The very first newspaper in China with a Chinese editorial staff, the full-image and full-text Shen Bao Digital Archive gives unique insight into the transition of China from the nineteenth century until Mao.
Established in 1872, Shen Bao (historically transliterated as Shun Pao or Shen-pao) was the most influential and longest lasting commercial newspaper of before the establishment of the People’s Republic. Published in Shanghai until 1949, Shen Bao was founded by Englishman Ernest Major, but, uniquely, as a newspaper for Chinese readers, written by Chinese reporters. During its existence, Shen Bao gradually shifted from a conservative to a more liberal perspective, and played a pivotal role in the formation of public opinion in the imperial period and into the tumultuous beginnings of modern China. Shen Bao’s innovations in printing technologies, specialized use of the telegraph, and dispatch of special military correspondents gave it an edge, and today that valuable insight is preserved and made available in the Shen Bao Digital Archive.
The Shen Bao Digital Archive presents the complete collection of all issues, from the newspaper’s founding in 1872 to 1949 and is an invaluable research tool. Containing more than 2 million articles, the database is 100% full-text searchable and contains the full-image of each page. Both the full-text and the full-image are retrieved in a single search, and full text may be easily copied from the full-image as well.
You must access the database from the Reed campus. Please send any feedback to
Jim Holmes