By revisiting Habermas’ historical analysis of public sphere in the 18th century, this paper argues that
“public sphere” is a continuous constructing historical process rather than a given “object”. It is critical to
analyze the relationship between media and privacy in order to understand this process. As a platform for
the individuals embracing free, public, and equal discussion, mass media become an important practical
sphere for public to achieve themselves. These issues are linked to the relationship between state and civil
society, media and democracy. The paper proposes that these factors should be concretized according to
contemporary Chinese context.