Ta Kung Pao (; ) was one of the most influential newspapers of the Republic of China until 1949.
Established in 1902 by Ying Lianzhi, a Manchu aristocrat, within the French Concession of Tianjin, Ta Kung Pao initially championed the cause of a constitutional monarchy in China. However, following the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, Ying withdrew from active involvement in the newspaper's operations. In 1916, with backing from the Anfu Club, shareholder Wang Zhilong took over full ownership, transforming Ta Kung Pao into the club's mouthpiece. Wang appointed Hu Zhengzhi as both chief editor and manager, leading to significant reforms in both the newspaper's design and its editorial approach. The decline of the Anfu Club by 1920 prompted Wang to divest his stake, and Hu's subsequent resignation saw a drastic reduction in circulation, culminating in the newspaper's shutdown on November 27, 1925.
In 1926, Wu Dingchang, Zhang Jiluan, and Hu Zhengzhi formed the Xinji Company and took over Ta Kung Pao. Known for its principles of four no's, namely non-partisan, not for sale, no self-interest, and not blind, Ta Kung Pao became famous for its sharp political commentary and current affairs reporting. From its inception in 1902 until the Ta Kung Pao Revival Declaration published in Shanghai in 1949, it was referred to as the "old Ta Kung Pao". After 1949, it gradually came under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, with the Chongqing edition becoming the Chongqing Daily, and the Tianjin and Shanghai editions merging and relocating to Beijing, ceasing publication in 1966, leaving only the Hong Kong edition still in existence today.
Ta Kung Pao was the only Chinese newspaper to send reporters to the Paris Peace Conference after World War I and the only one to station reporters in Europe during World War II. It sent journalists to witness historical events such as the Potsdam Conference and the Japanese surrender ceremony aboard the USS Missouri. Additionally, it was the first Chinese newspaper to be listed on the stock market. Along with Yishi Bao, Shen Bao, and Minguo Daily, Ta Kung Pao was one of the "Four Major Newspapers of the Republic of China".
Early history
Establishment In April 1901, Ying Lianzhi arrived in Tianjin, then under the control of the Eight-Nation Alliance, to visit Chai Tiancong, the overseer of the Catholic Church in the Zizhulin area. During his visit, Chai proposed the idea of starting a newspaper, mentioning that he had already secured funding of over ten thousand yuan and invited Ying to take charge, assuring him that he need not worry about profit and loss. Consequently, Ying consulted He Wosheng and Hu Yinan, drafted the newspaper's charter, and began activities to raise further capital and attract shareholders. By August, the Tianjin Donghua Translation Office was willing to collaborate, and the French Church and its embassy expressed their interest in participating in the newspaper project and agreed to its establishment in Tianjin.
Following the Eight-Nation Alliance's occupation of Beijing and Tianjin, the French consulate sought to develop a media tool to counterbalance the influence of other foreign powers, competing with Zhi Bao, founded by Constantin von Hanneken, the Peking and Tientsin Times supported by the Tianjin British Concession's Works Department, and the Tianjin Daily News backed by the Japanese Consulate in Tianjin. The occupation led to anti-foreign and anti-Christian movements in regions like Guangzong and Julu in Zhili province, and the Tianjin Catholic Church urgently needed a publication to help ease the tensions between the locals and the church.
In October 1901, Ying traveled to Shanghai with Frédéric-Vincent Lebbe of the Missionary Society to purchase printing equipment and started looking for a chief editor in Hong Kong and Shanghai. He met with Ma Xiangbo in Shanghai, who suggested Zhang Jusheng could recommend a chief editor, though this did not materialize. Wang Rongqing volunteered to join the newspaper but opposed the idea of French capital investment in the newspaper. Thus, settling for the next best option, Fang Shouliu was hired as the chief editor, and Mu Yuanfu as the translator.
Ta Kung Pao under Ying Lianzhi On 17 June 1902, Ta Kung Pao was first published in the French Concession of Tianjin. The initial chief editor, Fang Shouliu, was relatively inexperienced, and Ying Lianzhi himself effectively served as the chief editor, with most unsigned articles written by him. The newspaper's staff were not allowed to receive payment for work outside the newspaper or to propagate for any political party. The supplement was written in the local languages of Beijing and Tianjin, rather than classic Chinese. Initially, the daily circulation was 3,800 copies. Besides Chai Tiancong, the shareholders included grain and timber merchant Wang Zhilong, German merchant Ronghua Yanghang's Zhang Lianbi, reformist Yan Fu, Beijing Bishop Fan Guoliang, and Bao Wo from the French consulate in China, with most other shareholders being Catholics.
Ta Kung Pao frequently exposed the Tianjin authorities' maladministration, leading to dissatisfaction from the Tianjin authorities but was protected by the French consul. On November 17, 1902, Ta Kung Pao published a letter criticizing the Tianjin Health Bureau for incompetence after the Allied Command was disbanded, leading to negotiations between the Tianjin authorities and the French consul, who were informed by Li Jingyu, the senior translator of the French Consulate. In early 1903, due to the newspaper's content, the Tianjin authorities negotiated with the French consulate, requesting a warning to Ta Kung Pao. Ying sought help from the Frenchman Mergan, and the situation was eventually defused through the intervention of the French consul. By the end of the same year, Ying was again informed that the government intended to trouble Ta Kung Pao, advising extra caution.
However, because Ta Kung Pao did not show an overtly pro-French stance, the French consulate attempted to control the newspaper by proposing a French person as the public face, which Ying rejected. In April 1903, Russia's refusal to withdraw troops from the Eastern Three Provinces sparked the anti-Russian movement. Ta Kung Pao published several editorials condemning Russian aggression and calling for national resistance, leading to a reprimand from the Russian governor but continued anti-Russian publications, displeasing the French consul. In May and July–August 1903, Ta Kung Pao extensively reprinted anti-Russian editorials from Japanese newspapers, attracting the attention of Japanese consulate staff. Consequently, in July 1903, Ying exchanged gifts and dined with the Japanese Consul Takao Koyou. After the Shen Jin case, Ying personally visited the Japanese consulate to inquire about the details and had fewer exchanges with the French.
The paper's 1902 criticism of the foreign forces of the Eight-Nation Alliance (which had established posts in Tianjin following the Boxer War) resulted in French authorities issuing fines against the paper; Ying moved its operations from the French concession to the Japanese concession.
During the Russo-Japanese War, Ta Kung Pao actively reported on the war by frequently reprinting articles from Japanese media like Asahi Shimbun and North China Herald, dedicating sections like "Current Affairs News" to "Japanese Official Telegraphs". The newspaper also published editorials analyzing the impact of the Russo-Japanese War on China, emphasizing the need for China to catch up and reform to preserve the nation. The "Prospering Asia" theory within Japan and signals of a "Sino-Japanese Alliance to Protect East Asia" released by the Japanese consulate led Ta Kung Pao, under Ying's leadership, to advocate for a Sino-Japanese alliance as a strategy for national preservation. Ying's pro-Japanese stance eventually made it intolerable for the French consulate, forcing Ta Kung Pao to move from the French Concession to the Japanese Concession. After moving to the Japanese Concession in 1906, Ying's interactions with the Japanese consulate decreased, and the newspaper no longer showed a clear pro-Japanese bias. However, during this period, Ta Kung Pao had developed into a major commercial newspaper in the north.
After the Xinhai Revolution, Ying's advocacy for constitutional monarchy failed. In 1912, the Republic of China banned Ta Kung Pao after it criticised Yuan Shikai. Ying responded by distributing the paper free of charge. Ying, unwilling to cooperate with Yuan, left Ta Kung Pao and retired to Jingyi Garden in Fragrant Hills, Beijing. In 1917, a flood in North China affected over six million people, and Ying staged a fundraising event at Ta Kung Pao's sponsored carnival but ceased further contact with Ta Kung Pao.
Ta Kung Pao under Wang Zhilong
In September 1916, with the support of the Anfu Club, original shareholder Wang Zhilong acquired all shares of Ta Kung Pao, turning it into the organ of the Anfu Club. In October 1916, Wang hired Hu Zhengzhi as the chief editor and manager. To eliminate fabricated news, Hu immediately fired five out of six reporters at the newspaper, retaining only the one whose father was an official at the Presidential Palace. Later, in Beijing, he hired Lin Baishui, Liang Hongzhi, Wang E'sun, and others as contributing reporters, who sent their articles via telephone and mail.
In November 1916, Hu reformed the print layout from booklet style to column style, adjusted font sizes, and arranged for different font sizes and spacings to create an aesthetically pleasing layout. He personally visited the typesetting room every night to oversee the layout. Simultaneously, he began publishing economic information such as "Today's Silver Yuan Market" and "Stock Markets Around the Country". In January 1917, he reformed the newspaper's content, assigning special commissioners to attend Beijing's political meetings and arranging informants in major provinces to report significant news at any time. While other newspapers focused on military, political, and sensational social news, Ta Kung Pao added a "Special Records" section to collect opinions from celebrities and created columns for education and industry.
In May 1919, Ta Kung Pao extensively reported on the May Fourth Movement in Beijing and Qingdao. As the only Chinese reporter at the Paris Peace Conference, Hu Zhengzhi, along with Xie Dongfa, released press statements in French to major news agencies on behalf of the Chinese press, explaining China's reasons for refusing to sign the treaty.
After the Zhili-Anhui War in 1920, the Anfu Club was defeated, and Wang Zhilong fled to Japan. On August 12, he announced his withdrawal from Ta Kung Pao's shares. The same day, Hu Zhengzhi announced his resignation as chief editor and manager of Ta Kung Pao. The next day, Ta Kung Pao ceased publication, and its reputation plummeted. Wang Zhilong died on September 27, 1923, due to the Great Kanto Earthquake. On November 27, 1925, Ta Kung Pao ceased publication after issue number 8315.
Re-establishment and later history
Re-establishment