"Newspapers" as Knowledge: Newspaper Narration in New Textbooks of Late Qing Dynasty and Early Years of the Period of the Republic of China (1902-1922)

Abstract：Textbook provides a space for knowledge, and can be a typical form of mass communication. The newspaper narration in the new textbooks of the late Qing Dynasty and early years of the Period of the Republic of China (1902-1922) provides a unique perspective for exploring the generation, dissemination, accumulation and evolution of knowledge about newspapers in the period of modern Chinese journalism. In textbooks of the late Qing Dynasty, modern newspapers were compared with the court bulletin, diary and history, weaving narrative discourse in progressive thinking. During the early years of the Period of the Republic of China, textbooks highlighted the value of the press, introduced journalism, and brought newspaper into a representative narrative frame, which created the embryonic form of the modern media literacy education. In the process of social construction, the knowledge about newspapers in textbooks also promoted the socialization of individual students.

Keywords: knowledge about newspapers; late Qing Dynasty and early years of the Period of the Republic of China; new textbooks; socialization

WANG Run-ze, Professor at the School of Journalism and Communication of RUC, Member of NCSRC