Customer Reviews

Shanghai Daily

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Normally I only read the Shanghai Daily when I am visiting Shanghai, as it is the English newspaper of choice by airlines and western hotels located there. Albeit small, the paper has a nice balance of local interest stories and world news (from the Chinese perspective) to give you a general idea of what is going on in and around Shanghai.

I was excited to see the Kindle version, as it seemed like a great way to read the paper in between visits (since whispernet is not available in China, this is not a viable way to read the paper while there).

For the sections that are included, the Kindle coverage seems fine. The stories are included in their entirety, sometimes with pictures. However, not all the stories of each section seem to be included and some sections are missing altogether (such as Feature, District, and Supplement).

The Kindle version seems lacking since the entire paper is available on the Shanghai Daily website and through RSS feeds, all at no cost. Their website also offers paid subscription services for electronic versions, including downloadable PDFs that are formatted for portable devices. The cost of these subscriptions, which appear more complete, are lower than the cost of the Kindle version. The website and RSS feeds also update sooner each day than the Kindle version does.

The formatting of the Kindle version is good - it is easy to read and would be convenient to download by whispernet for those commuting to work by train, but is otherwise not a good value compared to the other versions available.

We are going to China next Fall, so I thought I would try out the Shanghai Daily, an English newspaper published in China.

I actually quite like it. As I write this the massive earthquake is still the top news, so the paper is steeped in reporting death tolls, survivor stories, etc. I certainly have been getting a more in-depth look at the aftermath of the earthquake than I get on the 30 second sound clips on the local news.

What makes the paper 'interesting' is the editorial opinions. As you read these you realize that this paper must 'toe the line' with the ruling Communist Party.

For instance, several US newspapers had written that due to China's "one baby" rule (a family cannot have more than one child) many married couples who lost their one child in the earthquake are devasted by, not only due to their losing their only child, but, due to age, they can no longer have any more children. To face old age in China without children is unthinkable.

Yet the editorial piece in the Shanghai paper took the US papers to task, trying to be 'sarcastic', but with a noteable lack of success. The editor asked (paraphrase): "Are the US papers suggesting that the sense of loss to a Chinese parent is lessened if they have two children and lose only one; or have three children and yet lose only one; or have four...."(you get the drift; they went up to TEN children). The piece did not make a lot of sense (I know I am reporting the piece very poorly), but the editorial completely, and knowingly I bet, missed the whole point of the US articles. Never once did the editor address the fact that older women would not be able to have another child. Rather, the editorial ended up praising the one-child rule.

The paper is also interesting in how it reports the number of Chinese citizens thanking their leaders for all the help provided after the earthquake, or how a child in some province was urging people to donate 10 cents apiece; or how a businessman shamed his family by only offering 100,000 huan to the victims, representing only 1 percent of his wealth, etc.

The paper also reports US sports (it is a newspaper for people who speak English living in China, much like the Paris Tribune) and entertainment. It was rather a shock, in my first Kindle issue, to finish reading about the structural damage to various dams in western China, then 'flip' the page to see a headline about Angelina Jolie expecting twins.

I'm not sure why I am giving four stars rather than five. I guess because I sense I will probably grow tired of it after a while (especially after I return from China and the novelty has worn off).

Edited to Add: Another 'editorial' addressed some of the critics who say that the reason China's leaders have been so 'open' about the earthquake is because of the uncoming Olympics; that they feel pressure to be transparent about the earthquake, victims, etc. The person writing the editorial says that the critics are wrong! How did he prove this? He wrote (again, paraphrase from memory): "They are so wrong! I went to the Vice Premier of the People's Communist party and he assured me that the critics are wrong!" Ah, proof indeed!

Again, while many of the 'editorials' seem to have been written by High School students taking a journalism class, many of the news pieces are very, very information. Indeed, some of the news pieces about American politics are more informative than the sound bites we tend to get from our news sources.

I signed up for the subscription for this paper. I am an expat Oregonian living in Shanghai and read the paper for about a year. But the Kindle edition is truncated and not inclusive of the articles in the print edition. I dropped the subscription near the end of the free trial. I now get the paper every day in my mailbox. Articles are cut short in the Kindle edition and much is left out from the print edition.

Steven
Shanghai

The Shanghai Daily, just like China Daily, is owned and controlled by the government. In this particular case, Shanghai municipal government. Enough is said. To be fair, the paper does decent reporting on both local and international issues within the parameters of state media.

I have been getting this paper for almost 2 weeks and find it fascinating. On one hand, the Chinese local news, sports, politics, and human interest stories seem so familiar in tone to western newspapers. On the other hand, knowing what is being reported by Western news sources, and seeing what is NOT reported in the Chinese press makes one realize how different China really is.

This is a real bargain at $5.99 a month.

i found tis newspaper a delight to read everyday,
it is not overloaded with articles so i can easily fit it into a daily routine, so i find it a perfect resource to keep a light tab on china- thought if your looking for som more detailed info on chin a recommend subscribing to a few other nespapers/mgazines like i do.

I expected a scope of news with a general Asia focus. The news is limited to China with some additional world news. It was not what I was looking for.

I've been watching this to see if I could get it by the single issue. While I'd like to read it, I just don't have the time to read the entire month's worth of articles and want only a single issue at a time. I'll keep waiting for this option. Hope they offer it soon.

As an active investor in china I find the SD very valuable. It gives you insights into official policy and political worldview through the information, tone and tenor of the articles. I also find the moralizing about chinese and foreign societies, although naive, somewhat refreshing.

If you like simplistic articles, unoriginal reporting, and China's finest collection of "massage service" advertising, all written from the single-minded perspective of the Chinese Government, look no further than Shanghai Daily. I hate this paper.