Site of the former Northeast Daily Newspaper Office

Site of the former Northeast Daily Newspaper Office

The site of the former Northeast Daily Newspaper Office is a classic red tourism attraction.

The site of the former Northeast Daily Newspaper Office is located on the eastern section of Hailong Avenue (Victory Avenue) in Hailong Town, Meihekou City, Jilin Province, covering an area of about 300 square meters. It later became the old Xinhua Bookstore and has now been rebuilt as a kindergarten. Its original appearance no longer exists.

The Northeast Daily was the official newspaper of the Northeast Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the predecessor of today’s Liaoning Daily. It was the first regional newspaper established by the Communist Party of China in the liberated areas of Northeast China. From its founding on November 1, 1945, to its closure on August 31, 1954, it went through the entire period of the Liberation War, the founding of the People’s Republic of China, and the early years of socialist economic construction in New China.

On November 1, 1945, the Northeast Daily was launched in Shenyang. It was a four-page tabloid, and its title was inscribed by General Lü Zhengcao. A notable feature of the newspaper was its cartoons, which occupied over 90% of its pages, drawn by the famous cartoonist Hua Junwu. The most famous among them was the caricature of Chiang Kai-shek, which gained nationwide recognition. The inaugural issue declared: “This newspaper is the voice of the people of the Northeast, serving their interests above all else. This is our purpose, our duty. The newspaper maintained a clear political stance and played a crucial role in publicizing the policies of the Chinese Communist Party. As a result, it also became a target of attacks by opposing forces in the Northeast. Secret agents and collaborators frequently attempted sabotage and even planned violent attacks against the newspaper office. To guard against sabotage by hostile forces and to prevent interference with press freedom from the stationed Soviet troops, the activities and offices of the newspaper were kept semi-public and somewhat confidential.

As the situation evolved, on November 23, 1945, the Northeast Daily office relocated from Shenyang to Benxi along with the Northeast Bureau, following the withdrawal of the bureau. By February 1946, a total of 40 regular issues and 8 special editions had been published. With the advance of the Nationalist army toward Benxi, the newspaper office moved again with the Northeast Bureau to Hailong Town in Jilin Province, where it stayed for two and a half months until moving to Changchun after its liberation in April 1946.

During its time in Hailong, the Northeast Daily was published at a time when the ceasefire agreement between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party had just been announced and the Political Consultative Conference was underway. In an attempt to seize the fruits of the war victory, the Kuomintang shamelessly claimed that, “There were no Communist troops in the Northeast before Japan’s surrender.” Chiang Kai-shek regarded the takeover as a matter of sovereignty and excluded it from the ceasefire agreement. He refused to negotiate the issue of the Northeast, did not recognize any status of the CCP in the region, and used this as an excuse to accelerate troop deployments in preparation for an offensive. To refute the Kuomintang's lies and expose their scheme to monopolize control of the Northeast, while covering stories on anti-collaborator efforts and local governance, the Northeast Daily published a series of articles on the history of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army. These reports directly countered the Kuomintang’s propaganda, revealed their deceptive tactics, and played a pivotal role under the specific historical context of peace talks between the CCP and the Kuomintang. At the same time, it helped raise public awareness of the political situation and fostered greater understanding of the Party-led Northeast Democratic Allied Army. The Northeast Daily also played an active role in patriotic education for the people of the Northeast, introducing the history of the Communist Party of China, publicizing the victories of the People’s Army, advancing land reform, guiding economic development in the liberated areas of the Northeast, and supporting the Liberation War. It holds a highly significant position in the history of journalism of the Party.

Due to multiple renovations of the original site of the Northeast Daily, it is no longer possible to restore it to its former appearance.

Source: Party School of the Meihekou Municipal Committee

Hailong Town: Hailong Town is a historic cultural city with a long past. In the early Qing Dynasty, it was designated as an imperial hunting ground for the Shengjing royal family. In the fifth year of the Guangxu reign (1879), a general administration office was established, overseeing two regions: the left wing in Chaoyang Town and the right wing in Shan城镇. In the sixth year of Guangxu (1880), a circuit intendant civil affairs office was set up. In the 27th year of Guangxu (1901), it was elevated to the status of Hailong Prefecture. The jurisdiction of the prefecture extended 60 kilometers east to the Jiao River, 115 kilometers south to Longgang, 155 kilometers west to the Weiyuanbao Gate at the border of Kaiyuan County, and 102.5 kilometers north to Weizigou Village at the border of Jilin Yitong Prefecture. It stretched 217.5 kilometers from north to south and 215 kilometers from east to west... More detailed information about Hailong Town++