Historical Events in Progress: Contemporary Chinese Journalism (Volume 1 and 2): Contemporary Chinese Journalism

Author: Fang Hanqi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-07-01
Features: For over 50 years, China's news industry, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, has advanced through exploration and developed through setbacks. Since the reform and opening-up, the news industry has gained boundless vitality and unprecedented prosperity. The stories, episodes, and events that have occurred across various fields of the news industry are as vivid and dynamic as contemporary China. The book Historical Events in Progress: Contemporary Chinese News Industry, edited by Fang Hanqi and Chen Changfeng and published by Fujian People's Publishing House in July 2002, is a record of this history. As Mr. Fang Hanqi, one of the book's editors, states in the preface, research in Chinese news history has produced the most fruitful and abundant results in the field of journalism. It can be said that China's official news history is already quite complete, but the picture beyond the official history often reflects the diversity of history. By changing the conventional writing methods of official history, shifting traditional thinking patterns, and using a more vivid pen, the book attempts to analyze cross-sections of history and magnify specific hotspots under a microscope. In this book, whether discussing theories, practices, or operations of the news industry, or introducing media such as newspapers, radio and television, and the internet, what readers encounter is no longer dry numbers or empty terminology, but a colorful and dazzling landscape, offering a refreshing experience. In fact, a skilled painter can paint both meticulous works and expressive ones. Those accustomed to writing academic articles may even find (sketches/writings) more popular when they occasionally write a few. As everyone knows, the last decade of the 20th century was a time of dazzling diversity in the news industry—from weekend editions to expansion trends, from the rise of urban newspapers to the fierce newspaper wars, from the popularity of media criticism in radio and television to the entertainment craze, from the transformation of journals to the rise and fall of online media. The news industry was truly vibrant and colorful. However, most published works on the history of the news industry set their time limit at the 1980s, leaving the most dynamic and rapidly changing decade out of the picture. The publication of this book perfectly fills this gap. While history may require a broader perspective, recording these ten years truthfully is also a meaningful endeavor. It can be said that the transformations in China's contemporary news industry since the 1990s are a vivid reflection of the great changes in Chinese society. A broad vision does not necessarily mean a massive tome. The third part, China's Newspapers on the Fast Track, and the fourth part, Dialogue Between Earth and Sky, narrate and critique the winding path of China's newspapers and broadcasting industries as they developed and grew under the market economy, as well as the profound changes they brought to all aspects of Chinese society, economy, culture, and daily life. The authors do not shy away from real contradictions, dare to analyze major events, openly acknowledge problems and mistakes, and confront challenges head-on. Based on objectivity, they are also filled with rational reflection, offering readers endless depth in simple language. Researchers can examine this historical book with a critical eye, readers interested in Chinese news history can find the knowledge they need here, and ordinary readers can discover delightful surprises in its flowing style. This may be exactly what the editors had in mind.