Cankao xiaoxi

(Reference News) and neibu [internal] publications

Reference News is a national daily newspaper published by the Xinhua News Agency. It contains translations of news articles and commentaries from foreign news agencies and newspapers. The original intention of this publication was to provide foreign news to a select political elite. The first editions appeared under different titles in Ruijin (Jiangxi) in 1931 and were renamed Reference News (Cankao xiaoxi) in 1942. Production and distribution were guided by various Party directives (1957, 1958, 1971 and 1985). Although it began as an ‘internally distributed’ publication (neibu faxing), since 1985 its distribution has been widened under the rubric ‘restricted to inland distribution’ (xian guonei faxing) and it can be subscribed to and purchased in bookshops.

Neibu materials are marked with a stamp and contain the word neibu or phrases such as ‘reference for leading cadres’ (gong lingdao ganbu cankao). Such classifications imply restriction to an authorized readership in order to prevent uncontrolled dissemination of information and public discussion. Neibu materials contain discussions of major domestic policy and social issues. As they are subjected to a simplified censorship procedure, they allow for the speedy circulation of new information. Many foreign books translated into Chinese are neibu. The full scope of internal materials touches upon a broad range of areas like technology, history, politics, culture and sciences, as is revealed by the National Bibliography of Internally Distributed Works 1949–1986, a neibu publication itself.

Further reading

Li, Paoguang and Zhao, Huachun (eds) (1988). Quanguo neibu faxing tushu zongmu 1949–1986. Beijing: Zhonghua shuju.

NATASCHA VITTINGHOFF