Study On Modern Chinese Newspapers And The Anti-footbinding Movement In Late Qing Dynasty(1869-1907)

The Anti-footbinding Movement in late Qing dynasty is an important part of Modern Chinese Anti-footbinding Movement, which means the Chinese women’s foot-binding for thousands of years started to be abolished, which also marked the rise of the Modern Women’s Liberation Movement. Newspapers and periodicals, as the only news media, which published the matter of anti-footbinding & Anti-footbinding Movement to hoi polloi in a timely and open way, and used the power of words to persuade women to participate in Anti-footbinding Movement, and also recorded and reported it.The initiation of Anti-footbinding Movement in late Qing dynasty connected with foreigners closely. A large number of missionaries came to China in 1866, launched a missionary movement in China. In the process of missionary work, the newspapers,which missionaries set up, paid attention to the phenomenon of Chinese foot-binding, and put forward the idea of anti-footbinding. During this period, the Church News which was founded in 1868 and Globe Magazine were representative newspapers, which two published reports about anti-footbinding problem earlier, to investigate the Chinese women’s foot problems in an open way. This moment is the budding stage of Modern Anti-footbinding Movement. The missionary newspapers that ran the propaganda of anti-footbinding problem, no matter on content, or in terms of the way to report, which had paved the way for others to follow.In the period of Wu Xu, Anti-footbinding Movement developed in everywhere, and the number of Tianzu Union increased more, too. At that moment, there was much attention that from reformists to Anti-footbinding Movement, and published related articles on the reformists’ newspapers. Shiwu Bao and Xiang Bao, which gave lots of attention to Anti-footbinding Movement and reported it. This period, the newspapers reported Anti-footbinding Movement, no matter on the number of reports or reporting strategy, they all had much more progress than before, which embodied in: the increase in the number of content involved, using different forms, advertisements on anti-footbinding and so on. From Shiwu Bao and Xiang Bao, you can find the obvious connection and interaction between newspapers and Tianzu Union.Before Xinhai Revolution, the Chinese students launched newspapers and had an influence, these newspapers pertinence is strong. For example, Yu Bao and the Chinese Woman Magazine, their reports were close to people, which associated Anti-footbinding Movement with all aspects about women.The three stages about modern newspapers reporting Anti-footbinding Movement in late Qing dynasty : infancy, rising stage and development stage. Newspapers in the late Qing dynasty reported Anti-footbinding Movement, which had commons through this three stages. They matured gradually, and learned from each other. In terms of content, newspapers focused on exposing the harm of foot-binding, the development of Tianzu Union, and presented way how to forbid it. On reporting and communication strategy, news reports and critiques are major forms. A variety of styles, simple language, closing to people, in addition, using ads to spread it.The attention and reporting to Anti-footbinding Movement in late qing dynasty from modern newspapers, which means newspapers do their best : paying attention to the people, reflecting society, timely reporting social problems. The way newspapers reported the Anti-footbinding, which means to liberate women body and also means an liberation of people thought and getting rid of the feudal concept. The reporting and propaganda of newspapers became one of the factors of Anti-footbinding Movement. Whether the innovation of content, or changes of propaganda, which all reflected news media’s support and their efforts.