Western commentators have often criticized the state of press freedom in China, arguing that individual speech still suffers from arbitrary restrictions and that its mass media remains under an authoritarian mode. Yet the history of press freedom in the Chinese context has received little examination. Unlike conventional historical accounts which narrate the institutional development of censorship and people’s resistance to arbitrary repression, Freedom of the Press in China: A Conceptual History, 1831-1949 is
the first comprehensive study presenting the intellectual trajectory of press freedom. It sheds light on the transcultural transference and localization of the concept in modern Chinese history, spanning from its initial introduction in 1831 to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. By examining intellectuals’ thoughts, common people’s attitudes, and official opinions, along with the social-cultural factors that were involved in negotiating Chinese interpretations and practices in history, this book uncovers the dynamic and changing meanings of press freedom in modern China.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- A Note on Romanization
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Press Freedom: Word and Concept
- Towards an Understanding of Conceptual Change
- Outline of the Book
- 1. The Enlightenment of the West
- China in a Transitional Period
- The Earliest Writing on Press Freedom
- Writings of Western Protestant Missionaries
- Writings of Chinese Students in the West
- Writings of Chinese Envoys
- 2. Chuban Ziyou: The Invention of a Neologism
- Liang Qichao and the Birth of Chuban Ziyou
- Chinese Students in Japan and Their Introduction to Press Freedom
- The Problematic Origins of Chinese Press Freedom
- 3. The Liminal Landscape
- The Pragmatic View
- Press Freedom as a Civil Right
- 4. The Intellectual Legacy of Sun Yat-sen
- The New Era
- Sun Yat-sen’s Anti-Liberal Thoughts
- Sun Yat-sen Worship
- The San-min Doctrine of Journalism
- 5. The Empty Phrase and Popular Ignorance
- Press Freedom in Constitutional Documents
- Press Freedom in School Textbooks
- Violent Mobs and Ignored Freedom
- 6. Conceptual Debates in the 1920s and 1930s
- Minquan (People’s Rights, 民權) or Human Rights?
- Press Freedom versus Press Control
- 7. The Last Call for Press Freedom
- The Constitutional Movement and Democratic Propositions
- The Freedom of News Movement
- The Fear of Communist Publications
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
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