Big picture of a big nation takes shape

The official opening of the China Studies Centre at Oxford University, the largest such center in Europe, was a fanfare event.

Prince William, who officially launched the center on Sept 8, told those assembled: "Learning from and learning about China has never been more important than it is now."

Although the occasion was slightly upstaged by news of an impending royal birth, which meant the Duchess of Cambridge could not attend with her husband as planned, the new center is seen as a further landmark in the academic study of China around the world.