Wang Kangnian

Wang Kangnian (1860-1911) was a reformer in the late Qing Dynasty. A native of Qiantang, Zhejiang (now Hangzhou City). The word Rang Qing, and the name Hui Bo in the evening. Dezong Jinshi during the Guangxu period. Zhang Zhidong's staff. A reformist bourgeois newspaper publisher and political commentator in modern China. After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 - 1894, they enthusiastically encouraged reforms to become strong, and wanted to transform the foolish and weak into bright and strong. In 1895 (21st year of Emperor Dezong's Guangxu), he participated in the Shanghai "Strong Society". The following year, he organized "Current Affairs Newspaper" with Huang Zunxian and served as his own manager and edited Liang Qichao. He has written articles to promote bourgeois civil rights thoughts. It was later changed to Changyan Newspaper and was soon suspended. In 1898,"Shiwu Daily" was founded in Shanghai and renamed "Chinese and Foreign Daily" to support the Qing government's implementation of the "New Deal." He once supported the people of Shanghai in opposing the occupation of the "Siming Gongwu Cemetery" by legal persons. After the signing of the Treaty of Xin Chou in 1901, the Russian army stationed in Fengtian (now Shenyang City) for a long time and did not withdraw. He angrily called China and foreign countries and fought generously. In 1904, he served as the Minister of the Cabinet. In 1907, the Beijing News was held in Beijing. In 1910 (the second year of Xuantong),"Chu Yan Bao" was held. He is the author of "Wang Rangqing's Legacy" and "Wang Rangqing's Notes", etc.

Born in 1860, he attended a private school in Guangdong with his father as a child.

After returning to Li in 1882, he worked as a proofreader in the bookstore, and soon went to Hankou to open the museum to teach.

He entered Qiantang County in 1886.

In 1889, he was admitted to the Eight Banners Official School for teaching, and later he was admitted to Juren.

In 1894, he was admitted to the Jinshi.

In 1890, he was recruited by the governor of Huguang, Zhang Zhidong, to teach his grandson, and later served as the editor of Ziqiang School, translating Western books, and concurrently serving as a teacher in the history department of Lianghu Academy.

After the Sino-Japanese War of 1895, the patriotic organization China Association was founded under the influence of reform ideas. Later, at the invitation of Kang Youwei, he went to Shanghai to join the Shanghai Qiang Society. In the same year, the Mongolian Society was established in Shanghai and published the "Mongolian Journal".

In 1896, the Qing government ordered the ban on Qiang Xuetu. He used the remaining money to establish "Current Affairs Newspaper" with Huang Zunxian and others. He served as his own manager and hired Liang Qichao as the chief writer. The newspaper was the most influential newspaper founded by the reformists at that time. It was a ten-day edition and had columns such as treatises, encyclical manuscripts, translation of foreign newspapers, and recent affairs outside Beijing. It gathered a group of famous newspaper running talents, such as Mai Menghua, Zhang Taiyan, etc., who wrote a large number of political articles promoting reform and reform and national salvation. In addition to presiding over newspaper affairs, Wang Kangnian also published some articles in the newspaper advocating the establishment of new schools, sending overseas students, developing national capitalism, and calling for civil rights. Their novel views and fresh writing style have attracted a large number of readers and had a huge impact on society. However, since Zhang Zhidong was an ex officio shareholder of "Current Affairs", Wang Kangnian, as Zhang Zhidong's aide, was controlled by him. He interfered in the editorial work and published some articles that openly opposed the reformists, forcing Liang Qichao to resign as chief writer.

In 1897, Wang Kangnian and others founded the Farmers 'Association News. In 1898, Wang Kangnian and Wang Dajun established the Eastern Literature Society in Shanghai, and changed the "Current Affairs Newspaper" to the "Changyan Newspaper". Because the editors Zhang Taiyan and others were all reformists, the newspaper's content still focused on introducing Western learning and promoting reform. It was suspended after the 1898 coup.

In 1898, Wang Kangnian raised funds to set up another "Current Affairs Daily" and actively published remarks attacking the reformists. In 1898, the newspaper was renamed "Sino-Foreign Daily". From the standpoint of the Westernization faction, it turned from ostensibly promoting reform to completely opposing reform. After the Wuxu Coup, he attacked Kang and Liang as wanted criminals and pointed the finger at the revolutionaries. However, in the editorial aspect of the newspaper, major reforms were made, changing the four-character headlines that were commonly used in newspapers at that time, replacing them with classified headlines, dividing each edition into four columns, and then dividing the news into four categories: telegraph, news from various countries, news from other cities, and news from other cities. It was arranged separately by country, city, and region, which contributed to the development of modern Chinese newspaper industry.

In 1904, Wang Kangnian went to Beijing to make up for the imperial examination and served as a cabinet letter. In 1905, he also participated in organizing the business of Zhejiang Railway Company. In 1906, he was elected as a school consultant. In 1907, he founded Beijing Daily in Beijing and served as its president and editor-in-chief. It mainly publishes political news and is based on the position of the constitutionalists. In 1909, the newspaper was shut down for participating in the review of the "Yang Cuixi case", which involved the Qing court scandal.

In 1910, Wang Kangnian founded "Chu Yan Bao" in Beijing. It suspended publication on the eve of the outbreak of the Revolution of 1911 because it promoted constitutional and royalist remarks. After the Revolution of 1911, he took refuge in Tianjin and died of illness on November 4 of the same year. He is the author of "Wang Rangqing's Legacy" and "Wang Rangqing's Notes", etc.

Wang Kangnian's various ideas for journalism still have their significance for reference today. In addition, he has a strong critical spirit for the journalism in which he lives, which has universal significance. In this spirit, there are not only the factors of the past scholar-bureaucrats' remonstrance, but also the sense of responsibility of modern Western intellectuals to act as social conscience. The news and newspaper industry is a new industry in late Qing China. There are very few traditions to follow, and most of the experience comes from abroad. Wang Kangnian was greatly influenced by Western ideas of freedom and democracy and resorted to the newspaper industry, so many innovative and reform measures appeared. In short, Wang Kangnian's rich and colorful journalism practice activities made him form a very characteristic journalism thought. He advocated telling the truth in newspapers, taking a fair stand, emphasizing the social supervision function of news and anti-supervision of the news industry, etc., which fully demonstrated his rich experience in the industry after in-depth thinking. As a contributing journalist in modern China, Wang Kangnian should not be forgotten in the history of modern journalism.