The current issue of Communication and Society features two rather polarized fields in communication in terms of research tradition: a dialogue with Colin Sparks and a thematic set of articles on health communication. While the former discusses how critical studies-including political economy of communication and cultural studies-could contribute to our understanding of Chinese society, politics and media nowadays, the latter are empirical studies that examine the various functions and effects of health campaign in the Chinese context. This "coincidence" reflects not only the diversity of research articles in this volume, but also the continual interdisciplinary nature of communication theories. At this crossroads, regardless of the research tradition, the research forum by Ran Wei reminds us the vital importance of contextualizing theory in new media studies in the Chinese historical and social context.