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The ''Shanghai Evening Post & Mercury'' was an English language newspaper in
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 ...
,
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 ...
, published by the Post-Mercury Co. The newspaper represented the point of view of Shanghai's American business community.Tucker, p
124
The newspaper offices were located across from the
Shanghai International Settlement The Shanghai International Settlement () originated from the merger in the year 1863 of the British and American enclaves in Shanghai, in which British subjects and American citizens would enjoy extraterritoriality and consular jurisdiction ...
. ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' reported that the magazine was "old and respected"."Where U. S. newsmen block the road of Japanese ambition," p
111
Nancy Bernkopf Tucker Nancy Bernkopf Tucker (July 12, 1948 – December 1, 2012) was an American diplomat, writer and diplomatic historian of the Georgetown University, specializing in American-East Asian relations, particularly United States relations with China, T ...
, author of ''Patterns in the Dust: Chinese-American Relations and the Recognition Controversy, 1949-1950'', said that the newspaper was "conservative". The paper had a Chinese edition, ''Ta Mei Wan Pao'' (T: 大美晩報, S: 大美晩报, P: ''Dàměi Wǎnbào''). The newspaper was American-owned, and had been founded by
Carl Crow Carl Crow (1884–1945) was a Highland, Missouri-born newspaperman, businessman, and writer who managed several newspapers and then opened the first Western advertising agency in Shanghai, China. He ran the agency for 19 years, creating calen ...
. Randall Chase Gould was the editor.French
p. 172
/ref>
Cornelius Vander Starr Cornelius Vander Starr (October 15, 1892 – December 20, 1968), sometimes known as Neil Starr, was an American businessman and founder of C.V. Starr & Co. (later known as Starr Companies) in Shanghai, China, which became AIG. AIG grew from an ...
was the owner. Until his July 1940 death, Samuel H. Chang was the director of the ''Post'' and ''Ta Mei Wan Pao''.


History

American expatriates established the English version of the newspaper in 1929.Yu, ''The Dragon's War: Allied Operations And the Fate of China, 1937-1947'', p
160
Carl Crow Carl Crow (1884–1945) was a Highland, Missouri-born newspaperman, businessman, and writer who managed several newspapers and then opened the first Western advertising agency in Shanghai, China. He ran the agency for 19 years, creating calen ...
, a newspaper businessperson, was the founder. He edited the newspaper for a period, before selecting Randall Gould, a longtime acquaintance, as an editor; Gould began work for the paper in 1931 and remained with the paper until its end in 1949. Paul French, author of ''Carl Crow, a Tough Old China Hand: The Life, Times, and Adventures of an American in Shanghai'', said that the paper, from the beginning was "strongly pro-Chinese though it looked thoroughly American" and had U.S. content. The Chinese edition, ''Ta Mei Wan Pao'', began publication in 1933. Crow worked for the newspaper for a period and left, with Cornelius V. Starr replacing him as the manager of the paper. Starr believed that Crow was not a good choice for a longer term manager but had been a good choice as the founder of the newspaper.French, p
174
Maochun Yu, the author of ''The Dragon's War: Allied Operations And the Fate of China, 1937-1947'', said that the English version "grew into a respectable and influential newspaper in China" and that the Chinese version was very successful. French said that the paper would "become one of the major sources of news on the fluctuations in the Chinese Republic" while it occupied a "heady and competitive atmosphere".


During World War II

French said that the paper "continued to be a major evening paper in Shanghai through to the 1940s." In 1937, after invading Shanghai, the Japanese authorities attempted to close down ''Ta Mei Wan Pao'' but were unable to do so because it was American-owned. The Japanese continued to allow the production of the English and Chinese versions. Ralph Shaw, a former British soldier and an employee of the ''
North China Daily News The ''North China Daily News'' (in Chinese: ''Zilin Xibao''), was an English-language newspaper in Shanghai, China, called the most influential foreign newspaper of its time. History The paper was founded as the weekly ''North-China Herald'' ( ...
'', a competing newspaper, said that it was "a large-circulation evening newspaper" which had an "outspokenly anti-Japanese" editor and publisher, Gould. In 1938 journalist
Robin Hyde Robin Hyde, the pseudonym used by Iris Guiver Wilkinson (19 January 1906 – 23 August 1939), was a South African-born New Zealand poet, journalist and novelist. Early life Wilkinson was born in Cape Town to an English father and an Australia ...
wrote to '' Woman To-day'' stating that the offices of the ''Post'' had been bombed on two occasions; she said that the Japanese had used bombings of newspaper offices as a method of "newspaper terrorism".Hyde, p
363
/ref> In July 1940 the Japanese authorities in Shanghai killed Samuel H. Chang and ordered Starr and Gould to leave China. Starr remained for four additional months before leaving China, with plans to return. Gould remained in China, defying the Japanese order. On December 8, 1941, the Japanese authorities moved into the foreign settlements and forced the English and Chinese papers to close. At that time the ''Ta Mei Wan Pao'' had a circulation of 40,000. In December 1942 Starr asked the
Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...
(OSS) to use his newspaper as a form of conducting morale operations against the Japanese and as intelligence gathering. The OSS accepted Starr's offer on January 1, 1943 and, as a way of gathering intelligence, established a new
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
edition of the newspaper. Gould resumed publication from
Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...
on October 31, 1943, and resumed in Shanghai in August 1945 after the Japanese surrender.Selected newspaper-Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury
"

. Retrieved on August 20, 2020.
The OSS had spent $350,000 ($ million in today's currency) on the editions by July 1944, 18 months after the start of the New York edition. New York and Chongqing editions remained as intelligence projects until the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. By that month the paper had composed 1,500 papers on various intelligence reports and analysis and an edited information catalog of over 5,000 people of various backgrounds. Yu said that a senior intelligence officer of the OSS explained "Newspapermen everywhere are expected to stick their noses into everybody's business" and therefore their targets do not grow suspicious of their curiosity, so a newspaper business would be "automatically almost indestructible cover for the collection of information."


During the Chinese Communist Party takeover

In 1949, Gould voiced support for the
Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
(CCP) because he had grown tired 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 ...
rule and believed that improvement to the situation would result from any change from the KMT status quo. Nancy Bernkopf Tucker, author of ''Patterns in the Dust: Chinese-American Relations and the Recognition Controversy, 1949-1950'', said "If conscience prevented
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
recognition of the CCP, he argued that business affairs dictated dealing with the authorities of an ever larger part of China on a
de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
basis." After the CCP took power, Gould criticized certain conditions in a manner described by Tucker as "blunt". In June 1949 Gould criticized CCP policies and labor strikes. In response, the printers of the newspaper halted publication and engaged in lock-ins and other disputes. Gould closed the newspaper as a response. Gould said that this incident and other similar incidents "temporarily shattered the relative calm of America's commercial enclaves in China."


Contents

The paper included columns from about six news syndicates, crossword puzzles,
Dorothy Dix Elizabeth Meriwether Gilmer (November 18, 1861 – December 16, 1951), widely known by the pen name Dorothy Dix, was an American journalist and columnist. As the forerunner of today's popular advice columnists, Dix was America's highest paid ...
material, and ''
Ripley's Believe It or Not ''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' fea ...
''.


See also

* ''
Shen Bao ''Shen Bao'', formerly transliterated as ''Shun Pao'' or ''Shen-pao'' (), known in English as ''Shanghai News'', was a newspaper published from 30 April 1872 to 27 May 1949 in Shanghai, China. The name is short for ''Shenjiang Xinbao'', Shenjian ...
'' * ''
North China Daily News The ''North China Daily News'' (in Chinese: ''Zilin Xibao''), was an English-language newspaper in Shanghai, China, called the most influential foreign newspaper of its time. History The paper was founded as the weekly ''North-China Herald'' ( ...
'' * ''
Der Ostasiatische Lloyd ''Der Ostasiatische Lloyd'' (OAL) was a German language newspaper published in Shanghai, China. It served as the oldest German language newspaper in China. German communities in China and Southeast Asia read the newspaper.French83 It was conside ...
'' * ''
Shanghai Jewish Chronicle The ''Shanghai Jewish Chronicle'' () was a Jewish newspaper operating in Shanghai, China. It was a German language newspaper that was originally published daily and later published weekly.Goldstein160 The paper opened on May 3, 1939. The German l ...
'' * ''
Deutsche Shanghai Zeitung The ''Deutsche Shanghai Zeitung'' (DSZ), later ''Der Ostasiatische Lloyd'', was a German language newspaper published in Shanghai, China. That publication was associated with the Nazi Party. History The newspaper was established on 27 September 1 ...
''


Notes


References

* French, Paul. ''
Carl Crow Carl Crow (1884–1945) was a Highland, Missouri-born newspaperman, businessman, and writer who managed several newspapers and then opened the first Western advertising agency in Shanghai, China. He ran the agency for 19 years, creating calen ...
, a Tough Old China Hand: The Life, Times, and Adventures of an American in Shanghai''.
Hong Kong University Press Hong Kong University Press is the university press of the University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine ...
, February 15, 2007. , 9789622098022. * Hyde, Robin. Introduced and selected by Gillian Boddy and Jacqueline Matthews. ''Disputed Ground: Robin Hyde, Journalist''.
Victoria University Press Te Herenga Waka University Press or THWUP (formerly Victoria University Press) is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, located in Wellington, New Zealand. As of 2022, the press had published around 800 books. History Vi ...
, 1991. , 9780864732040. * Tucker, Nancy Bernkopf. ''Patterns in the Dust: Chinese-American Relations and the Recognition Controversy, 1949-1950''.
Columbia University Press Columbia University Press is a university press based in New York City, and affiliated with Columbia University. It is currently directed by Jennifer Crewe (2014–present) and publishes titles in the humanities and sciences, including the fiel ...
, 1983. , 9780231053624. * "Where U. S. newsmen block the road of Japanese ambition." ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
''.
Time Inc. Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...
, October 21, 1940. Volume 9, Number 17. ISSN 0024-3019. * Yu, Maochun. ''The Dragon's War: Allied Operations And the Fate of China, 1937-1947''.
Naval Institute Press The United States Naval Institute (USNI) is a private non-profit military association that offers independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national security issues. In addition to publishing magazines and books, the Naval Institute holds se ...
, August 21, 2006. , 9781591149460.


External links


The Starr Foundation
*
Biography of Cornelius Vander Starr
hosted by The Starr Foundation.
Archive

"Shanghai under fire" (1938)
''Shanghai Evening Post & Mercury''.
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

Shanghai Bombing Incident, 1932: ''Shanghai Evening Post & Mercury'' articles
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
Digital Library.
''The Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury''.
(New York Edition) ''
WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the OCL ...
''. 1943-1946.
標題:日米会談の楽観筋報道 濠洲英語放送十一月二十五日 大美晩報英語放送十一・・
- No. 84 (全 535 件) 像数:2
Japan Center for Asian Historical Records
National Archives of Japan The preserve Japanese government documents and historical records and make them available to the public. Although Japan's reverence for its unique history and art is well documented and illustrated by collections of art and documents, there is al ...
. In DJVu and JPEG forms {{DEFAULTSORT:Shanghai Evening Post and Mercury American diaspora in Asia Publications established in 1929 1929 establishments in China English-language newspapers published in China Newspapers published in Shanghai Defunct newspapers published in China Shanghai International Settlement 1949 disestablishments in China Publications disestablished in 1949