《香港华字日报》创刊初期大量原件的发掘与意义

The Newly Found Original materials of the Hong Kong Chinese Mail and Their Significance for Modern Chinese Press Research

本论文以新发掘的《香港华字日报》创刊初期之大量原件,确认作者早年通过该报前身报等论据推翻前人"定论"的诸多考察与推论基本无误。新原件不仅为我们进一步厘清该报的早期面貌,包括该报改为日报的准确日期,也为我们反映和记录了华文报业先驱在1872-1874年华文新报发展的重要年头,为求摆脱"西士馆主"舆论操纵的苦恼和努力。与此同时,新原件同时还呈现了当时寓居于新报的《京报》,一度"回光返照"的现象,从而留给报史研究者解读新报与《京报》"共存"在近代报业发展史上所蕴含的深刻意义等课题。

Using the newly found original materials of the early Hong Kong Chinese Mail, the author reconfirms his previous findings that corrected some long-held consensuses about this newspaper. These newly found original materials further fix the actual date of the newspaper＇s turning into a daily one. They also exemplify the sufferings and hardship those pioneers of Chinese press underwent in 1872-1874, a turning period in the Chinese journalists＇ fighting for voicing their own opinion. At the time, the public opinion of Hong Kong was basically controlled by the western press owners there. This paper also tellingly reveals the co-existence of traditional Peking Gazettes and the modern Chinese newspaper,which is profoundly important for researchers of the development of the modem Chinese press history.