Site of the Founding Meeting of the China Young Journalists Association

Site of the Founding Meeting of the China Young Journalists Association

Site of the Founding Meeting of the China Young Journalists Association

The China Young Journalists Association was a national organization of journalists during China’s War of Resistance against Japan and the Third Revolutionary Civil War. Led by the Communist Party of China and of a united front nature, it was the predecessor of the All-China Journalists Association. It was established in Shanghai on November 8, 1937, and held its founding congress in Hankou in March 1938. Honorary directors included Shao Lizi, Wang Yunsheng, Yu Youren, Ye Chucang, Zou Taofen, Guo Moruo, Zhang Jiluan, and Pan Zinyan; executive directors were Fan Changjiang, Zhong Qisen, and Xu Jinmai. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the association united domestic and foreign journalists to serve the cause of anti-Japanese propaganda. It also educated young journalists to uphold the stance of resisting Japan, promoting unity and progress, striving for excellence, and contributing to the development of China’s journalism and the liberation of the Chinese nation. It published the monthly magazine "Journalists", ran the “Journalists’ Home”, and supported journalists coming from various places to Wuhan. In October of the same year, after the fall of Wuhan, the association retreated to Changsha and Guilin. In May 1939, its headquarters moved to Chongqing. Southern and Northern offices were subsequently established in Guilin and behind enemy lines in North China, with battlefield service teams dispatched to the rear of the enemy in North China. Branches were set up in Chongqing, Chengdu, Changsha, Guilin, Shaoguan, Hong Kong, Yan’an, as well as in the Zhongtiao Mountains and Lüliang Mountains, with nearly 2,000 members. Most of the war correspondents who reported from various war zones in the early stages of the War of Resistance were members of the “Qing Ji” (the association’s nickname). In the spring of 1941, the headquarters and all branches in Kuomintang-controlled areas were shut down by the Kuomintang authorities. Branches in Hong Kong, Yan’an, and the anti-Japanese democratic base areas continued their activities until the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

The “China Young Journalists Association” was the predecessor of the All-China Journalists Association. On November 8, 1937, it was officially established in the Nanjing Hotel on Shanxi Road, Shanghai, by 15 people including Fan Changjiang, a reporter from Ta Kung Pao. The “Qing Ji” became a banner for patriotic and progressive journalists. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, the “Qing Ji” united progressive journalists nationwide, plunged into the flames of the War of Resistance, and fought arduously for the liberation and great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. In 2000, with the approval of the State Council, November 8, the founding date of the “Qing Ji”, was designated as “China Journalists’ Day”.

At 7:00 p.m. on November 8, 1937, the founding meeting of the “China Young Journalists Association” was held at the Nanjing Hotel on Shanxi Road, Shanghai, and the association’s charter was adopted. The 15 founding members, including Xia Yan, Fan Changjiang, Bi Quan, Yun Yiqun, Zhang Danfeng, and Wang Wenbin, attended the meeting. Lu Yi and Meng Qiujiang, founding members and reporters from Ta Kung Pao, were unable to attend due to reporting assignments in the Shanxi war zone. At the founding meeting, Fan Changjiang, Yang Zao, Bi Quan, Yun Yiqun, and Zhu Ming were elected as the five general secretaries, while Xia Yan and Shao Zonghan were appointed as alternate secretaries. At that time, the association had over 20 members. The meeting seriously discussed the development of the war situation and concluded that since the Nationalist government’s center had shifted westward to Wuhan, it was necessary to establish a Wuhan branch of the “China Young Journalists Association”. The meeting authorized Fan Changjiang to prepare for the Wuhan branch.