The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-12-18
CHINESE JOURNALISM.
The Picking Gazstts's Old Age and Its Two
EdItionB.

u e STItN6SE oSSEhNFtAtSuh
The Peking Gaxstte's Old Age and Its Two
Editions.
The oldest and most important Of
The Chinese newspapers, the Peking
,, Gazette, dates from the eighth GEN.
tury. It is a kind of bulletin of laws
and official organ, publishing the
details relative to every movement
and incident In the imperial court,
as we'll as the officials and record
of the sittings of the tribunals.
These communications are furnish
ed to The Gazette's editor by the
functionaries of the palace; they
are set up with an infinite care and
are printed only after having been
revised and corrected very atten.
lively. They are not published con-
sequently till two or three days aft
or having-been communicated to the
! editor, who meanwhile keeps pub
fishing daily unofficial edition Of
The Gazette. The paper is sold in
the streets of Peking by news vend-
ers and criers. The subscription
price Of the official edition is about
s4amonth; of the unofficial edition,
-s3. There is a manuscript edition
which costs So monthly.
Outside of the capital the first
Chinese paper published appeared
at Shanghai about 80 years ago. It
was soon followed by the Tien-tsin
journal and the Canton Journal.
These newspapers were founded by
Europeans, who were, In fact, only
nominally in charge, the real inspi-
rators and editors Of those independ-
! ent sheets being literati, mandarins
anxious to place themselves beyond
the reach of imperial prosecutions.
There are, indeed, no restrictive
laws against the press in China, but
neither are there laws guaranteeing
ethe freedom Of writing and speak
ing, SO that Chinese journalists are
always at the mercy of the police.
The Shanghai News, which is the
Iitype Of Chinese independent papers,
is,sold for / cent number. It con-
tains an editorial similar to maga.
zine article, we'll studied, well writ
ten and treating of political and
social questions. Official decrees are
published in the columns Of The
News, as well as local information,
cable dispatches and sporting re-
ISports, for there are horse races at
Shanghai. The regular reporters
are able and intelligent; they dis
guise themselves in order not to be
recognized as belonging to The News
corps. But they have not yet come
to the practice Of interviewing.
i The; French Jesuit missionaries
have founded a cent newspaper,
which was monthly at first and
is now semiweekly. 1t is read by
the Chinese Catholics. There are al
$so;a few scientific and literary peri
Eodioals. 1t must be noted that as a
general rule the Chinese papers do
NOT publish articles bearing on ques-
tions Of actual and practical politics,
so that there are in the empire no
opposition or semiofdoial organs.
lThey usually are satisfied with pub
fishing an eclectic review Of affairs.
They are read in the most faraway
provinces. The Shanghai News'oir-
oulation; is abouti15 900 daily num-
bers, and that of the Canton Ga
l.zette samounts to 5000 numbers.
Since 1856 the Shanghai News pub
lished an illustrated weekly supple
ment, which is a very curious speci-
men Of Chinese art in that line: Be-
sides those native papers in Chinese
there are some printed in English
at Hongkong, a few in Portuguese
at Macao and one German paper at
Shanghai. New York Tribune.