Chapter Twenty-Two: The Ming Weekly

That evening, Zhu Youxiao once again visited the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, but Zhang Yan insisted that he should spend the night with other concubines. The night ended in discord, as before, and Zhu Youxiao slept in his study. The following day, he simply stopped going to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility altogether, locking horns with Zhang Yan and sleeping in the study every night.

Soon, the newspaper office sent up the first proof, which Zhu Youxiao could only describe as unbearable to look at. He had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, summoning Official Bao and several of the responsible editors from the newspaper. He gave them a detailed lecture on how newspapers should look, based on those he had seen in his previous life. He then assembled several members of the Grand Secretariat and Xu Guangqi, directing Fang Congzhe to write an editorial according to his own ideas, while Liu Yiting, Han Kuang, Xu Guangqi, and others wrote political commentary articles, posing as ordinary citizens. He also issued an imperial edict promoting the cultivation of maize, sweet potatoes, and potatoes in the north, which was to be printed directly in the section for imperial edicts.

Thus, the inaugural issue of the Great Ming Weekly was published with great ceremony. Since each printing plate could only produce a little over a thousand sheets at a time, and the pages had to be processed for several days before use, eight plates were carved for each section, resulting in a total print run of ten thousand copies, each guaranteed to be crisp and clear.

The masthead bore the four characters for "Great Ming Weekly," written by Fang Congzhe, beneath which was an editorial stating the paper's mission and subscription methods. Then followed the section for imperial edicts, with recent edicts all printed there. The current affairs section described the Emperor's wedding, the translation of seven thousand volumes by missionaries, and the military section reported on the Battle of Liaoshen, highlighting the heroic deeds of figures such as Qin Bangping and Zhou Dunji, and systematically explaining the necessity and importance of establishing the Shrine of the Loyal and Brave. The political commentary section discussed all these topics; naturally, the articles extolling the imperial edicts were full of praise for the Emperor's wisdom, but for the promotion of new crops, Xu Guangqi contributed a lengthy essay expounding on their significance. At the bottom, the methods for submitting articles and purchasing the newspaper were provided, with the Ministry of Rites’ Great Ming Weekly Office as the signatory.

Of the ten thousand copies, three thousand were allocated to the capital, another three thousand to Southern Zhili, and the remaining four thousand to other regions. Government offices, princely mansions, the National Academy, and local educational offices in every prefecture and county were all to be given priority, leaving no copies available for sale on the open market; but in any case, there was no intention to sell the paper in this first issue.

The weekly for outlying regions was distributed via the postal relay stations, so in many places, the paper arrived ten days or more after publication. Despite this, the Great Ming Weekly caused a tremendous stir. From the second day of distribution, the newspaper office was flooded with letters; by the thirtieth day, they had received 1,183 letters. Of these, about forty percent commented on political affairs, thirty percent praised the heroes who sacrificed for the country, fifteen percent flattered the Emperor, ten percent criticized officials for incompetence, and the remaining five percent included various other matters, most being unsolicited contributions. Considering the print run of ten thousand, this was an astonishing response.

Half a month later, the second issue was published, featuring a new reader letters column in the commentary section, showcasing selected letters from the capital. Again, ten thousand copies were printed and distributed free of charge.

A month later, the third issue came out, this time with a run of twelve thousand, as several hundred subscriptions had been received. In addition to the ten thousand free copies, several hundred went to subscribers, and over a thousand were sold outright in the capital, where they sold out instantly.

After a month and a half, subscriptions exceeded two thousand, with most new subscribers being merchants from Southern Zhili. Fourteen thousand copies were printed, with only six thousand distributed for free. Each department, which had previously received a hundred copies, now received only fifty. The number of copies sold increased to six thousand, three thousand each in the southern and northern capitals, and again, they sold out immediately. Some people even bought papers at high prices. Subscribing became a lucrative practice: readers could see the latest news first and later sell the paper at or above its original price. Thus, subscriptions quickly grew to more than three thousand.

Official Bao reported to the Emperor that at this rate, increasing the print run would soon allow the newspaper to break even, at least in terms of direct labor costs—not counting officials’ salaries or facilities. Zhu Youxiao instructed that circulation should be capped at fifteen thousand for now, to maintain the impression of rarity and value, and that improvements to lead movable type should be accelerated. Once movable type printing replaced woodblock printing, costs would drop and circulation could be expanded further, with advertisements added at that time.

As expected, subscription growth slowed, reaching four thousand by the eighth issue, then increasing by only a few dozen with each subsequent issue. Nevertheless, the newspaper had already begun to influence all aspects of Ming society, as evidenced by the slow but steady rise in reader correspondence.

Zhu Youxiao decreed that every letter from readers must be read by the newspaper office, and those of particular quality were to be brought into the palace for his personal selection to be published. This practice continued for about a year, until he was confident that Wang Cheng'en fully understood how to serve as inspector of the newspaper, at which point he retired from the task.

With the collaboration of master printers from Changzhou and craftsmen summoned by the Ministry of Rites, great progress was finally made in developing lead movable type. Lead type was cheaper than bronze, more durable than wood, and bonded with ink more readily than tin. From the thirteenth issue, some copies were printed using lead type, and the quality nearly matched that of woodblock printing. From the fourteenth issue onward, all copies were printed with lead type.

From the fifteenth issue, the weekly accepted its first advertisement, placed by the famous purse shop "Liu Lin's." Zhu Youxiao had Bao Ying'ao find someone to place an ad, and Bao found his fellow townsman Liu Lin from Shexian. When Zhu Youxiao reviewed the ad, he realized it was the very purse shop where he and the empress had once met. Thus, that issue of the weekly featured a small new column titled "Public Notices," with the line: "Liu Lin's purses, even the Emperor says they're good."

Liu Lin had only paid the twenty-two taels of silver (two taels per character) out of regard for his countryman, but the ad proved wildly effective. First, people in the capital flocked to the Emperor-approved purse shop; then visitors from other regions came to see the famous shop for themselves. Within a month, after deducting the cost of extra staff, the owner calculated that he had earned two hundred thirty-five taels more than the previous month. The news spread quickly, and soon other merchants clamored to place ads. Some sellers of household goods wanted to use the same slogan: "The XX of XX shop, even the Emperor says it's good." Wang Cheng'en refused, even turning down double the fee. The weekly then added an editorial note: "All advertisements must be truthful; only products the Emperor has personally praised may claim imperial approval. False advertising is strictly prohibited to protect the dignity of the throne." This only boosted Liu Lin's business further, and of course, Liu Lin paid another seventy taels for advertising.

By the twentieth issue, the weekly was published three times a month, and the newspaper office was self-sustaining on subscription and advertising revenue, entering an era of great profitability. Since the newspaper office was funded by the imperial treasury, its income also went there, until the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, when the Ministry of Revenue could stand it no longer and petitioned for a share of the income. Zhu Youxiao then solved the problem by selling thirty percent of the newspaper office's shares to the Ministry of Revenue and twenty percent to the Ministry of Rites, so that the palace retained only half the shares. Rumor had it that the sums paid by the ministries were astronomical.