A Study Of Science Communication On Ta Kung Pao (1929-1937)

The research on the history of science and technology not only includes the study of the development of science and technology, but also the history of science and technology communication.The communication of science and technology cannot exist without the media."Ta Kung Pao", as the famous newspaper in Chinese history, has always paid great attention to science communication, especially in the period of 1930s. In 1929.01-1937.07 Ta Kung Pao successively sets up science supplement. It always upholds the principle of "Scientific Popularization", publishing scientific knowledge, promoting the scientific spirit, and communicating of scientific ideas.In recent years, the domestic research on the Ta Kung Pao’s science supplement gradually involved. But there has not been a study from the perspective of the science and technology communication so far.Therefore, this paper select Ta Kung Pao’s Science Weekly and Scientific Supplement in 1929.01-1937.07 as the research object, from the perspective of science communication, do the comprehensive and systematic analysis on the communication subject, the communication content, mode of communication, communication strategy, communication effect, in order to provide the important example of the history of science and technology communication in modern China, and provide a reference to the development of contemporary science and technology communication.Through the collection of Ta Kung Pao’s historical data, the paper do the statistic analysis, classification, case study and sample analysis on the Science Supplement which including 323 articles in 175 issues. Meanwhile, the paper do the comparative study on "Ta Kung Pao" and related press on science communication. The following important conclusions are drawn:Ta Kung Pao has the complete thought on running the newspaper and the systemic plan on soliciting contributions on its science supplement. Readers welcome the supplement since its precise content and lively form. Compared with the newspaper in the same era. Ta Kung Pao’s science supplement is one of the most successful in the breadth, depth, quantity and quality of science communication. It plays an important role in Chinese modern communication history.Ta Kung Pao’s publishers treat the science communication as their own duty bound responsibility, are not affected by the situation and the hot social transformation, as well as the official policy. So they maintain the science communication’s public welfare and independence. They also abandon the operation of commercial advertising in science supplement, not driven by economic interests. These are the important guarantee of Ta Kung Pao’s successful science supplement.Ta Kung Pao insists experts running the science supplement. Hired well-known experts and scholars who are enthusiastic about popularizing science as chief editor and writer, with the help of the academic community and organized related writers group, thus, Ta Kung Pao’s science supplement published the manuscripts which having the overall plan and the characters of discipline, taking into account scientific, popularity and interest. All these make Ta Kung pao’s science supplement always maintaining a high quality and high level.Ta Kung Pao’s science supplement is advocating the communication of scientific thoughts, scientific spirit and the scientific method while communicating scientific and technological knowledge. They put it in an important position to spread the scientific spirit, to get rid of the feudal superstition, to improve the scientific quality of the people.To research and summarize historical experience of Ta Kung Pao’s science supplement, we can more clearly distinguish the problems of science communication on the current newspapers, and it provides the useful reference on reforming and improving the tools of science communication in nowadays.The innovation points of this paper are below:to research from the perspective of science communication; complete historical data; using content analysis, statistical analysis, classification research, case study and comparative study of the comprehensive research methods; to determine the status of Ta Kung Pao’s science supplement in the history of the science communication in modern China; "Learning from history "-to explore the beneficial enlightenment of science popularization of China in nowadays.