Su Bao

Su Bao (Chinese: 蘇報; pinyin: Sū Bào) was a Shanghai-based Chinese language newspaper that was published between 1896 and 1903. It played a significant role in the late Qing Dynasty reform movement and the burgeoning revolutionary sentiment against the Qing government.

The newspaper was initially founded as a commercial enterprise. However, under the editorship of Chen Fan, it gradually shifted its focus to political commentary and critique of the Qing regime. It became a platform for advocating reform, constitutionalism, and even revolution. Notable writers associated with Su Bao included Zhang Binglin (also known as Zhang Taiyan), Zou Rong, and Cai Yuanpei.

Su Bao gained widespread notoriety for its publication of Zou Rong's revolutionary manifesto, The Revolutionary Army (革命軍), which advocated for the overthrow of the Manchurian Qing Dynasty and the establishment of a Han Chinese republic. This publication, along with other articles deemed seditious by the Qing government, led to the paper's suppression and the arrest of several of its contributors in 1903.

The Su Bao case became a cause célèbre, attracting international attention. The arrest and trial of Zhang Binglin and Zou Rong were widely publicized, further fueling anti-Qing sentiment among Chinese intellectuals and students, both domestically and abroad. While Su Bao was short-lived, its impact on the development of Chinese nationalism and the movement that eventually led to the Xinhai Revolution in 1911 was substantial. The newspaper is remembered as a key voice in the late Qing reform and revolutionary movements.