The Study Of North-China Herald Reports On Marco Polo Bridge Incident

Western media followed soon after the gunboats of the Foreign Powers had forced China to open,publishing a variety of newspapers and periodicals for both Chinese and foreigners.When major events occurred,Western media exhibited,to some extent,popular sentiment in the West towards China.Colloquially known as the "British Official" and the largest newspaper in China,the North-China Herald published many reports surrounding the Marco Polo Bridge Incident(also known as the July 7th Incident of 1937 but will be referred to as the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident" in this thesis).For a variety of reasons,the North-China Herald recorded many reports related to the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and Sino-Japanese relations,and not only has it become one of the contemporary historical resources for research on the Marco Polo Bridge Incident,but it has also facilitated the study of Sino-British relations from the perspective of media.This thesis has chosen to use reports from the North-China Herald during the period of July 7th 1937 to July 28th 1937 as the main source of historical data,which includes a total of six publications and more than 1000 articles.After sorting the events,comments,interviews and critiques as they are reported in the North-China Herald,and thorough research and analysis,this thesis will discuss changes in the position and attitude of the North-China Herald towards the events surrounding the Marco Polo Bridge Incident,and will work to overcome absences in reporting in the North-China Herald afterwards.The North-China Herald likes to flaunt that it is "impartial,but not neutral",and reports toward the Marco Polo Bridge Incident somewhat reflect this.This thesis uses the Marco Polo Bridge Incident as a chronological boundary,and delineates further with two fundamental segments,prior to and post incident.Prior to the incident,the North-China Herald gave unprincipled protection to Japan,and cared little about China;but after the incident,it switched positions and began to sympathize with China.When the incident broke out,including field interviews,character interviews and commentary,the number of reports regarding Japan far exceeded the number of reports regarding China,and they often accused China of being impulsive.Afterwards,however,as the Japanese invasion intensified,reports concerning Sino-Japanese relations increasingly became impartial,and censure towards China gradually reduced while sympathy increased.This kind of positional change,profoundly exemplifies the North-China Herald as a media tool of capitalist invaders,and the interests implied are intrinsic.The formation of the position of the North-China Herald,as well as the changes,were affected by a variety of factors and influences,namely,Japanese propaganda and the long-held policy of appeasement by the British.The development of Britain's domestic society,and the National Salvation Movement among the Chinese diaspora in England,both heavily influenced these transformations.Additionally,this thesis will show that the maturation in the group of writers from the North-China Herald were influenced by British society at large,and under this almost imperceptible influence,their opinions gradually conformed to the changes in popular sentiment and viewpoints upheld by British society.Generally speaking,British interests,society and popular sentiment fundamentally dictated and surreptitiously directed changes in the North-China Herald's position,while the characteristics brought by main editors and groups of authors made it difficult for the far east publication to divulge from England itself.By utilizing sociology and broadcasting,and by exploring Britain's China-policy and public sentiment during the same period,this thesis will further unpack the motivation and meaning behind the positional changes surrounding the incident as evident in publications from the North-China Herald.China suffered greatly in the early years during the War of Resistance against Japan,and it was difficult for its media to find a voice while under attack.In the current age,where the internet provides a tableau of increasing development,it is important not to forget history,and understand the motivation and forces behind the position held by media,as well as International Relations,and to grasp the consequences of public sentiment among media,to not hesitate or shrink and speak when required,and to safeguard sovereignty.