Minbao 民报 “People’s News”

The Minbao 民报 "People's News" (this is not an official translation) was the political organ of the Tongmenghui Party 同盟会, the predecessor of the Guomindang 国民党. The newpaper was established in Tōkyō where the first number appeared on November 26, 1905. It was forbidden by the Japanese government in October 1908 with the number 24 was to be distributed secretly through 1910 on, with the number 26 being the last. The editors were Hu Hanmin 胡汉民, Zhang Binglin 章炳麟, and Wang Jingwei 汪精卫. Among the authors were, except the editors, Chen Tianhua 陈天华, Zhu Zhixin 朱执信, Liao Zhongkai 廖忠恺, Song Jiaoren 宋教仁, Huang Kan 黄侃, and many others.

The editorial department of the newpaper was in the center of the party, while the distribution office was provided by Miyazaki Moshikuma 宫崎寅藏 (better known with his style Tōten 滔天). In China there were only six distribution bureaus in the beginning, for the second issue 15, and already 38 for the third issue.

The irregularly appearing newspaper Minbao served as a political propaganda instrument of Sun Yat-sen (Sun Wen 孙文) and his political thought, mostly referred to as the "Three principles of the people" (sanmin zhuyi 三民主义). The revolutionary undertone of Sun's political programme was the main reason for the newpaper's prohibition, less his fervent nationalist attitude. It was in first place not the Japanese government who enacted the prohibition but the Chinese government, supported by many Chinese intellectuals which rather liked to see reform (gailiang 改良) instead of revolution (geming 革命). The newspaper of the former was the Xinmin congbao 新民丛报 "Assembled reports to a new people".