In most families, old newspapers are just trash, but to a historian "today's news is tomorrow's history." The newspaper shown here has been carefully preserved for 74 years since January 1, 1912, the first year of the Republic of China.
With the front page all advertising except for the masthead, there may not seem to be much worth looking at. But a careful Chinese reader will discover that the characters for "Min Li Pao" were written by Yu Yu-jen, an elder statesman of the Republic, who founded the paper in Shanghai in 1910.
Ads can also reflect the times. Besides those for an insurance company and a private school, others recruit volunteers for the Northern Expeditionary Force and announce political lectures, all fitting in with news reported on the inside pages.
Although Dr. Sun Yat-sen was established in Nanking as provisional president, the expeditionary force was needed to put down the warlords who controlled the north and unify the country. The national treasury was depleted, and the common people--children, monks, and prostitutes--donated what they could to help. At the same time, the government actively sought international recognition.
The major social news was the "haircut rage," as the pigtails male Chinese had been required to grow were lopped off right and left. A Mr. Hsu even offered free haircuts "with a bowl of noodles and the return of your pigtail as a souvenir."
Looking at the news of the day, we can see that the first New Year's Day of the Republic was truly a time of great change. As one reporter wrote, "From now on, tearing down will give place to building up. . . This day will be the most worthy of commemoration in all 4609 years of China's history."
