Mu Qing (journalist)
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| Hanyu Pinyin | Mù Qīng |
| Simplified Chinese | 穆青 |
| Traditional Chinese | 穆青 |
| Date of Birth: | March 15, 1921 |
| Place of Birth: | Bengbu (蚌埠), Anhui (安徽), China |
| Date of Death: | October 11, 2003 |
Mù Qīng (穆青) (March 15, 1921 - October 11, 2003) has made many contributions to Chinese journalism in the 20th century. As a journalist, as well as an author and photographer, Mu was well known by other Chinese journalists. In addition most of his works were published in journalism textbooks and have been used widely throughout China.
Biography
Youth
Mu was born in Bengbu (蚌埠), Anhui (安徽) in 1921. After attending secondary school in Henan (河南) he joined the Eighth Route Army (八路軍), and in 1937, at the age of 16, he was responsible for a number of publicity works. He joined the Communist Party of China (中國共產黨) in 1939 and entered the Lu Xun Academy of Art (魯迅藝術學院) a year later.
War Correspondent
Mu commenced his career in journalism as a war correspondent in Jiefang Daily (解放日報) in the year 1942. Early in his career, he engaged in covering news stories on war, including the Sino-Japanese_War_(1937-1945) (抗日戰爭) and the Chinese_Civil_War (內戰). After Japan had surrendered in 1945, Mu was sent to the North-eastern China and established Dungfang Daily (東方日報).
Career with Xinhua
After the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, Mu was promoted to a senior level in the Xinhua News Agency (新華通訊社). In 1951, Mu was given the title of Vice President for the Xinhua Headquarter in Beijing. Later in 1955, he moved from the Headquarter to the Xinhua News Agency main office in Shanghai (上海), where he was President for the next 3 years.
On 1982, Mu became the Chief President of Xinhua until his retirement in 1992. On October 11, 2003 he died from lung cancer in Beijing.
Concern for the poor
Mu was known for his interest in reporting on the circumstances of Chinese peasants. He visited different parts of China frequently and interviewed the poverty stricken communities about their daily experiences. His goal was to make the central government aware of the needs of those who are underprivileged.
Mu wrote stories about Communist Party and local government officials he saw as role models. The most famous of these is is "Jiao Yulu - A Good Example of the Secretaries of the County Committee of the Communist Party" (縣委書記的榜樣——焦裕祿), in which Mu recorded the work done by Jiao Yulu in helping the peasants during a time of natural disaster.
Mu's Principles of Journalism
Throughout Mu's career in journalism, there are several principles which he has upheld.
Importance of Investigation
Mu believed that Investigative journalism is a journalist's responsibility to the readers. He thought that investigation is essential in ensuring that the facts reported are accurate. Journalists must be constantly alert and insist on investigation so that the news reported would be honest and truthful.
Mu believed that investigation is so important that it sustains the life of a journalist as a journalist. He also thought that without investigation, news would lose its energy, orientation and meaning. On the other hand, Mu resisted making reports with people and stories which were fictional.
Importance of Raising Questions
Mu believed that in order to have accurate news reporting, journalists have to be constantly ready to challenge the information collected. Instead of merely reporting facts in a narrative way, journalists are to reveal to the readers the significance and meaning behind the news reports.
Mu thought that raising questions enable journalists to think more, investigate more, and discover more; only by doing these things, can journalists reach closer to the truth.
Importance of Reporting Up-to-date Social Problems
Mu believed that journalists should discover more up-to-date social problems instead of reporting old problems. This could draw people's attention and motivate them to search for solutions. These reports could eventually help remove the obstacles to social development.
Mu stated that journalists should actively report social issues and policies which aroused great public concern. Transparency in major social issues enabled the public to get hold of more information and hence could react correspondingly. Concensus between the people and the governemnt could be easily reached if the public understood the rationale behind each policy implemented by the government.
Mu's Influence on Journalism in China
Resisting Threats and Criticisms
Apart from news writing, Mu was also famous for his directorship of the Xinhua News Agency. He helped defend independence of journalism during a period when biased news reporting was prevalent. When the Anti-Rightist Movement (反右派運動) started in 1957, the Shanghai (上海) Office of Xinhua, under the leadership of Mu, was the only branch that did not engage in criticising the rightists.
Although Mu was under severe criticism during the Cultural Revolution, he upheld the principles. In 1975, Mu reported to Mao Zedong (毛澤東) about opposition of Jiang Qing (江青), leader of Gang of Four (四人幫), towards Zhou Enlai (周恩來) and Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平) once he got hold of the information from his reporters, ignoring the potential consequences that might have caused him.
Political Role of Xinhua
Mu claimed that the Xinhua News Agency was a tool for Communist Party of China's (CPC) propaganda. It represented the Party and the People's Republic of China (PRC), and was also a medium for the promotion of Marxism (馬克斯主義) and the CPC's orientation, direction and policies. He required all journalists of the Xinhua News Agency to work in conformity with the principles of the Party and the Central Government.
Claiming to be at the side of the proletariat, Mu heavily criticized the appearance of capitalism in Chinese journalism. Mu believed that the thoughts of liberation advocated by capitalism would lead to a denial of the CPC leadership. He constantly reminded the journalists in Xinhua to maintain absolute obedience towards the CPC.
Mu's strong stance helped preserve the political orientation of the whole of Xinhua News Agency.
Leading Xinhua to the World
Mu's contribution to Xinhua's development had been widely recognized. He envisioned that for Xinhua would become an international news agency, it had to be more accurate and efficient in its news reporting, as well as to acquire a wider coverage on the news of developing countries.
Under the leadership of Mu, Xinhua endeavoured to give the world a Chinese voice, by developing its own perspective. Aiming at this goal, Mu introduced new strategies to the agency and improved on the standard of news reporting. He placed emphasis on the training of young reporters, and advocated the idea of searching for truth by reaching out to the lower class of society.
Mu's Contribution to Literature
Early Encounter with Literature
When Mu was young, he was actually more interested in becoming a writer than a journalist. While he was studying in Lu Xun Academy of Art, he learnt theories of literature from many famous writers of modern China, e.g. Mao Dun (茅盾) and Zhou Yang (周揚), president of the Academy at that time. During that period of time his writing skills was honed as he spent a lot of effort on them. These essentially led to his literary style of news writing in his later career.
Between Journalism and Literature
Mu's greatest contribution to literature is about the relation between news writing and literature. He disagreed with people at that time who did not regard literary reportage (報告文學) as a kind of literature and he insisted that literary reportage should be based on real people and real incidents, rather than fictional.
His works, particularly correspondeces and profiles of people, incorporated various techniques in literature into news writing and had profound impact on the development of literary reportage in China. His article "For Premier Zhou's Exhortation" (為了周總理的囑託) was once selected as the Outstanding Literary Reportage in China and this proved the literary value of his journalistic works.
Famous Quotes by Mu Qing
- "As a Communist Party member, a journalist of our people, I cannot conceal the truth." - self-criticism for doing something wrong in the past. (作為一個共產黨員﹐一個人民的記者﹐不能不說實話) - 憶起放“衛星”的稿子而深刻自省
- "I am a journalist, I am willing to have a look for myself" - when others prepare the interview material for him, he says. (我是記者﹐我願意自己去看看。) - 每次採訪﹐面對別人准備好的材料﹑匯報﹐他總會說
- "Never forget the people" (勿忘人民)
- "We can write news reports like prose" (用散文的筆法寫新聞), "the future development of news article writing should be based on the style of prose writing with a perservation of its flexibility and a usage of lively words......" (我們的新聞報道的形式和結構也應該向自由的活潑的散文式的方向發展)
- "Whether an event should be reported or not, when to report, how to report, first of all, we need to consider the overall situation." - a conclusion based on many past bitter lessons (一件事情應不應該報道﹐什麼時候報道﹐採取什麼方法報道﹐首先要看大局) - 以歷史的慘痛教訓總結出來
Famous works by Mu Qing
Correspondences
- An Unfinished News Report (一篇沒有寫完的報道)
- For Premier Zhou's Exhortation (為了周總理的囑託——記農民科學家吳吉昌)
- Jiao Yulu - A Good Example of the Secretaries of the County Committee of the Communist Party (縣委書記的榜樣——焦裕祿)
- Last Supper (最後的晚餐)
- Revolution has begun again!(革命又回來了！ )
- Save Africa(救救非洲)
- Wang Jinxi the Iron Man(鐵人王進喜)
- Judgement of history (歷史的審判)
- Under the Leaning Tower (在斜塔下)
Books
- Ding ci yi shu (定瓷藝術) written and edited by Mu Qing (2002)
- Ming dai min yao qing hua (明代民窯青花) (With Tang Weijian) (2000)
- Hsin wen san lun (新聞散論) (Talking about News) (1996)
- Zhongguo xin wen yi da xi, 1937-1949. Bao gao wen xue ji (中國新文藝大系, 1937-1949. 報告文學集) (Edited by Mu Qing) (1996)
- Zhongguo xin wen yi da xi, 1949-1966. Bao gao wen xue ji (中國新文藝大系, 1949-1966. 報告文學集) (Edited by Mu Qing) (1987)
- Mu Qing san wen xuan (穆青散文選) (1984)
- Xin wen gong zuo san lun (新聞工作散論) (1983)
- Weiyena di xuan lü (維也納的旋律) (The Melody of Vienna) (1983)
- Jiao yu lu (焦裕祿) (1980)
- Xiang zhong de hong qi (湘中的紅旗)(1950)
- Shi ge gong chan dang yuan (十個共產黨員) (10 Communists)
Photographic Work
Calligraphy
- Selected calligraphies of Mu Qing (穆青書法作品選)
Comments about Mu Qing
- A Comprehensive Interview with Mu(走近穆青)
- A Famous and Kindhearted Journalist - Mu Qing(在新聞界無人不知 真情老頭兒穆青)
- An Interview with Mu{用快門記錄史實–––訪穆青)
- Death of Mu Qing (趙德潤：人民的穆青常青)
- Demoforum: Learn How to Make Friends from Mu Qing(人民論壇：學學穆青交友)
- Memorial of Mu Qing(馮健:人民之子穆青)
- Mu Behind the Public (知情者眼中的穆青)
- What Kind of Journalist does Mu Qing Belong to?(穆青是什麼型記者？)