The ''North China Daily News'' (in Chinese: ''Zilin Xibao''), was an English-language newspaper in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

, China, called the most influential foreign newspaper of its time.

History

The paper was founded as the weekly ''North-China Herald'' (T: 北華捷報, S: 北华捷报, P: ''Běihuá Jiébào'') and was first published on 3 August 1850. Its founder, British auctioneer Henry Shearman (T: 奚安門, S:奚安门, P: ''Xī Ānmén''), died in 1856. A daily edition commenced publication on 1 June 1864 as the ''North China Daily News''. The ''North-China Herald'' was also the

gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspaper ...

(official record) of the

British Supreme Court for China and Japan The British Supreme Court for China (originally the British Supreme Court for China and Japan) was a court established in the Shanghai International Settlement to try cases against British subjects in China, Japan and Korea under the principles o ...

and the British Consulate. Briton Nichol Latimer, resident of

and the manager of Russell & Company’s Shanghai Steam Navigation Co., was the publisher of the ''North China Herald'' from 1863 until his death in 1865, during which period it was the most influential British newspaper in China. For much of the period it was published under the masthead ''North-China Herald and Supreme Court and Consular Gazette''. Its circulation peaked at 7,817 copies. A notable early editor was Frederic H. Balfour. Other editors included Archibald John Little's brother R.W. "Bob" Little (C: 李德立, P: ''Lǐ Délì''), who also served on the Shanghai International Settlement's,

Municipal Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

. In 1901, the paper was purchased by Henry E. Morriss (T:馬立斯, S:马立斯, P:''Mǎ Lìsī''). In 1920, the paper passed to his son, H.E. Morriss Jr., who used his money to build a compound of luxurious houses which became today's Ruijin Hotel, as well as the Canidrome, a dog-racing stadium. One of the two Morrisses also purchased the Hellier Stradivarius. In 1924, the newspaper moved its headquarters to the new North China Daily News Building at Number 17 on

the Bund The Bund or Waitan (, Shanghainese romanization: ''Nga3thae1'', , ) is a waterfront area and a protected historical district in central Shanghai. The area centers on a section of Zhongshan Road (East Zhongshan Road No.1) within the former S ...

, then the tallest building in Shanghai. Between 1925 and 1949 the paper employed a former officer of the Russian Imperial Army, Georgi Sapojnikov, as its daily cartoonist. Drawing under the signature of "Sapajou" he was noted for his perceptive coverage of the complex politics of contemporary China and the extremes of life and society in Shanghai during this period. The ''North-China Herald'' and the daily edition suspended publication after 8 December 1941 during the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vas ...

. Publication of the ''Herald'' was never resumed. On 31 March 1951, the ''North China Daily News'' suspended publication at the orders of the ruling

Chinese Communist Party 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 Ci ...

and the North China Daily News Building was seized by the Shanghai municipal government of the

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 List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

. The Shanghai Library has an incomplete collection of back issues of the ''North China Daily News'' and the ''North-China Herald'' at the

Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei The Shanghai Library Bibliotheca Zi-Ka-Wei (, Shanghainese: ''Zånhae Dusyukuoe Zikawe Zånsyu Leu''), also known as the Bibliotheque de Mission, is the first modern library to be established in Shanghai, China. Located in the Xujiahui area in ...

(in Xujiahui).

References

External links

*Pan Haixia
"Witness to history."
''

Shanghai Star ''Shanghai Star'' (上海英文星报) was a weekly English-language newspaper published in Shanghai, China, between 1992 and 2006. It was owned and run by its parent, the Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ) ...

''. 20 November 2003. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
"The English-language Newspaper scene, 1930s"
An excerpt from ''Sin City'', by Ralph Shaw, a British journalist who worked for the ''North China Daily News'' {{Foreign-language newspapers in China Defunct newspapers published in China Publications established in 1850 Publications disestablished in 1951 Newspapers published in Shanghai 1850 establishments in China English-language newspapers published in China Shanghai International Settlement

History

See also

References

External links