Imperial Chinese Governments Publish Dibao, Among the Earliest News Media

Circa 200 CE to 300 CE
Recreation of of Kai Yuan Za Bao; the original printing was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution.
Recreation of of Kai Yuan Za Bao; the original printing was destroyed in the Cultural Revolution.

Dibao (Chinese: 邸报 Pinyin: dǐ bào), palace reports or imperial bulletins or gazettes published by central and local Chinese governments, were among the earliest news media.

"Different sources place their first publication as early as the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) or as late as the Tang Dynasty (June 18, 618–June 4, 907). They carried official announcements and news, and were intended to be seen only by bureaucrats (and a given di bao might only be intended for a certain subset of bureaucrats). Selected items from a gazette might then be conveyed to local citizenry by word of mouth and/or posted announcements. Frequency of publication varied widely over time and place" (Wikipedia article on Tipao, accessed 08-01-2009).

Timeline Themes