Chinese Mail

Chinese Mail
華字日報
TypeDaily newspaper
EditorChen Aiting
Founded17 April 1872
HeadquartersHong Kong

Chinese Mail (Chinese: 華字日報; pinyin: Huázì Rìbào) was a major Chinese language daily newspaper in Hong Kong. Despite being linked to the China Mail,[1]: 98  the paper had its own editorial policy that rendered it more independent.[2]

Overview

Chinese Mail was founded in 1872 (some sources claim it was founded in 1864)[3] and edited by Chen Aiting and his son.[4] It declared itself to be "the first Chinese Newspaper ever issued under purely native direction". In 1874, the newspaper went into a rivalry with Xunhuan Ribao, leading to both the newspapers being published daily. By March 1874, Chinese Mail was being distributed to foreign countries such as the United States.[1]: 68  The paper guaranteed at least 1000 copies in circulation.[5]

The newspaper became independent from the China Mail in 1919.[6]

Chinese Mail provided news on Guangzhou due to the close proximity of Guangzhou to Hong Kong. Due to its location in Hong Kong, too, it was free from censorship from Guangzhou.[7]

In 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Army captured Hong Kong, the newspaper stopped publication.[6] Although many other major Chinese-language newspapers managed to make a recovery after the occupation, Chinese Mail did not.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Wagner, Rudolf G. (1 February 2012). Joining the Global Public: Word, Image, and City in Early Chinese Newspapers, 1870-1910. SUNY Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-7998-8.
  2. ^ King, Frank H. H.; Clarke, Prescott (26 October 2020). A Research Guide to China-Coast Newspapers, 1822–1911. BRILL. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-68417-149-1.
  3. ^ a b Hamm, John Christopher (1 January 2005). Paper Swordsmen: Jin Yong And The Modern Chinese Martial Arts Novel. University of Hawaii Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-0-8248-2763-2.
  4. ^ Zhao, Yunze; Sun, Ping (11 May 2018). A History of Journalism and Communication in China. Taylor & Francis. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-317-51931-7.
  5. ^ Lackner, Michael; Vittinghoff, Natascha (2004). Mapping Meanings: The Field of New Learning in Late Qing China ; [International Conference "Translating Western Knowledge Into Late Imperial China", 1999, Göttingen University]. BRILL. p. 90. ISBN 90-04-13919-2.
  6. ^ a b Murphy, Patrick (1994). Handbook of Chinese Popular Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 170–. ISBN 978-0-313-27808-2.
  7. ^ Poon, Shuk-wah (2011). Negotiating Religion in Modern China: State and Common People in Guangzhou, 1900-1937. Chinese University Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-962-996-421-4.