Fàn Changjiang (; 6 October 1909 – 23 October 1970), born Fan Xitian (范希天), was a Chinese
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
and writer. Fan was born in
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
Province and educated at
Peking University
Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
. Fan was persecuted during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
and committed suicide in 1970.
Journalism career
Biography
Fan started his career as a journalist in 1933. He was sent to the northwest of China by
Da Gong Bao
''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'') is the oldest active Chinese language newspaper in China. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is state-owned, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government after the Chinese Civil War ...
as a string correspondent in 1935. At that time, he editorialized a series of news which sensationalized the public. These pieces of news were later anthologized in a book called ''The North Western Part of China'' (中國的西北角). In this book, he described the
Communist Party of China
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
(CPC), the activities of
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
and the
Long March
The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Chinese Red Army, Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Revolut ...
. Besides that, Fan Changjiang showed his determination and strong animosity towards
feudalism
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
warlords, rich landowners and bad scholars in this book. Meanwhile, he concerned with the development of China's future and also sympathized those who suffered from the political turmoil.
In 1936, when the political scene became chaotic and the first
Chinese civil war
The Chinese Civil War was fought between the Kuomintang-led government of the Republic of China and forces of the Chinese Communist Party, continuing intermittently since 1 August 1927 until 7 December 1949 with a Communist victory on m ...
(1928-1937) started, he went to the
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
for observation. In December, when the famous
Xi'an Incident
The Xi'an Incident, previously romanized as the Sian Incident, was a political crisis that took place in Xi'an, Shaanxi in 1936. Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Nationalist government of China, was detained by his subordinate generals Chang Hs ...
broke out, Fan grasped the opportunity to interview
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
at the risk of life. Zhou was amazed by his studies and analyses when he read his journals.
Later on, he went to
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
province
Yan'an
Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...
to have a personal conversation with
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
It paved the way for Fan's future career as a journalist. When he returned to
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, he published his viewpoints on the anti-Japanese movement and it was generally accepted by the mass. At that time, he was the first journalist who reported the red terror in China.
On November 8, 1937, Fan established the ''Chinese Young Journalists Association'' (中國青年記者協會) with Yang Zao (羊棗) and Xu Maijin (徐邁進) and was elected as the chief executive officer of the association. In the same year, he cofound the ''International News Association'' (國際新聞社) with Hu Yuzhi (胡愈之) in
Changsha
Changsha (; ; ; Changshanese pronunciation: (), Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, an ...
.
In 1939, he joined the Communist Party of China and was one of the people who established Hua Shang Daily《華商報》in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. He also took up the posts of the principal of ''Huangzhong Journalism College'' (華中新聞專科學校), chairman of Huangzhong Branch of the
Xinhua News Agency
Xinhua News Agency (English pronunciation: )J. C. Wells: Longman Pronunciation Dictionary, 3rd ed., for both British and American English, or New China News Agency, is the official state news agency of the People's Republic of China. Xinhua ...
and Huangzhong Post of ''Xinhua Daily'' 《新華日報》(華中報).
In July 1949, he established the ''
All-China Journalists Association
The ''All-China Journalists Association'' (ACJA) (), previously known as the 'Chinese Young Journalist Association', was established in Shanghai on November 8, 1937. November 8 now marks 'National Journalists Day' in China. The society was establi ...
'' with
Hu Qiaomu
Hu Qiaomu (4 June 191228 September 1992) was a Chinese sociologist, Marxist philosopher and politician.
Hu Qiaomu is a controversial figure for opposing the reform and opening up era of economic reform that followed the death of Mao Zedong. He w ...
and many other famous journalists. He was the chief editor of the Xinhua News Agency, chairman of
Jiefang Daily
''Jiefang Daily'' (), also translated as ''Liberation Daily'', is the official daily newspaper of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
History
''Jiefang Daily'' was first published on May 28, 1949, in Shanghai. From 1941 ...
and
People's Daily
The ''People's Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The newspaper provides direct information on the policies and viewpoints of the CCP. In addition to its main Chinese-language ...
.
In 1991, ''Fan Changjiang Journalism Awards'' was established by the ''Chinese Journalists Association Committee'' in order to encourage young journalists in China.
Fan's posts and his careers
Apart from being an award-winning journalist, Fan was also considered a good leader by others. He had hold various official posts, such as:
# the principal of Huangzhong Journalism College (華中新聞專科學校) in 1939
# chairman of Huangzhong Branch of New China News Agency (新華社華中分社) in 1939
# chairman of Huangzhong Post of
Xinhua Daily
''Xinhua Daily'' () was the first public newspaper published in the People's Republic of China by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is owned by the Jiangsu Committee of the CCP.
History
The ''Xinhua Daily'' was founded in Hankou on 11 Januar ...
《新華日報》(華中報)in 1939
# chief editor of New China News Agency (新華社) in 1949
# president of Jiefang Daily 《解放日報》and Renmin Daily 《人民日報》in 1949
# vice-chancellor of China Information Agency (新聞總署)
# vice-secretary of the State administrative council Committee of Culture and Education (政務院文化教育委員會副秘書長)
# second director of office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China (國務院第二辦公室主任)
# vice minister in charge of the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (國家科委副主任)
Ideology
Ideology in newspaper aspect
In the book, "Communication and essay", Fan believed that newspaper was a political tool. It was the basic principle of journalism. A journalist should not fear to discuss politics, should not tend to avoid politics. More importantly, journalist should not violate era. In addition, Fan suggested that if there were correct politics to make instructions, the news work would be an important power to accelerate the advancement of the society.
Obligation to tell the truth
Fan had a clear political and journalistic stand. When he was young, he was greatly influenced by the revolutionary movement and joined series of anti-imperialism movements. He was almost sent to death in the Chongqing Massacre. But this experience further strengthened his ideology which was to seek and report the truth. He believed that honesty should be the most important element of being a journalist.
Loyalty to the party
Fan believed that journalist should support the reforms and determine to be loyal to the party (Communist Party of China). The public should not fear danger and harshness but have incentive to learn and think. He even became a communist journalist and joined Communist Party of China after he left Da Gong Bao. He was strongly against the
capitalist
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
class and supported
communism
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
.
Loyalty to citizens
As described before, Fan wrote a series of articles disclosing the north-west rotten policy, the secret agreements and the hidden side of the red army. What he wanted to show to the people was the urgent need for revolution. He insisted that all his reports and articles should let the people know what was happening in their country.
What is journalism to Fan Changjiang
Fan claimed that a reporter who intended to write excellent journal articles, one must get himself involved in the public. He thought that journalism was the fact of what people want to know and what people should know but had not known. Fan said "This is a thought which is not very across the board, but it does penetrate a spirit to serve the public. As a reporter or journalist, we should always learn to examine the problems and issues raised up by the public and citizens which means to learn what you report. We should also learn the technique of writing by being aware of the response of the public. If the article is not related to the public, there is always no response or voice. Public is considered as the source of journalism, so newspaper should always think of ways to let reporters and journalists get connected to it."
Fan and journalism in China
As the president of the Chinese Journalists Association Committee, Fan focused on the overall development of journalism in China. He once said, "A
telegraph
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
, a letter or a news article influence the attitude of the readers towards the war. It influences the feeling of soldiers in the frontier and the
morale
Morale, also known as esprit de corps (), is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value ...
of workers at the back." Fan emphasized that journalism played an extremely important role during war. He requested all the journalists to have respectable personality, important sense of responsibility and outstanding quality in news reporting. Fan also pointed out the importance of strengthening self-education as well as the promotion of noble-quality with combinations of present political, social and journalistic environment for young journalists.
Famous journals of Fan
After his journey to
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
and
Yan'an
Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...
, he was employed by ''Da Gong Bao'' as a reporter. At that period of time, he wrote a lot of articles such as
* ''Cong Jia Yu Shuo Dao Shan Hai Guan'' ( From Jia Yu to Shan Hai Guan《從嘉峪說到山海關》 )
* ''Bai ling Miao Zhan Hou Hang'' (The War in Bai Ling Miao 《百靈廟戰後行》)
* ''Yi Xi Meng''《憶西蒙》
On 7 July 1937, the
Marco Polo Bridge Incident
The Marco Polo Bridge Incident, also known as the Lugou Bridge Incident () or the July 7 Incident (), was a July 1937 battle between China's National Revolutionary Army and the Imperial Japanese Army.
Since the Japanese invasion of Manchuria ...
broke out. Fan went there to investigate the event. He went to Lugouqiao, Cheng Xin Dian, etc. Fan wrote plenty of Battlefield communications including
* ''Beside the Lugouqiao''《盧溝橋畔》
* ''Xi Xian Feng Yun''《西線風雲》
* ''Shiue Bo Ping Jin''《血泊平津》
After ''China Young Journalists Association'' was founded, Fan went to Jin Pu Lu (津浦路), where the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
was the most fiercest, to report the event. He wrote a lot of communications to reveal the war situation and front tactical situation in Tai Er Zhuang(台兒莊). Those communications were compiled and printed as ''"Xuzhou Breaks Through"''(徐州突圍).
China Young Journalists Association
It was established by Fan and other journalists at
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
in 1937. The aim of this association was to unite all journalists at that time and to spread the message of protecting China against the Japanese. This association later became the
All-China Journalists Association
The ''All-China Journalists Association'' (ACJA) (), previously known as the 'Chinese Young Journalist Association', was established in Shanghai on November 8, 1937. November 8 now marks 'National Journalists Day' in China. The society was establi ...
. The day of its establishment, November 8, has been proclaimed by the Central government and the Communist Party of China as "Journalists' day" (記者節) since 2000. This day serves as a reminder to Chinese people of the devotion and dedication of the former journalists.
International News Association
During the Sino-Japanese War, Fan Changjiang, Hu Yuzhi and other journalists founded the ''International News Association'' at Changsha in 1936. Fan was the president of this association at that time. It was a left-leaning press agency during the period that China was still under the ruling of
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
. It had a legal news gathering and the right of reporting to release the news and reviews of the Sino-Japanese War to the newspaper publishers in mainland China and the rest of the world, especially the news of the Communist Party of China, the
Eighth Route Army
The Eighth Route Army (), officially known as the 18th Group Army of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China, was a group army under the command of the Chinese Communist Party, nominally within the structure of the Chinese ...
and the
New Fourth Army
The New Fourth Army () was a unit of the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China established in 1937. In contrast to most of the National Revolutionary Army, it was controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and not by the ruling Ku ...
.
Fan Changjiang Journalism Award
The ''Fan Changjiang Journalism Award'' is one of the three national journalists awards (the other two are the Taofen Journalism Award and Top 100 Journalists) issued by the
All-China Journalists Association
The ''All-China Journalists Association'' (ACJA) (), previously known as the 'Chinese Young Journalist Association', was established in Shanghai on November 8, 1937. November 8 now marks 'National Journalists Day' in China. The society was establi ...
(ACJA). This is a prize for middle-aged and young journalists. It is named after Fan for his bold and objective coverage of the Chinese Revolution led by the
Communist Party of China
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
against the Kuomintang regime. The award started in 1991. Since 2000, the award is issued by the ACJA every two years (with the other two awards simultaneously). In the first three ''Fan Changjiang Journalism Awards'', 10 reporters would receive the award and 30 reporters would receive the nominated award each time. But the nominated awards were cancelled starting from the fourth Awards. The nominee should age below 50 and work in the field of formal journals, public newspapers, national press agency, authorized radio stations, television stations and other news agency, with a minimum of 10-years successive reporter experience.
Fan and literature in China
Fan Changjiang is considered as one of the most prominent journalists in Chinese history. He had written a huge number of outstanding news articles and taken up a lot of leading positions in this field. His style of writing are considered as very modern, righteous and vivid.
"Sai Shang Xing"
''"Sai Shang Xing"'' (塞上行) is a book written by Fan Changjiang in 1937. The
Xi'an Incident
The Xi'an Incident, previously romanized as the Sian Incident, was a political crisis that took place in Xi'an, Shaanxi in 1936. Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Nationalist government of China, was detained by his subordinate generals Chang Hs ...
was a turning point in Chinese political history. At that time, Fan's journey to
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
and
Yan'an
Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...
as a reporter had changed his political standpoint from a patriotic
ournalist_to_a_communist_who_fought_for_the_proletariat.html" ;"title="communist.html" ;"title="ournalist to a communist">ournalist to a communist who fought for the proletariat">communist.html" ;"title="ournalist to a communist">ournalist to a communist who fought for the proletariat. The release of his book ''The Journey to Northern Shaanxi'' (陝北之行) facilitated the understanding of Chinese citizens from different classes about the
Communist Party of China
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
and Red Army. It also spread out the idea of unity of the nation against Japan. It was the first time Fan got direct contact with the party and his mind got changed after talking to
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
overnight. Later, Mao even wrote two letters to Fan answering his questions concerning the topic about the unity of the nation against Japan. Mao also affirmed Fan's news article on Xiabei. ''Sai Shang Xing'' is a book and a record of Fan's change of his mind.
"The Northwestern Part of China"
This book revealed the rotten policy in the north-west side. It also showed the hidden side of the red army and exposed all the secret agreements made among the leaders at that time. Fan definitely told people the truth. He wasn't afraid of the pressures from the government and reported it in the book to express his concerns on the country. Hu Yuzhi commented that “it is an excellent work which shocks all the Chinese.”
"Communication and Essay"
In this book, Fan described the use of communications and essays clearly which not only gave a format and spirit to the youth journalists for reporting, but also for the writers have the sense of persuasive communication.
"Collection of Fan Changjiang's News Articles"
"''Collection of Fan Changjiang's News Article''" was published in 1989. It contains some parts of the news articles written by Fan without editing. It focuses and respects on the original face of those records, just like Fan said in the preface that "Journalists must respect history, must respect the reality".
Fan and the Xi'an Incident in China
On December 12, 1936, Xi'an Incident broke out in China during the invasion of Japan and nationalist-communist confrontation (1927-1936), which had great effects on political and military aspects. Fan Changjiang, as a reporter, headed to
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
in order to unveil the situation to the public. He said, 'I determined to go to Xian to unveil the truth of China's politics at all costs.' He gained the insight into the current affairs. Fan went there alone to find out the mysteries of Xi'an Incident.
Fan was finally permitted to interview the first premier of China,
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
on February 4, 1937. Zhou told him all the details about Xi'an Incident, such as the reasons of the incident, the ideas of
the Communist party and the important issues about defensing the country against Japan. All these information had made Fan's articles even more accurate and in-depth.
Later, with the permission of Zhou Enlai, he went to
Yan'an
Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...
with great welcome for further details or even investigation. In Yan'an, he visited the
" Red Army University" (紅軍大學) and interviewed some senior and important officers in the Communist party of China, for example,
Lin Biao
)
, serviceyears = 1925–1971
, branch = People's Liberation Army
, rank = Marshal of the People's Republic of China Lieutenant general of the National Revolutionary Army, Republic of China
, commands ...
,
Liao Chengzhi
Liao Chengzhi (; 25 September 1908 – 10 June 1983) was a Chinese politician. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1928, and rose to the position of director of the Xinhua News Agency; after 1949, he worked in various positions related to ...
and
Zhu De
Zhu De (; ; also Chu Teh; 1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party. Born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan, he was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...
, especially the first chairman of
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
on February 9.
Fan told Mao that he wanted to stay in northern
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
; in order to get more information about Communist Party of China, so that he could write a few book on them to propagate the party. However, Mao pointed out that the most important thing was to utilize the important position of ''Da Gong Bao'' in the public to propagate the ideas and policies of Communist Party of China, so the co-operation between the Communist party and
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
could be facilitated.
After returning to Shanghai, Fan wrote the news article ''Turmoil in the Northwest'' (動盪中之西北大局) on the ''
Ta Kung Pao
''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'') is the oldest active Chinese language newspaper in China. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is state-owned, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government after the Chinese Civil War ...
'' on February 16. This article finally shocked the public and embarrassed
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek (31 October 1887 – 5 April 1975), also known as Chiang Chung-cheng and Jiang Jieshi, was a Chinese Nationalist politician, revolutionary, and military leader who served as the leader of the Republic of China (ROC) from 1928 ...
, the leader of Nationalist Government by unveiling the truth in Xi'an. Mao was glad after reading his article and even wrote a letter to Fan to appreciate his efforts.
Fan had written a lot of exclusive articles about Red Army March and Xi'an Incident, which acted as a forwarding power to the Chinese history. He was an initial reporter writing about the details of Red Army March in his two articles called ''Minshan Nanbei Jiaofei Zhi Xianshi'' 《岷山南北剿匪軍事之現勢》and ''Chenglan Jixing'' 《成蘭紀行》.
Timeline
* 1909 October 6 – Fan was born in
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
province.
* 1927 August 1 – Fan participated in the
Nanchang Uprising
The Nanchang Uprising () was the first major Nationalist Party of China–Chinese Communist Party engagement of the Chinese Civil War, begun by the Chinese Communists to counter the Shanghai massacre of 1927 by the Kuomintang.
The Kuomint ...
.
* 1928 spring – Fan entered the
Nanjing Central Party Affair School(南京中央黨務學校) which later called Central School of Politics (中央政治學校)--(1)
* 1931 September – Fan quit the school as it suppressed Fan's effort to lead the students to fight against
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
’s invasion, after the
Mukden Incident
The Mukden Incident, or Manchurian Incident, known in Chinese as the 9.18 Incident (九・一八), was a false flag event staged by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
On September 18, 1931, L ...
on September 18. He also quit
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...
.
* 1932 – Fan started studying
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
in
Peking University
Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education.
Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...
.
* 1933 – He started writing articles in several newspapers, such as Chen Bao (《晨報》)in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,Shi Jie Ri Bao (《世界日報》)and Yi Shi Bao (《益世報》)in
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
.
* 1934 – Fan was hired by
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
's Da Gong Bao.
* 1935 May – Fan, as a commissioner of Da Gong Bao, visited the northwest part of China for 10 months. He wrote a series of articles and later were collected and published in The North Western Part of China.
* 1937 – Fan went to
Xi'an
Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...
in early February in an attempt to unveil the situation there after the
Xian incident. The articles were later collected in The Journey to Shanbei《陝北之行》.
- February 4 – Fan met
Zhou Enlai
Zhou Enlai (; 5 March 1898 – 8 January 1976) was a Chinese statesman and military officer who served as the first Premier of the People's Republic of China, premier of the People's Republic of China from 1 October 1949 until his death on 8 J ...
in Xian
- February 9 – Fan met
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...
in
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
- February 15 – Da Kung Bao published Fan's famous article: Dongdangzhong Zhi Xibei Daju 《動盪中之西北大局》
- November 8 – Fan established the Chinese Young Journalists Association (中國青年新聞記者協會) with his Colleagues.
* 1938 March 30 – Chinese Young Journalists Association (中國青年新聞記者協會) was renamed as Chinese Young Journalists Society (中國青年新聞記者學會) and Fan was appointed as the society representative.
* 1939 May – Fan joined the Communist party. and cofound the Huashang Daily 《華商報》 in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
. His posts included the principal of Huangzhong Journalism College (華中新聞專學校), chairman of Huangzhong Branch of New China News Agency (新華社華中分社) and Huangzhong Post of Xinhua Daily 《新華日報》(華中報).
* 1940 December 8 – Fan married Shen Junru's daughter, Shen Pu in Chongqing.
* 1949 July – Establishment of the
All-China Journalists Association
The ''All-China Journalists Association'' (ACJA) (), previously known as the 'Chinese Young Journalist Association', was established in Shanghai on November 8, 1937. November 8 now marks 'National Journalists Day' in China. The society was establi ...
.
* 1967 – Fan was forced to solitary confinement since the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
started.
* 1970 October 23 – Fan committed suicide by jumping into a well in
Henan
Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...
Province when he was 61 years old.
* 1978 December 27 – Fan was redressed by the Central Government.
* 1991 – Fan Changjiang Journalism Awards was set up by the Chinese Journalists Association Committee and served as an encouragement of the young journalists in China.
• (1): All students were obliged to join Kuomintang at that time.
See also
*
Zou Taofen
Zou Taofen (; November 5, 1895 – July 24, 1944) was a Chinese journalist, media entrepreneur, and political activist. Zou was known for developing ''Shenghuo Zhoukan'' (Life Magazine) into a pioneering journal of political reporting and social ...
External links
Fan Changjiang's biography (in traditional Chinese)*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080928105759/http://www.edubridge.com/erxiantang/library/fanchangjiang.htm Fan Changjiang's tragedy (in traditional Chinese)Introduction To Fan Changjiang Journalism Awards (in traditional Chinese)
All-China_Journalists_Association.html" ;"title="All-China Journalists Association">All-China Journalists Association
">All-China Journalists Association">All-China Journalists Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fan, Changjiang
Peking University alumni
Suicides during the Cultural Revolution
1909 births
1970 suicides
Republic of China journalists
People's Republic of China journalists
Chinese war correspondents
Writers from Neijiang
People's Daily people
1970 deaths