Former Site of Ta Kung Pao

Former Site of Ta Kung Pao

The Former Site of Ta Kung Pao is a protected cultural relic site of Tianjin.

Former Site of Ta Kung Pao

Era: 1906

Address: No. 169-1, Heping Road, Heping District, Tianjin

Category: Important Modern Historical Site and Representative Building

Ta Kung Pao was founded in 1902 by the Catholic Yi Lianzhi. Its original office was located in the French Concession before moving to this site in 1906. In its early days, besides promoting France's Catholicism, the newspaper also advocated for reform and supported constitutional monarchy. After the Xinhai Revolution, Yi Lianzhi sold Ta Kung Pao in 1916 to the Anhui clique politician Wang Zhenlong, and the newspaper subsequently became a mouthpiece for the Anfu clique. In 1926, Wu Dingchang, manager of the Yien Yieh Commercial Bank, along with others, took over the newspaper and transformed it into a purely privately owned paper guided by the principles of "no party affiliation, no selling out, no selfishness, and no blindness." After the September 18th Incident, due to the tense situation in the Japanese Concession, Ta Kung Pao moved again to the French Concession. On the eve of the War of Resistance Against Japan, as the situation in North China grew unstable, Ta Kung Pao began publishing Shanghai and Hankou editions, and in 1938 launched Hong Kong and Chongqing editions. After the July 7th Incident, the Tianjin edition of Ta Kung Pao ceased publication but resumed here after the victory of the war. The mainland edition of Ta Kung Pao finally ceased publication in 1966, while the Hong Kong edition has continued to this day.

The former site of Ta Kung Pao is bordered by Hami Road to the east, Heping Road to the south, Siping East Road to the west, and Nenjiang Road to the north. It is a two-story Western-style building that remains in relatively good condition today.

Ta Kung Pao is now a world-renowned newspaper and one of the oldest newspapers in China’s history. Founded in Tianjin, it moved to this location in 1906 and published here for 25 years. During this period, the newspaper changed ownership twice and suspended publication once. After weathering 25 years of ups and downs at this site, Ta Kung Pao evolved from its original role as a religious publication into a renowned newspaper capable of critiquing current affairs and reflecting public voices. Therefore, the former site of its office is worthy of preservation.

Further Reading:

· Fourth Batch of Tianjin Cultural Relic Protection Units