Publication Management In Republican Guangdong

Based on a mass of held official documents,historical materials and newspapers texts,this article centres on management system towards publishing in Republican Guangdong,thoroughly investigating publication-related legislation,enforcement and organization,etc.throughout different regimes.With a focus on the government's censorship and publicity initiatives,this article makes an attempt to explore the changes in the publishing policies of the authorities,the countermeasures of the publishers and their interactions,which provides a useful lens to observing the unique features and complex conditions of Guangdong publishing industry in Republican China,as well as the relationships and interplay among political orders,social relations and publishing development.In chronological order,this article provides factual descriptions of the development and changes of publication management in Republican Guangdong.In the early years of Republican period,the revolutionists and local warlords came into power successively,whose common element is that each could not envisage the role of the press and media.The latter ones even defied freedom of speech,as a result regime's had nibbled away at the space of public opinion in Guangzhou;it was in the following decade that Guangdong government started to enact and implement local legislation to manage the publishing industry for different regions.Rulers then resorted to legislative means such as ban on imports to realize their interests demand,resulting in policy-biased publication management.They emphasized the role of publications in political propaganda and image promotion,building the border of limited press freedom.Starting from Guangzhou Municipal Daily and Guangzhou Republic Daily,the communique system of Guangdong enjoyed continuous improvement;in the 1930 s,the South-west regime focused on the control of public opinion in both aspects of policy-making and government structure,while bred differences in legal system and divergence over law enforcement regarding publication management with those of central government in order to preserve the legitimacy and stability of local regime.Looser policies and laxer law enforcement created a relatively free opinion space in Guangdong;before and after the Anti-Japanese War,Guangdong,having returned to the rule of Nanjing authority,set up censorship and publicity organs throughout the province,and the unification gradually penetrate into local government's management system.What was noteworthy was in the later period the cooperation and development between labour unions and the government,as well as the interaction and relationship of Guangdong government and Hong Kong press in collectively regularizing imported publications from Hong Kong and pornographic tabloid.It is concluded that the publishing industry of Guangdong in Republican China processed duality,revealed by the industry per se and its management.Firstly,the publishing industry was both profoundly revolutionary and highly commercial-oriented,which can be evidenced by the compliance and resistance of Guangdong newspapers against Yuan Shikai in early years of Republican period.Moreover,there was a blend of endemicity and unity in publication management in Republican Guangdong.While the duality usually found in full sway,which means the national vision embodied by the local regime is generally to preserve the stability in the region rather than uphold the authority of the central government.