Annotation

The earliest existing issue of Gonghe Bao Xiebu, a copy of which is now held in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, appeared in 1912, the year the Republic of China was founded. Published as a supplement to Guangzhou’s Gonghe Bao, this publication featured real-life fiction, detective stories, opera scripts, ban yan pieces and Cantonese ballads. Satirical notes were also common during its earlier years. By 1919, its pages frequently included columns covering news from Hong Kong and nearby provinces, political reviews, satirical notes, fiction (including serialised ‘fiction on disapproved customs’, ‘fiction on strange romances’ and occasional short stories), ban yan, Southern tunes, Cantonese ballads and opera scripts. While its layout was similar to that of Zhen gonghe bao, it is unclear whether the two publications were associated or competing with each other. It last appeared around 1927.[1]