英文摘要
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The Xinhai Revolution was a significant event in in the history of contemporary China and it has received a great deal of scholarly attention. Much of this research, however, focuses on the consequences of this revolution, leaving largely unexamined the affairs of the event itself. This study considers the question of how the Chinese public received information on these dramatic changes. In particular, it examines the vital role of newspapers in spreading a revolutionary message during the period from the beginning of the Wuchang Uprising on 10 October 1910 until the abdication of the Qing emperor on 12 February 1912. Indeed, newspapers were arguably the most important media for spreading revolutionary ideas at that time.The changes of late Ch'ing China, over the nineteenth century, both introduced modern newspapers and saw Shanghai become China's primary portal for the dissimination of Western knowledge. As a result of Shanghai's commerce and superior printing technology, it had the most extensive newspaper industry in the nation. The content of its newspapers-notably the Shun Pao, Shi Pao, and Min Li Pao-were diverse and sophisticated, including images and illustrations in addition to news coverage, commentaries, supplements, classifieds, and announcements. In light of continued widespread illiteracy, the newspapers' illustrations were the easiest medium for communicating directly with the general public. Accordingly, this study examines illustrations printed in the classified section of three Shanghai newspapers to reconstruct and reassess news information on the Xinhai Revolution.
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