Founders of China Daily, (standing from left to right) Zheng Defang, former deputy editor-in-chief, Liu Zunqi, first editor-in-chief, Feng Xiliang, second editor-in-chief, and Jiang Muyue (third from right), the paper's publisher, visit the Melbourne Age in 1980.
Liu Zunqi (1911-1993) was the first editor-in-chief of China Daily, and was also editor-in-chief of Chinese Encyclopaedia at that time. The following is an excerpt from a lecture he gave to young reporters fresh from college on February 16, 1982.
A few days ago, a foreign tourist staying in Beijing Hotel lost a camera and money. He didn't find it in the hotel, even with the staff's assistance. Later, a taxi driver came to the hotel to return his camera and money. The foreigner was told that he'd forgotten them in the taxi when he got off.
The tourist wrote a letter to China Daily, saying that this could only happen in socialist countries such as China.
This remark was an overstatement, but our editors were happy to read it and publish it in full in China Daily.
However, we received a few letters from our foreign readers, who pointed out that this also happens in our own countries.
If our editors had cut that sentence, we would have still told of the driver's good deed.
We didn't because we were used to telling people how good a socialist country was, even though sometimes that was only empty talk.
In the past, or during the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976) years, we followed a certain (leftist) doctrine so our news reporting and commentaries were often dogmatic and exaggerated.
But now we felt that the readers' response was correct and we published their letters as well.
(China Daily 05/31/2006 page2)
