Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers

An Open Access collection sponsored by the Center for Research Libraries

The first half of the twentieth century began with the demise of China’s last imperial dynasty, the Great Qing, and ended with the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in October 1949. Following the 1912 establishment of China’s first post-imperial government, the Republic of China, the country experienced both industrial and social revolution, a civil war during which communist and nationalist forces battled to shape the country’s future, and looming external threats during both world wars.

The Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers collection provides invaluable perspective on this critical period. The press of more than twenty cities is represented, spanning the Chinese mainland and the entire half century. The collection provides researchers a richly comprehensive perspective on Chinese life, culture, and politics throughout the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, the years of provisional government and civil war, and the birth of the People’s Republic.

The Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers collection is part of East View’s Global Press Archive® (GPA) program. Open Access to this collection is made possible through the generous support of the Center for Research Libraries and its member institutions.

Open Access

Current Titles

The collection contains over 290 titles and over 450,000 pages of content. Titles in the Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers collection include:

  • Da gong wan bao (大公晚報), Chongqing, 1944-1949
  • Dong nan ri bao (東南日報), Shanghai, 1947-1948
  • Gong ping bao (公評報), Guangzhou, 1924-1949
  • Hua bei ri bao (華北日報), Beijing, 1929-1949
  • Hua bei xin bao (華北新報), Beijing, 1944-1945
  • Hua guang ri bao (華光日報), Nanchang, 1938-1949
  • Li bao (立報), Shanghai, 1946-1949
  • Minguo ri bao (華光日報), Shanghai, 1916-1946
  • Nanjing wan bao (南京晚報), Nanjing, 1929-1949
  • Pei du wan bao (陪都晚報), Chongqing, 1946-1947
  • Qian feng bao (前鋒報), Guangzhou, 1945-1946
  • Qun li bao (羣力報), Jiaodong, 1947
  • Shi bao (實報), Beijing, 1928-1944
  • Shi shi xin bao (時事新報), Shanghai, 1911-1948
  • Suzhou ming bao (蘇州明報), Suzhou, 1925-1936
  • Tie bao (鐵報), Shanghai, 1929-1949
  • Wuhan ri bao (武漢日報), Hankou, 1946-1948
  • Xi nan ri bao (西南日報), Chongqing, 1938
  • Xin hua ri bao (新華日報), Hankou, 1938
  • Xin shen bao (新申報), Shanghai, 1938-1945
  • Zhong yang ri bao (中央日報), Shanghai, 1928, 1945-1949
  • Zhongshan ri bao (中山日報), Guangzhou, 1937-1948

Access the collection or download the title list below to view the complete list of titles in the Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers collection.

About the GPA CRL Alliance

East View and the Center for Research Libraries have created the GPA CRL Alliance to steer the development of a series of thematically designed databases for East View’s Global Press Archive program to meet the specific needs and priorities of CRL members. Launched in 2019, the charter phase of the GPA CRL Alliance resulted in the creation of nine collections, encompassing hundreds of newspaper titles and totaling over 4.5 million pages, of which 3 million pages are fully Open Access.

The first of these collections – Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese Newspapers, Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers, Independent and Revolutionary Mexican Newspapers, Imperial Russian Newspapers, Southeast Asian Newspapers, and South Asian Newspapers – are all Open Access collections and are the result of close collaboration between East View and CRL, with CRL advisors selecting and curating the content, and CRL members funding the collections to facilitate global Open Access.

Encouraged by the positive results of Phase 1, a second phase of the GPA CRL Alliance is now underway. The continuation of this highly successful academic-commercial partnership between CRL and East View will serve our shared values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and continue to extend access to global newspaper collections to the widest possible audience. Fundraising for Phase 2 has ended but CRL members are still encouraged to contribute to the program.

Click the link below to learn more about the GPA CRL Alliance, available collections, and plans for the next phase of the Alliance.