A History of Chinese Newspapers
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2020 VOL. 15 ISSUE 04 FEATURE Elderly Chinese men reading newspapers in (Far left) See Ewe Lay (right) coffeeshops are a common sight in Singapore. founded the Lat Pau newspaper Photo taken in 1963. Ministry of Information and in December 1881. He is seen the Arts Collection, courtesy of National Archives here with his eldest son, See of Singapore. Tiouw Hong. Image reproduced from Chen, M.H. (1967). The Early Chinese Newspapers of Singapore, 1881–1912 (plate 1). Singapore: University of Malaya Press. (Call no.: RSING 079.5702 CHE) (Left) The earliest extant copy of Lat Pau dated 19 August 1887. This front page with the masthead features an editorial and three news items. Image reproduced from Chen, M.H. (1967). The Early Chinese Newspapers of Singapore, 1881–1912 (p. 30). Singapore: University of Malaya Press. (Call no.: RSING 079.5702 CHE) The Chinese newspaper industry in Sin- gapore has a colourful and varied history enriched by a large, revolving cast of missionaries, reformists, revolutionaries, businessmen, writers and the government. civil servant. Due to his busy schedule, (and Southeast Asia), made its debut. and notices, including those by the British Since the first Chinese newspaper was t 9 Gützlaff had to stop the printing ofEastern Lat Pau was founded in December 1881 and Dutch colonial governments. published in Singapore in 1837, over 160 Western Monthly Magazine in May 1834. by See Ewe Lay (薛有礼), a prominent The editorials of Lat Pau tended to newspapers have come and gone.1 Some Readers had to make do with reprints and Melaka-born Straits Chinese who moved be conservative when it came to Chinese of them played an important role in dis- with occasional new issues published in to Singapore to join the Hong Kong and politics, supporting the Qing government seminating information to the people as 1835. In 1837, the magazine operations Shanghai Bank as a comprador. on anything related to China. It took a well as shaping politics, society, culture relocated to Singapore – possibly due Lat Pau, or Le Bao (叻报), derived its pro-Chinese stand when the interests of and literature in Singapore. to the increasingly strained Sino-British name from Se-lat-po or Shi Le Po (石 叻 坡 ), the Chinese community in Singapore were The First Chinese Newspaper relations – and continued as the organ the Hokkien and Cantonese names for Sin- affected by government policies. in Singapore of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful gapore. The names, in turn, came from the In the early years, Chinese news- Knowledge in China, which had been Malay word selat, which means “straits”. papers in Singapore had a very small Singapore’s first Chinese newspaper was a founded by Gützlaff in Canton. One of the paper’s earliest editors was Yeh circulation because of low literacy rates periodical titledEastern Western Monthly The magazine restarted in earnest in Chi-yun (叶季允) from Hong Kong.7 Yeh among Chinese migrants here. By 1900, Magazine (东西洋考每月统记传). It was Singapore under the editorship of Gützlaff, worked for Lat Pau for 40 years, penning Lat Pau’s circulation had reached 550, up originally published in Canton (now Guang- John Robert Morrison, the son of Robert numerous editorials under his pen name from 350 in 1883.10 Subscriptions formed zhou), China, on 1 August 1833 by the Morrison (the London Missionary Society’s Xing E Sheng (惺噩生). an insignificant portion of the paper’s German missionary Karl Friedrich August first missionary to China and the man The staff of Lat Pau believed in income. Instead, the company derived its Gützlaff. He started the magazine with the who translated the Bible into Chinese) “recording whatever is heard” (有闻必录), revenue from advertising, with the print- aim of making “the Chinese acquainted and, most likely, the English Protestant which meant that many of the reports ing and sale of books helping to sustain with [the] arts, sciences and principles FROM missionary Walter Henry Medhurst, who were based on hearsay, with little or no business as Lat Pau was also a bookseller of [the Westerners]… to show that [the was also involved in the Chinese transla- effort taken to verify facts. According to and ran a commercial printing press.11 Westerners] are not indeed ‘Barbarians’; tion of the Bible.3 Yeh, “The people were not enlightened, Lat Pau was profitable in the early and… convince the Chinese that they have Although published by missionaries, hence very narrow in their outlook. They years and its subscriptions increased. still very much to learn… of the relation the Eastern Western Monthly Magazine were not interested in the affairs of the However, after Yeh died in 1921, there in which foreigners stand to the native was a largely secular periodical that cov- world but only interested in their own were frequent changes to its editorial authorities, the Editor endeavoured to LAT PAU 2 ered the news and included articles on petty amusement. The newspapers… board. The English-educated members conciliate their friendship”. history, geography, science, commerce presented their news items only to catch of the See family who took over the Gützlaff (who adopted the Chinese and literature. Religion only made the the eye. Therefore the newspapers con- management also found it difficult to run name Guo Shilie [郭士立 or 郭实腊 or 郭 occasional appearance in the form of tained a hotch-potch of serious events the Chinese newspaper. Because of these 实猎] and a Chinese pen name Ai Han TO articles on Western culture in comparison and frivolous matters.”8 factors, as well as increasing competition Zhe [爱汉者], which means “one who ZAOBAO with its Eastern counterpart. Its news The paper’s editorial was published from other Chinese newspapers, Lat Pau loves the Chinese”) was the first Lutheran section mostly carried translated articles on the front page, with extracts from the finally ceased publication in 1932.12 The missionary to China, and a translator and A HISTORY OF from foreign newspapers and, in later Peking Gazette on subsequent pages. Gen- earliest extant copy of Lat Pau is dated issues, news from the Peking Gazette.4 eral news consisted of reports reproduced 19 August 1887.13 CHINESE NEWSPAPERS Lee Meiyu is a Librarian with the National Library, The magazine ceased publication in 1838.5 from Hong Kong and Shanghai newspapers, Singapore, and works with the Singapore and translations from local English newspapers Growing Political Awareness Southeast Asia collections. Her research interests Singapore’s First Chinese Daily as well as stories based on hearsay or news In 1898, Thien Nan Shin Pao (天南新报) Chinese newspapers have been published in Singapore since the include Singapore’s Chinese community. She is 邱菽园 the co-author of Money by Mail to China: Dreams A little over four decades after the demise provided by agents living in other parts of was founded by Khoo Seok Wan ( ), 19th century. Lee Meiyu looks at how they have evolved and and Struggles of Early Migrants (2012) and Roots: of Eastern Western Monthly Magazine, Lat Southeast Asia. The remaining pages were Chinese literary pioneer in Singapore who examines their impact on the Chinese community here. Tracing Family Histories – a Resource Guide (2013). Pau,6 the first Chinese daily in Singapore devoted to business-related advertisements was also the paper’s chief writer. After 44 45 BIBLIOASIA JAN - MAR 2020 VOL. 15 ISSUE 04 FEATURE seeing the Qing government humiliated ment aimed at gathering support for the founded by “Rubber and Pineapple King” tion, later renamed the “Sunday Edition”, and market of these two newspapers The front page of Chong Shing Yit Pao published by Western powers, Khoo became an Chinese revolutionary cause and to raise on 20 August 1907. The newspaper was set up by Tan Kah Kee in 1923 and Sin Chew Jit first came out on 20 December 1931. This expanded in the post-war years and, in 17 advocate for reform and enlightenment in funds for its activities. In the same year, revolutionaries. Besides advertisements, this page Poh (星洲日报) by Aw Boon Haw of Tiger marked the first time that a local news- the 1950s, both papers even purchased China. He established Thien Nan Shin Pao the Singapore branch of Tong Meng Hui features an acknowledgement of donations to the Balm in 1929. Both newspapers played paper was published on a Sunday. Other aeroplanes to deliver copies to their sub- for “the expression of progressive ideas was founded and became the centre of newspaper. Image reproduced from Chen, M.H. an important role in the modernisation newspapers, including non-Chinese ones, scribers in the region. and the elucidation of the methods which revolutionary activities in Southeast Asia. (1967). The Early Chinese Newspapers of Singapore, of the industry.25 soon followed with their own Sunday This post-war period also saw the 1881–1912 (p. 96). Singapore: University of Malaya have lifted up the European nations from Singapore became a battleground Press. (Call no.: RSING 079.5702 CHE) Nanyang Siang Pau was set up as edition. Rival Sin Chew Jit Poh started streamlining of work processes at the the empiricism and follies of the past”.14 as reformists and revolutionaries made an advertising platform for Tan’s rubber its “Sunday Special Supplement” five two newspapers: administrative duties The newspaper provided exten- use of the local Chinese newspapers to products. It was a business newspaper months later.30 were hived off from editorial work, sive coverage of the political and social further their cause and denigrate the that also aimed to promote education. The fall of Singapore to the Japanese and new departments such as public reforms taking place in China as well opposition.18 The most intense battle Likewise, Aw used Sin Chew Jit Poh to in February 1942, however, put a halt as local news.