunuch Zheng He, as portrayed in Ming dynasty drama and novels. The following is the record of an interview with him:

Q: I'd like to start by asking you to explain the main orientation and focus of the Sinological Section at Munich University.

A: Our main focus is on research into Chinese philosophy and pre-Qing history, literature, archaeology, geography and minority peoples. Since 1995 the section has intensified its collaboration with the Bavarian State Library, where Professor Thomas H闤lmann, a colleague who specializes in Chinese archaeology and the minority peoples of Taiwan and China (such as Taiwan's Tsou people), has begun the Munich Yao Project, a research project on religious texts of the Yao minority. In recent years the State Library has acquired over 1000 Yao manuscripts dating back as far as the late 18th century and originating from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Burma and the southern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan. These manuscripts are being classified, catalogued on computer, and analyzed. When the catalog is complete it will be published as part of the Verzeichnis der orientalischen Handschriften in Deutschland (Index of Oriental Manuscripts in Germany) to make it available for international research. We hope it will encourage international exchange.

Q: Was there any particular motive which first prompted you to study sinology, ?

A: No, it was pure chance! (Laughs). In fact, although there were elements of coincidence, it did fit into a pattern. At first I was interested in seafaring and in oriental culture, philosophy and religion. Later, by reading books in translation, I gradually came into contact with China. Thus by an unplanned and roundabout route I found my way into the field of sinology, and made it my life's work.

Q: You speak many languages fluently: German, Portuguese, French, Chinese and English-you evidently have a flair for languages. Did this give you an edge over other people in studying Chinese?

A: It wasn't so easy! Chinese isn't easy to learn-both the pronunciation and the grammar are especially difficult, because they're quite different from our Indo-European languages, so one has to completely readjust. In particular, every Chinese character has to be memorized individually, and for people who are used to an alphabetic script this is a great challenge.

Q: What do you think about complex and simplified Chinese characters?

A: In terms of their appearance, the traditional complex forms of characters have great beauty. Someone intending to study sinology should start with them, for it is easier to move from complex to simplified characters than vice versa. Furthermore, if you don't study the traditional characters, how are you going to read ancient Chinese texts? Also, to be frank, some characters really have been simplified in ways one can't find a good word to say about, and if you see them out of context, you'd never guess what the original character was. I always encourage my students to learn both.

Q: At the moment there's a debate going on in Taiwan about whether to use the National Phonetic Symbols (based on modified Chinese characters) or romanization (based on the Latin alphabet) to spell out the pronunciation of Chinese words. Can you tell us your opinion, from the perspective of sinological research?

A: From the standpoint of Western sinologists, of course there has to be acceptance of diversity, and experimentation with and comparison between many different methods. However, for the sake of convenience, various countries developed their own spelling systems for Chinese according to the different phonetic values of letters in their own languages. For instance, there are great differences between the French, German and Russian systems. But later, to assist communication and exchange and to avoid misunderstanding, scholars internationally generally agreed on the use of the mainland pinyin system and the Wade-Giles system. I personally rather prefer the latter-it's a more scientific system, and is more in line with the pronunciation of the letters in Western languages. The pinyin system has many shortcomings-the system of transcribing initial consonants and vowels is not always coherent, and in some cases is even contradictory. Generally speaking, sinology students should learn both systems in tandem. As for the National Phonetic Symbols, the fact that they are different from most alphabetic systems tends to put people off trying to learn them.

Q: You spent many years studying Zheng He, who made seven westward sea voyages in the Ming dynasty, and wrote your magnum opus Zheng He's Expeditions to the Western Ocean in the Ming Play "Xia Xiyang" and the Novel "Xiyang Ji." This was a very difficult challenge-why did you choose this topic, and how did you research it?

A: Of course this topic is very broad in scope, but my greatest motive was simply interest-I'm interested in seafaring, economics, history and geography, so naturally I collect materials on these subjects. Furthermore, the subject of my doctoral thesis had been to do with dramatic literature, so I tried to find points of connection between them. The book has two main parts: a translation and analysis of the play telling the story of the voyages Zheng He made at the emperor's command, along with an account and discussion of the historical background; and a literary appreciation of the novel. In the course of my research, I realized that Xiyang Ji ("A Popular Romance of the Westward Voyages of the Eunuch Sanbao," completed around 1597) is somewhat similar in structure to Journey to the West.

Q: Did your research confirm the popular notion that the purpose of Zheng He's voyages was to search for the missing imperial crown prince Jianwen? Is it true he reached Africa a century before Vasco da Gama? And what lasting influence did his voyages have?

A: At that time China was the dominant sea power of the Orient, and although it never engaged in real colonization, it exerted a powerful cultural influence throughout Southeast Asia. Today, the largest numbers of overseas Chinese are to be found in Southeast Asia; this is not unrelated to Zheng He's voyages. Later, Ming and Qing dynasty merchants carried on trading in Southeast Asia on their own account, and the region continued to be influenced by Guangdong and Fujian.

Q: You spent your childhood in Portugal, and speak fluent Portuguese. You are also an expert on the Portuguese colony of Macao, which is to revert to the PRC in 1999. In 450 years of Portuguese rule, Macao never attained economic prosperity on a par with Hong Kong's. On the basis of your many years of research, can you outline the reasons?

A: Of course this is related in part to the Portuguese national character, but also to the old Portuguese colonial system and to political and other factors. Macao did prosper for a time, but with its small area and population its development was limited, and it did not share Hong Kong's advantage of an excellent deep-water harbor. Furthermore, in the 19th and early 20th centuries Britain was the world's richest power; by comparison, the Portuguese did not have the capital to go in for large-scale colonial activities.

Q: As well as being a professor of sinology, you also hold a master's degree in economics. From an economic perspective, are you optimistic about Hong Kong's post-1997 future?

A: The future fate of Hong Kong is inseparable from that of mainland China, particularly Guangdong Province. At present, the mainland's economic development is limited by serious corruption, and by the growing disparity between the standards of living of rural and urban areas, and of the coast and the interior. If these problems cannot be resolved, and with the pressure from the USA on the whole of Southeast Asia, the financial crisis will continue to worsen. As the bridge between mainland China and Southeast Asia, Hong Kong is exposed to the effects of the crisis and will suffer. If the PRC leaves Hong Kong to manage its own affairs and interferes as little as possible, letting them deal with their internal social and other problems themselves, then although there may be an economic downturn, at least Hong Kong will be able to pull through.

Q: Don't most ordinary people in Germany still think of sinology as a pursuit carried on in the "ivory tower"?

A: Academic research is a serious undertaking-you first have to read many books, and academic arguments have to be well founded. You must be ready to stand up for any opinion you put forward-you can't simply write whatever nonsense you think will please people, and at the same time the further you go the more specialized your work becomes. However, in recent years there has been some change, and scholars' research has tended to have a more practical orientation, so that more information about China reaches the general public. If one day Oriental culture becomes generally known in schools and in society, won't that be the day when sinological research has left the "ivory tower"?

Q: When the German government formulates its policy towards China, does it consult sinologists?

A: Occasionally it does, but sadly far from enough. My personal feeling is that the government and economic experts often make inappropriate decisions, and in this regard they are more in the "ivory tower" then we are.

Q: People in the West generally have the idea that the Chinese are an "inscrutable" people. Has studying sinology helped you understand the Chinese?

A: Certainly it has helped. Sometimes I even think the Chinese are easier to understand than Westerners, because they are less ready to express "individuality." Especially under an authoritarian education system, basic values tend to be uniform or at least very similar, so one can deal with them according to certain patterns. Comparatively speaking, Westerners overemphasize individuality, and although this makes interpersonal relations more diverse, it also makes them more difficult. Of course, this is only my personal impression, and I may be mistaken.

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Professor Roderich Ptak, a scholar of both economics and Chinese, is highly experienced in both pure classical research and modern practically oriented sinology.

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A page of the "Mao Kun" map which illustrates the sea route from Nanjing to the Indian Ocean in the days of Zheng He.

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A selection of books authored, edited, co-edited or published by members of the Sinological Section of the Institute of East Asian Studies at Munich University.

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These Yao manuscripts from China are now in the collection of the Bavarian State Library.

A page of the "Mao Kun" map which illustrates the sea route from Nanjing to the Indian Ocean in the days of Zheng He.

A selection of books authored, edited, co edited or published by members of the Sinological Section of the Institute of East Asian Studies at Munich University.

These Yao manu scripts from China are now in the collection of the Bavarian State Library.