Merry Laughter and Angry Curses
The Shanghai Tabloid Press, 1897-1911
Merry Laughter and Angry Curses is the first book to look beyond China’s intellectual elite to examine the profound impact the tabloid press had on the national political awakening of the late Qing era.
Description
Merry Laughter and Angry Curses reveals how the late-Qing-era tabloid press became the voice of the people. As periodical publishing reached a fever pitch, tabloids had free rein to criticize officials, mock the elite, and scandalize readers. Tabloid writers produced a massive amount of anti-establishment literature, whose distinctive humour and satirical style were both potent and popular. This book shows the tabloid community to be both a producer of meanings and a participant in the social and cultural dialogue that would shake the foundations of imperial China and lead to the 1911 Republican Revolution.