As someone born in the “New China” and raised under the CCP red flag, from a young age, the Party taught us that the pre-1949 “Old China” was a period of complete darkness where the people had no freedom at all. Thanks to the Communist Party’s establishment of “New China,” the vast population revolutionized their status becoming the masters of the country, henceforth enjoying extensive and substantial freedoms. Like most Chinese, I had believed in the Party’s teachings for many years.
Since these rights included extensive and substantial freedoms, that should naturally encompass freedom of speech. However, as I grew up and became a journalist in the official media, I realized that under the leadership of “our Party,” there was no real freedom of speech in China.
China is currently one of the countries with the lowest degrees of political freedom and also ranks very low in terms of press freedom. Those with even a slight understanding of the mainland under Communist rule will know that Chinese citizens neither have the freedom to establish private newspapers nor to freely interview, report, and comment on social realities. As we often complain within our media circles, Chinese journalists have mouths but cannot speak their minds, and pens that cannot write the words they wish—they live in a nation that is mute, deceitful, deaf, and foolhardy.
However, because of the many years of Party indoctrination, I also had the impression that pre-Liberation “Old China” similarly had no press freedom. Surprisingly, after reviewing some historical materials on Chinese journalism, I discovered that press freedom in China had always existed from the late Qing Reform Movement right up until the Communist takeover, and had never disappeared.
Research suggests that the earliest modern private newspapers in China were initiated by Western missionaries and businessmen. The official sanction for private newspaper operations by domestic citizens started during the Hundred Days’ Reform of the Late Qing dynasty.
On June 13, 1898, Emperor Guangxu issued the Imperial Decree of Reform, which included policies that permitted the private operation of newspapers and publications, ushering in a booming period for China’s modern newspaper industry. This era saw the rise of many renowned independent journalists.
By the early 20th century, during the Qing government’s preparation for constitutional governance, the press was considered a crucial means for enlightening the populace. Grounded in this belief, the Qing government not only continued to encourage private newspaper operations but also legally affirmed and protected the citizens’ rights to run newspapers for the first time.
The “Great Qing Newspaper Law” enacted on March 14, 1908, stipulated that any Chinese who met three conditions was eligible to establish a newspaper: being over twenty years of age, not having a mental illness, and not serving a sentence greater than imprisonment. This law detailed the prerequisites needed for operation and required the prospective newspaper to register with the local authorities and the Ministry of Civil Affairs before publication.
With the revocation of the private newspaper operation ban by the Qing government, the rapidly developing private newspapers became a forum and public space for late Qing intellectuals to express their thoughts and discuss social affairs, significantly stimulating the spirit of autonomous proclamation among Chinese scholars. This period marked the tradition of “scholars discussing politics” where individuals could express political views based on the principles of freedom without attachment to any political party.
Following the Xinhai Revolution, with the downfall of the autocratic system, the private newspapers in China entered a period of even more robust growth. In 1913, there were over five hundred newspapers across the country, marking a substantial advancement in the freedom of expression.
During the Kuomintang era, especially throughout the period of resistance against Japan, despite repeated governmental suppressions of freedom in speech and publishing, the entire nation still retained a significant degree of press freedom. This period saw a proliferation of publications akin to bamboo shoots after a rainstorm. The Nationalist government allowed not only the public distribution of the Communist Party’s “Xinhua Daily” but also its ongoing sharp criticisms against Chiang Kai-shek and the government.
In conclusion, from the late Qing period through the Beiyang warlord era and into the era of the Nationalist government, China has always been a country with a tradition of press freedom. However, once the Communist Party came into power, more than half a century’s worth of press freedoms disappeared overnight. Today, under Communist rule, there are no longer any independent social media or impartial and fair news reporting that critiques societal issues or government actions, nor is there any independent public journalism that serves the community beyond the influences of the government, public opinion, or business conglomerates.
Ultimately, the Communist Party’s suppression of press freedom stems from a fear of having their actions scrutinized, exposing an undesirable face of reality to the public.
Source:
Encyclopedia of the Republic of China