Weather and the Public: A Study of Weather Forecast Information in The Eastern Time, Shanghai

Abstract

Since the mid-19th century, newspapers have been crucial for disseminating meteorological information to the public. Western meteorological knowledge entered China during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with weather forecasts appearing in Chinese newspapers by the early 20th century. This paper analyzes The Eastern Time, a key Chinese newspaper in Shanghai during the late Qing and Republic of China periods. It compares the meteorological content in two phases of The Eastern Time, revealing significant differences in the types of meteorological elements and concerns highlighted. The study examines the reasons behind these variations by considering the perspectives of newspaper proprietors and the evolving cognitive history of the public. A similar comparison with the English newspaper The North China Daily News from the same period shows that its content was more extensive than The Eastern Time’s first phase and similar to its second phase. This highlights the discrepancies in public perception between Chinese and Western contexts, offering insight into the evolution of public perception in China. Over time, The Eastern Time's readership expanded from intellectuals to a broader population, reflecting increased public exposure to and acceptance of Western meteorological knowledge since the Republic of China’s establishment. However, traditional Chinese conceptual frameworks still affect public comprehension of meteorological concepts, illustrating the prolonged and challenging process of integrating Western meteorological knowledge into Chinese culture.