The establishment of the copyright system in the early years of the 20th century not only meant that Chinese writers could enjoy their due rewards, but also shows the acknowledgement and respect for writers’ rights held by society at large. Laying the economic foundation for the growth of professional writers, the copyright system directly promoted an increase in the number of writers and allowed for the continuous prosperity of publishing and cultural causes.
The promotion and development of society
Society was a relative closed and stable in China before the 19th century. Although some changes had taken place due to the introduction of Buddhism and western learning that came to China in the end of the Ming Dynasty, no fundamental transformations had taken place, indicating the smooth and slow transition of traditional Chinese culture. This feature exerted profound influence on traditional Chinese publishing, which developed in a closed but stable way.
After the 19th century, a dramatic transformation took place in China due to the influence from foreign countries and a tendency towards modernization. Under these conditions, China’s publishing industry was forced to begin its modernization and became a barometer for the fate of the country and its people. In the course of this transition, ideas such as “save the country from doom and strive for national salvation” and “advance with the times” were given priority by the publishing industry. Lots of books on modern natural science and social science were published to spread new thoughts and scientific knowledge, which provided a strong impetus for the development and transformation of Chinese society.
At that time, four types of publications exerted a positive influence on Chinese society. The first was reading material to spread modern scientific and cultural knowledge through new textbooks and new translations. The second was works to publicize the revolution among people. Third was culture and artistic reading material to elevate people’s souls and enrich their lives. The last type was ancient books and other references book to inherit, accumulate and carry the national cultural heritage.
After the 1840s, through the publication of books and magazines, different social classes and parties publicized their political ideas and various advanced cultural and scientific ideas from the west spread through these books. It can be said without exaggeration that the significant political movements in this period and the introduction of western culture in large scale were closely connected with publishing activities, which served as a catalysts in social transformation.
For example, the works translated by the well-known modern translator Yan Fu caused a sensation with the idea of “survival of the fittest in natural selection” influenced several generations. During the early years of the 20th century, a set of books used to publicize the revolution was published to meet the needs of the times. They contributed to the success of the Revolution of 1911. The spread of advanced ideas such as democracy and science published in some publications including New Youth could be credited for facilitating the rise of the New Culture Movement in 1919.
Thanks to the interaction between publishing and society, both changed and evolved, laying a solid foundation for the development of contemporary publishing and cultural causes. However, it is necessary to note that, although traditional publishing is no longer in popular use, it did not die out with the advent of modern publishing, It is still visible in some cases and its contributions to Chinese publishing should not be ignored.