Towards a futures discourse in mainland China

There are currently no well-established Futures practitioners working full-time in the People's Republic of China, although certain futurists visit China regularly. This paper addresses the conditions, including political, social and economic, which futurists looking to set up in China are likely to face. It is argued that the time is now right for a range of types of futures practitioners to work permanently in China, or at least have China as a major focus. Conditions are sufficiently permissive, and with an increasing range of major issues and problems facing China in the next decade, the tools and methods of Futures Studies could potentially play an important role in the development of China. Finally, the paper outlines some suggested steps that can be taken to begin to more fully establish a healthy discourse for Futures Studies in China.