The Missionary Chinese Newspaper Research In The 1930s And 60s

Christianity was introduced to China from the Tang Dynasty,through the twists and turns for more than 1300 years of history.The long history of Christian proved that with the rapid economic development and political expansion,the revival and spread rate of religion is also accelerating.In the early years of the 19th century,with a booming economy in capitalistic countries,with a further boost in religious reform,they not only need to seek new colonies and new overseas markets worldwide,but also need to spread the Christian gospel to the rest of the world.The ancient land of China attracted Western colonists as well as the missionaries.In 1807,the event of Protestant missionary Morrison came to China to unveil a new chapter in the missionary movement.But facing the stupid prohibition policy of the Qing empire and the foreign policy of retreats,the missionary activities had been greatly hampered.By exploring unceasingly,finally,they find a missionary way in China--founded the Chinese newspapers and periodicals to preach the gospel.This article select the 19th century 30 to 60 years as a point in time,because this period is a transforming period in the Chinese history that with huge social changes.And I also select the two of the most representative periodicals of this period-"Eastern Western Monthly Magazine" and "Chinese Serial".Then to discuss the origin,publishing,content,historical significance,and to compare the differences between the two periodicals,in order to reveal the missionary activities,the development of Western learning in China,and the giant influence of Chinese modern press industry which started from missionaries.There are three parts of this treatise.The first part introduces the background of the missionaries coming to China before the Opium War.First,it reviews the development of Christianity in China from the Tang Dynasty to the early 19th century.Secondly,it introduces the rise of the missionary movement,the event of Protestant missionary Morrison came to China,and aimed at the arrival of Western missionaries,the Qing government made a series policy of prohibition.The second part is a study of the "Eastern Western Monthly Magazine".Through the analysis of its founder background,editing and distribution,writing characteristics,content,the effect of enlightenment and historical status to show that " Eastern Western Monthly Magazine " not only Is the missionaries founded the first Chinese publications in China that set up a bridge of communication between China and the West,but also take the advanced cultural,science and technology,unique concepts and guidelines from Western to China.More importantly,it played a role in the ideological enlightenment for the "people of insight",and make a big difference in open the door of China that has been closed for a long time.The third part is the study of " Chinese Serial",and through the analysis of its purpose,content and characteristics,it indicates that after more than 20 years of development,the "Chinese Serial" with richer content,and at the same time,closer to modern newspapers than previous newspapers.Modern Chinese newspapers began to report a large amount of news,accurately and timely reflect the changes in social life from it.In addition to the different backgrounds of the newspaper,the change from the place of departure also can be learned that after the Opium War,the missionaries poured into China,and the missionary activities were no longer restricted.And the missionary center also changed from the rim of China to Hong Kong.From the purpose and the content of the two,the rate of religious content in this newspaper became ever smaller.The missionaries also focus on the Western part;in circulation,printing and the other aspects of the two,it is observed that the technical innovation of the periodicals by the missionaries,that means typography was used in publications more and more frequently,which is a progress for modern publishing history too.In general,Chinese newspapers by the missionaries not only promote the spread of Western science in China,but also hold great significance for the development of modern Chinese newspapers.It is very important no matter it is from the history or the journalism.