Author ｜
Wen Zhen-wen
Abstract ｜
The meaning of the noun “Jizhe” in traditional Chinese literature indicates to “describing something” or a “self-appellation of recorder.” The latter is quite similar to reporters in the press, but it is still much different from what we call the “journalist” nowadays. In this article, I probe into the evolution of various terms and labels for journalists based on the newspapers in Late Qing and Republican China. By examining the development of professional titles before the appearance of a proper noun“Jizhe,” the pre-modern origin and modern transformation of journalist in China emerges.As late as 1905, the term “Jizhe” spread in some Chinese newspapers such as Shenbao. At the time, “Jizhe” as a group concerned already more with people’s welfare than conventional politics. In addition, they also began to pay close attention to other journalists, domestic and foreign.It meant that their professional self-awareness was coming into being. Thereafter, the term “Jizhe” completely transformed into an occupation that was no longer “describing something” and “self-appellation of recorder.” In the end, “Jizhe” absorbed and incorporated all the meanings of its traditional titles and became a general term for modern journalist.
keywords ｜
Jizhe, journalist, reporter, newspaper, correspondent