Ming Capital Gazette (Dibao)

Timeline

1. c. 1630–1635Beijing · BeijingIn the early Chongzhen reign, capital news agencies obtained copies of memorials from the Transmission Office and the like, hand-copying or woodblock-printing the Capital Gazette, selling it daily or at regular intervals to officials, examination candidates, and merchants in the capital, establishing a fixed rhythm of information release.
2. c. 1635–1638Beijing · BeijingIn the mid-to-late 1630s, the dibao carried extensive reports on the Liaodong war and peasant uprisings, as well as droughts, floods, and locust plagues, becoming an important textual source for outsiders to perceive the empire's crises and prompting court discussion of public-opinion control.
3. c. 1638–1640Nanjing · NanjingThe Capital Gazette and dibao reached Jiangnan cities such as Nanjing and Suzhou through postal relay, merchant guild, and bookshop channels, allowing local gentry to follow court affairs and participate in public opinion, forming a central-local information circulation network.