History of Chinese newspapers

The forerunners of newspapers in China took the form of government bulletins such as the ''Peking Gazette''. Newspapers as known in the West were first published in China in the early 19th century. Some were in the English language rather than Chinese, and many were allied with Christian missionary endeavours.

Terminology

''Bao zhi'' ( means newspaper. In this context, ''bao'' means to announce, inform or report; ''zhi'' simply means paper.

News in ancient history

Chinese language periodicals goes back to the Spring and Autumn Annals, and traces through more than a thousand years of tipao, including ''Kaiyuan Za Bao'' and the ''Peking Gazette''. The ''Peking Gazette'' was published daily until 1912. As this publication was intended for government officials only, it is not considered a true newspaper. However, it was widely read by others.

The proper newspaper was introduced relatively late in the Far East, as a result of Western influence and the adoption of the printing press:

Newspapers of the last century including today's newspapers of the People's Republic of China, Chinese newspapers overseas, and earlier papers such as '' Shen Bao'', '' Xin Wen Bao'', '' Zi Lin Xi Hu Bao'', Ta Kung Pao also draw upon other influences in the history of newspapers.

News in modern times

The first reference to privately published news sheets in China is in 1582 in Beijing, during the late Ming dynasty; Brook, Timothy. (1998). '' The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China''. Berkeley: University of California Press. (Paperback). Page xxi. ''China Monthly Magazine'', which published from 1815 to 1821, marked the beginning of Chinese journalism. It was managed by Robert Morrison, and was printed in Malacca using traditional woodblock printing. It was primarily a Christian missionary organ, although it did include some news.

China's first Western-style newspaper, the Portuguese-language ''A Abelha da China'' was established in 1822, followed by the English-language ''Canton Register'' in 1827. This was followed in 1835 by the ''Canton Press'', another English-language newspaper. The Chinese-language ''Eastern Western Magazine'' was published from 1833 to 1838. This magazine included far more news than ''China Monthly Magazine'', and also commentary. The British Bible Society imported a cylinder printer in 1847, China's first powered printing machine.Xiantao Zhang, ''The Origins of the Modern Chinese Press: The Influence of the Protestant Missionary Press in Late Qing China'', p. 106. In the 1860s, William Dill Gamble, from Ramelton, Ireland, working at American Presbyterian Mission Press in Shanghai, applied electrotype technology to the problem of Chinese typography to create "Meihua type." This revolutionary innovation remained an industry standard for the rest of the 19th century. Gamble's techniques were also adopted in Japan. '' North China Daily News'', an English-language paper, was published in Shanghai from 1850 to 1941. This was a weekly until 1864, when it began publishing daily. The paper published a Chinese-language edition, ''Shanghai Xinbao'', beginning in 1861.

Chinese-language missionary journalism restarted with ''China Serial'', published in Hong Kong from 1853 to 1856. '' Wanguo Gongbao'' (A Review of the Times), the most influential Chinese publication of the 19th century, was published from 1868 to 1907.

See also

* Newspapers of the People's Republic of China#History
* List of the earliest newspapers

References

{{reflist

History of China by topic

Chinese