The newspaper `` innovated in printing technology , the use of the telegraph , the employment of a military correspondent ( sent to cover the Sino-French War in Vietnam in 1884 ) , and the use of the vernacular ( baihua ) '' ; it quickly established a reputation as one of the best in China , coming under Chinese ownership in 1909 , and by the early 20th century was printing 30,000 copies a day , 9,000 circulated in Shanghai and the rest elsewhere in China .
The newspaper was innovative : It used new printing technologies , sent a military correspondent to cover the Sino-French War in Vietnam in 1884 and used vernacular ( baihua ) '' Quickly it got the reputation of being one of the best newspapers in China .