Between Mobility and Stability: “Guerrilla Journalism” in Xinhua Daily (North China Edition)

CHEN Yukun ZHANG Huiyu

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Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication ›› 2025, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (1) : 89-113.

Between Mobility and Stability: “Guerrilla Journalism” in Xinhua Daily (North China Edition)

  • CHEN Yukun ZHANG Huiyu
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Abstract

During the period of the Chinese Anti-Japanese War (1931-1945), the guerrilla warfare tactics employed by the Chinese Communist Party constituted not only a military strategy but also a philosophical and speculative approach to social organization. The contradiction between mobility and stability addressed by this approach embodies the dialectical relationship between absolute motion and relative stasis in the development of phenomena. Guerrilla journalism, originating from guerrilla warfare, has been previously studied in the context of its highly fluid characteristics during the Anti-Japanese War period. However, scant attention has been devoted to the discussion of how to reconcile the dialectical relationship between mobile operations and stable functioning in the process of journalism. Through an analysis of relevant historical materials from the Xinhua Daily (North China Edition), this paper argues that the news gathering and editing format, the production of media materials, and the establishment of a diversified distribution network in guerrilla journalism, to a certain extent, overcame the contradiction between mobility and stability in the base areas. It demonstrated a unique approach to addressing materiality issues in media, enabling the coordination of media dissemination in time and space within the border region, thereby uniting the revolutionary community of military and civilians in the base area. Furthermore, as the wartime situation continued to evolve, this approach facilitated the more effective fulfillment of the communication function of connecting with the masses and mobilizing revolution. This flexible mode of dialectical thinking and practical activity serves as both a manifestation of China's independent and indigenous journalism theoretical system and an integral component of the formation of the Chinese path to modernization historical experience.

Key words

Guerrilla journalism / Xinhua Daily / base area / media materiality

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CHEN Yukun ZHANG Huiyu. Between Mobility and Stability: “Guerrilla Journalism” in Xinhua Daily (North China Edition). Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication. 2025, 47(1): 89-113

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Funding

This paper is supported by major project of the National Social Science Foundation of China “A Study of Lenin's Thought in the Marxist View of Journalism” (No. 20&ZD314).
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