While the spoken word has been a vital means of communication for much of human history, technological advances, such as printing, have given man the ability to record his thoughts for eternity in the form of written language.

Authors Avatar

        While the spoken word has been a vital means of communication for much of human history, technological advances, such as printing, have given man the ability to record his thoughts for eternity in the form of written language.  Advances in printing technology have caused significant events in both the religious and social spheres of Europe since the 1455 invention of Gutenberg’s technique of metal alloy typesetting.  Yet, as European social advances were under way, China was not as deeply affected due to its long history with less technological methods of printing.  China has relied on the printed word to communicate to it people and control their actions and thoughts since far before Gutenberg’s work in Europe.

        The first instances of printing in China occurred around 868 A.D. with crude clay block printing.  This method was almost entirely illegible therefore anything widely distributed was hand-written in order for the reader to be able to interpret the information.  As early as the tenth century, current news in the form of important events in the Imperial Court, official edicts, and memorandums, were being hand-printed and distributed to the public.  Towards the sixteenth century movable type began to be utilized along with a system of official mail service which allowed for a wider distribution of these official bulletins.

        While these great advances in printing should lead to a more informed and knowledgeable public, the Chinese government did not take long to begin to enforce its power over those publishing these news stories.  A memorandum issued by Chou Linchin in the early twelfth century petitioned for suppression of tabloid news so that “the dignity of the government is upheld” (Lin 17).  Confucian dogma was utilized by these governments as it allowed them control over what was being printed and released.

        Confucius believed in a freedom to choose only as long as it was a freedom to choose good, thus the public should only be allowed complete freedom if there is an absence of evil.  As there is no world without evil, the people of China were never allowed freedom and the ruling classes were given the power to designate what was “good” and “evil” (Merrill, 6).  Emperors utilized the Confucian belief that “the people may be allowed to act, but may not be allowed to know” (Lin 3) to exert control that was forced upon the public though much of China’s history.  The Qing dynasty directly used its power in the last decades of its rule in order to close down numerous publications as well as executing the editors of these publications.

        Despite these harsh forms of punishment, the newspaper market exploded under the Qing dynasty as there was no general governmental interference with private papers.  Publication of private papers was only regulated under the statute against “Writing Books or Speaking About Sorcery” which only forbid immoral or anti-Manchu writing while ignoring most other aspects of modern journalism.  Therefore, when the press market made it initial entrance into mainland China from the safe zone of Hong Kong, there was little to no governmental interference such as laws specifically restricting newspapers (Vittinghoff 3).

Join now!

        It was this lack of control that allowed journals to exist that later set the stage for the 1911 Republican Revolution which took the place of the once powerful Qing dynasty.  Press freedom under the Republic varied widely due to Chiang Kai-shek’s use of warlords as local officials and generals.  As each warlord had a different agenda, press control became very erratic and inconsistent.  General Han Fuju allowed the press in his province to criticize the current government as long as they promoted his image as a reformer and did not support the fledgling Communist movement.  This time of peaceful ...

This is a preview of the whole essay