Chinese Mail

Chinese Mail, after Zhongwai Daily, was the second Chinese language biweekly newspaper in Hong Kong, made during the Hong Kong colonial period. Founded by China Mail deputy editor Chen Aiting as an independent newspaper on 17 April 1872, the newspaper initially released three times a week.

Chinese Mail provided news on the Qing court and events (mostly political) in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau and overseas. The newspaper also contained ship news, information on the prices of goods, and government notices. Merchants often published official notices in the early days of the newspaper, including government tenders and vaccination notices. In 1908, the newspaper added the Guangzhi Records section, where essays and anecdotes (both Chinese and foreign) were put. The Essence Records section was also introduced, with the subsection of "Discussions", "Guangdong" and "Folk Songs". In its early years, no punctuation was used, and the newspaper's lines were long. Each article was separated by an O, with different articles put together. However, the rise of the Baihua Movement led to a shift in the newspaper's writing style, and articles were separated.

In 1941, when the Imperial Japanese Army captured Hong Kong, the newspaper was suspended. Two new issues were published in April and June 1946, but it was suspended again on July 1st indefinitely. Nowadays, the newspaper is used as a source for historians of the late Qing dynasty and the Warlord Era.

• Chinese Mail archives from Hong Kong Public Libraries