自創辦《同路人》開始, 到這一期,我們已足足出版了21年, 這是我從未想過的事。不過幾位自創刊至今都仍是我們讀者的朋友, 提醒了我, 《同路人》仍正在回應最初所領受的異象, 就是要在澳洲, 與華人社區一起同走移民路。還有自創刊至今及為仍《同路人》撰稿的作者及一起工作過的員工, 他們也提醒了我, 並不是只有我一個人在走這一條路, 而是真的有一群同路的人。

21年前, 大批中國移民到了澳洲,而中國經濟也開始起飛, 在全球進行大外宣的政策塑造了這裏中文媒體生態。那時,中文媒體成為中澳貿易推手的工具, 也是中國政府「關心」、「愛護」及維持澳洲華人「愛國」的活動。中文媒體主辦的各類中澳文化、貿易、教育、及移民活動, 成為了社區每週的節目, 而這些活動豐富了移民社區生活, 同時間也令到華人移民成為一個不容易融入澳洲的少數族裔。

今天,時移勢易。微信已成為中國移民的基本生活平台, 也是他們接收信息的主要途徑, 中國政府也不重視傳統文字、廣播及電影媒介作為發佈資訊及宣傳工具。成本高昂的印刷媒體及受政府規範操作的電台, 反而成為更有效及可信性高的資訊工具。雖然它們發行量不太高及訊息發放速度遠遠不及網絡媒體, 但若能配合社交平台, 卻是現時不少移民可以取得高質素中文生活資訊的途徑。

《同路人》過去一年, 正在進行改組過程之中。現時我們維持每兩週出版一次, 但每週五天我們會在網站上載主要的新聞評論, 還會在未來設立每天的電子新聞訂閱, 發展成為一個綜合平台, 提昇對讀者的服務。

不單如此, 除了新聞資訊及評論以外, 我們更增設生活資訊欄目, 全面的向讀者深入介紹澳洲生活知識。我們也開發了blessingCALD.com.au 這一個英文平台, 服務其他族裔新移民, 及向主流社會介紹不同族裔移民對事物的看法。

我相信作為讀者的你, 與我一樣, 同樣重視獨立、持平及尊重澳洲價值觀的移民資訊刊物, 更願意支持我們堅守要成為祝福澳洲的中文生活及資訊平台。請為我們打氣。

周偉文, 社長

Walking together for 21 years!

From the time Sameway was founded, we have been publishing for a full 21 years — something I had never imagined. However, a few friends who have been our readers since the very beginning reminded me that Sameway is still holding onto the original given vision : to walk the migrant journey together with the Chinese community in Australia. Some of the writers who have been contributing since the beginning, as well as the staff who have worked alongside, have also reminded me that I’m not walking this path alone — there truly is a group of fellow travellers.

Twenty-one years ago, a large influx of Chinese immigrants arrived in Australia, while China’s economy began to take off. During this time, the Chinese government’s global publicity campaign helped shape the Chinese-language media ecosystem here. Back then, Chinese-language media became tools for promoting China–Australia trade and platforms through which the Chinese government could “care for,” “nurture,” and maintain the “patriotism” of Chinese Australians. A variety of cultural, trade, education, and immigration-related events organized by these media outlets became weekly occurrences in the community. While these activities enriched the lives of immigrants, they also contributed to Chinese migrants being seen as a hard-to-integrate minority group.

By now, times have changed. WeChat has become the primary daily platform for Chinese immigrants and the main channel through which they receive information. Meanwhile, the Chinese government no longer emphasizes traditional print, radio, or film as tools for communication and propaganda. Ironically, expensive-to-produce print media and government-regulated radio have become more effective and trustworthy sources of information. Although their distribution is limited and they can’t compete with the speed of digital media, when combined with social platforms, they offer a reliable way for many immigrants to access high-quality Chinese-language information about life in Australia.

Over the past year, Sameway has been undergoing a restructuring process. Currently, we continue to publish every two weeks, but we now upload major news commentary to our website five days a week. In the future, we plan to launch a daily e-newsletter and develop into a comprehensive platform to enhance our service to readers.

Not only that — beyond news and commentary, we’ve added new lifestyle sections to widely introduce readers to practical knowledge about living in Australia. We have also developed an English-language platform, blessingCALD.com.au, to serve new immigrants from other ethnic groups and to introduce the perspectives of diverse migrant communities to mainstream society.

I believe that you as our reader would appreciate, as I do, an independent, balanced, and Australian values respecting migrant publication. I hope you’ll continue to support us in our commitment to being a Chinese-language lifestyle and information platform that seeks to be a blessing to Australia.

Mr. Raymond Chow, Publisher

鼓勵你的朋友訂閱這一份電子刊物, 也使用我們作為你企業的廣告推廣平台, 與我們繼續同路。

Please cheer us on, encourage your friends to subscribe to our e-newsletter, and consider using our platform to promote your business. Let’s keep walking together.