On October 21, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of its first newspaper, Nanfang Daily, Nanfang Media Group, a Guangzhou-headquartered media group with global influence, launched two commemorative books: Light and Shadow—A 75-Year Photographic Record of Nanfang's Journalists (hereafter referred to as Light and Shadow) and New Journey—The Path of Integrated Development of Nanfang Media Group (hereafter referred to as New Journey).
The launch event (Photo: Nanfang Daily)
Nanfang Media Group was born with the establishment of Nanfang Daily on October 23, 1949. Over the 75 years, it has grown into one of the most influential media groups in China, providing news services through Nanfang Daily, GDToday, Southern Metropolis Daily, Southern Weekly, and Southern Rural News on newspapers, websites, apps, and so on.
Ever since its birth, Nanfang Media Group has been covering the economic, social, and cultural life of Guangdong with high-quality photos and reports. The book Light and Shadow has collected over 400 news photos taken by its journalists, along with brief captions and contemporary news excerpts to explain the historical events behind the photos. From the full views of infrastructural projects to the smiles of fruit pickers, from the Liberation of Guangzhou in 1949 to the Reform and Opening-up in the 1970s-90s, it presents a panorama of Guangdong in the past 75 years.
Light and Shadow and New Journey (Photo: Nanfang Daily)
The book New Journey focuses on the transformation taking place in the media industry in the face of the challenges brought about by the Internet and social media in recent years. It systematically outlines the exploration of Nanfang Media Group in six dimensions: content, platform, services, operations, talent, and management.
"We hope to take the publication of these two books as a chance to motivate ourselves to tell more compelling stories of China, the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, and Guangdong, while also driving ourselves to even greater achievements," said Liu Qiyu, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of Nanfang Media Group, at the launch event.
Lan Hongguang, President of the China Photojournalists Society, has written the preface for Light and Shadow. At the launch event, he remarked, "This book outlines a history of Guangdong's development by connecting old news. It presents the historical landscapes of Guangdong as seen through the eyes of Nanfang's journalists."
Professor Zhi Tingrong, Secretary of the Party Committee at Jinan University's School of Journalism and Communication, who wrote an expert insight article for New Journey, commented at the event, "With its brave attempts, Nanfang Media Group has set an example of media transformation for other media in China. I look forward to the new journeys of the never-stopping Nanfangers."
At the launch, a donation ceremony was held to witness the donation of the two books to representatives from businesses, universities, and cultural and publicity departments in Guangdong.
Another donation ceremony saw Huang Yin, the granddaughter of the renowned writer and former Nanfang Daily journalist Huang Guliu, donate all of her grandfather's photographic negatives and digital images to Nanfang Media Group.
Reporter | Chen Siyuan
Video | Wingheng
Editor | Nan, Will, James
