Beginnings of Chinese journalism

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Before the first Chinese-language (commercial) daily newspapers were published in China in the 19th century , a foreign press scene had already established itself in Hong Kong and Shanghai . First government papers of the foreign colonial governments as well as missionary magazines appeared there. With the publication of foreign (commercial / private) daily newspapers, mostly British, Chinese-language supplements were soon published, some of which developed into independent daily newspapers. These are the beginnings of modern Chinese journalism .

The "new" newspaper market in Hong Kong and Shanghai

Hong Kong

1845, the first three British newspaper in Hong Kong appeared years after the takeover of Hong Kong by Britain , under the name of China Mail . It was considered the official organ of the British colonial government. Two years later (1857) the British newspaper The Hong Kong Daily Press was founded. Both newspapers were considered to be the most important foreign daily newspapers in Hong Kong, and they also published the first Chinese-language translation supplements. The Hong Kong Daily Press published the first Chinese language supplement in 1859, called Zhongwai Xinbao中外 日報. The China Mail followed it up in 1871 with the Huazi Ribao . The first independent Chinese-language daily newspaper (not tied to a foreign daily newspaper) was founded in Hong Kong in 1874 under the name Xunhuan Ribao循環 日報.

Shanghai

In Shanghai the development was similar, only delayed by a few years. In 1850, the North China Herald was founded in Shanghai as the first British newspaper to only appear weekly and shortly thereafter to publish an additional daily edition called the North China Daily News . There were also other smaller British daily newspapers (S hanghai Daily Times, Shanghai Recorder, Shanghai Evening Express ), but their influence was very small. In Shanghai, in 1862, the first Chinese language supplement appeared under the name Shanghai Xinbao上海 新 報, published by the North China Daily News . The Shenbao申報appeared as the first independent Chinese-language daily newspaper in 1872 .

Official Chinese government press

In addition to the “new” (commercial) daily newspapers in China, there was also an official court newspaper of the Qing government ( Jingbao京 報, Peking Gazette ). A separate press censorship was introduced for the official state press , so documents could only be printed after they had been officially recognized by the Grand Secretariat. 10,000 copies are said to have been made every day. The content of the Jingbao is often discussed, but it is often described as a propaganda leaflet. The Jingbao was quoted frequently in the "new" newspapers. Large parts of it have been translated in foreign newspapers, with all or part of it being printed in Chinese-language newspapers.

Acceptance of the "new" newspapers

government

The "new" newspapers were initially a source of information for the government. The Office for Foreign Affairs had foreign newspaper articles translated into Chinese in order to obtain information about foreign countries, but also about their own country and people. However, there were also government officials who called for the "new" newspapers to be banned, especially when articles critical of the government appeared. The government initially did not respond to this request, the new medium was probably too important as a source of information.

readership

The acceptance of the "new" newspapers in the population can best be seen from the circulation figures of the individual newspapers:

• Daily Press : Circulation of approx. 400-500 copies
• North China Herald : Edition of approx. 100 copies
• Xunhuan Ribao : Circulation of approx. 500-600 copies
• Huazi Ribao : At the beginning an edition of approx. 500 copies, later an edition of approx. 2000 copies
• Shenbao : Circulation of approx. 4,500 copies (hence the most widely read daily newspaper of the 19th century in China)

The difference between the circulation figures can be explained by the fact that British newspapers reached a much smaller readership (foreign readers only) than Chinese-language newspapers. Their circulation numbers were therefore well below those of Chinese speakers. The newspapers' own statements about the circulation figures were significantly higher. It is believed that the numbers were set particularly high to attract advertisers. It should be noted that the number of copies is not to be equated with the number of readers, because at that time it is assumed that a copy was read by around ten readers in China.

content

Not only was the newspaper medium new to China, but also its content. On the one hand, a kind of "education" should be pursued, i. H. new knowledge of the world and achievements in science and technology should be made known. On the other hand, domestic affairs should be made accessible to a wide audience and openly stated that the jingbao was limited in scope.

construction

The structure of the various newspapers was often similar. The messages were divided into different categories. The first page mostly consisted of advertisements and market news. This was followed either by translations or summaries from the Jingbao . The current news was divided into "news from the region" and "news from China and abroad." The last part often consisted of letters to the editor, which were mostly short treatises of events or statements on social or political problems.

Authorship

Articles were initially written by salaried journalists . Reporters were also sent out quite early on as correspondents to research news on the spot. However, many contributions were also submitted by readers, whose authenticity and representativeness was difficult to verify, although personal information was requested from the submitter (name, occupation, place of residence).

Role of the west

The “new” newspaper was initially an imported medium from the West that might not have been possible in China without the foreign concession areas (Shanghai, initially also Hong Kong). They were protected by extraterritoriality and were therefore subject to foreign jurisdiction.

literature

• Barbara Mittler: A Newspaper for China? Power, Identity and Change in Shanghai's News Media (1872-1912) . Harvard University Press, Cambridge 2004 (Asia Monographs Series 226).
• Natascha Vittinghoff: The Beginnings of Journalism in China (1862-1911) . Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2002.
• Rudolf G. Wagner: The Early Chinese Newspapers and the Chinese Public Sphere . In: European Journal of East Asian Studies 1, 2002, 1: 1-34.