Column (1) of "Present facts and tell the truth": The creation of the first Chinese newspaper in Alberta depends entirely on the overseas Chinese masses

"Present the facts and tell the truth" Column (1): The creation of the first Chinese newspaper in Alberta depends entirely on the masses of overseas Chinese (reporter Lao Zhen) Preface Old newspaper...

(reporter Lao Zhen) Preface An old newspaper reporter said: This column has been launched since this issue to give the community a platform to distinguish right from wrong. For some things, if you want to present the facts and make sense, you might as well write them down. It seems that the speech written by Uncle Jia published below is indeed appropriate. Be calm and speak truthfully. Don’t be pretentious, don’t use big names, don’t think that “I am the best in the world in articles”, and don’t pretend to be noisy, but allow others room for discussion or correction, and don’t draw conclusions without investigation and research, so that you can be convincing and popular with others.

Recalling the creation of the first local Chinese newspaper in Alberta 22 years ago, I feel ashamed! At that time, I was just a breeze, and the success of the Chinese newspaper was all thanks to the local Chinese who remembered that in 1985, three Alberta restaurant owners, including Kwong Tianquan, visited their hometown for sightseeing and saw support! I am a small cultural person who makes a living by writing articles for newspapers and magazines and compiling historical records. After the Cultural Revolution, he presided over the resumption of local newspapers. I immigrated to the United States in early 1989. When I arrived in Alberta, I discussed it with Boss Kuang, hoping to return to my profession. This good friend took me on a drive from east to west, north and south, to understand the situation of overseas Chinese in Alberta and conduct a social survey. From what I have seen and heard, there are about 20,000 overseas Chinese here, and they live very scattered. There is a hunger for Chinese culture. When it comes to starting a Chinese newspaper, there is a lack of talent and financial resources. It can be said that "planting trees in the desert is easier said than done"! To make a living, I first worked as a housekeeper in a hotel. Soon, he started working at ROSTBOOKING Printing Factory, and at the same time, he took English classes and computer typing classes at MCC Community College. At the end of the year, I met Mr. Huang Shiwei through Boss Kuang. At this time, he had left his original job as an insurance broker and was seeking employment. Regarding running a newspaper, we clicked as soon as we talked about it. In order to provide financial resources for running the newspaper, the two approached the community boss and patriotic overseas Chinese leader Mr. Deng Wenhua. He agreed immediately, lent $X million, and vacated a room in his own office as the editorial office. In this way, a three-person team was formed to run the newspaper: consultant Deng Wenhua, president Huang Shiwei (responsible for external liaison and advertising), and editor-in-chief Zhen Shuoqin (responsible for all aspects of newspaper writing, editing, typesetting, printing and publishing). In early April 1990, with Huang Shiwei and Zhen Shuoqin as the persons in charge, they registered at the state industrial and commercial registration department to receive an opening license (the records are available). Since there was no "typesetting" equipment in Alberta at the time, based on my observations and thoughts while working in a printing factory, I tried typing to print out a large sample, cut it according to the prescribed layout, affixed the plate paper, and sent it to the printing factory for photography and plate making. This operation was unknown in the overseas newspaper industry at the time. At that time, I wrote and edited the entire content of the newspaper single-handedly. I went to Mr. Tan Xiong, the owner of Zhongxing Financial Bank, and asked Mr. Yu Weiquan of the company to type on the computer, and took it home to hand-paste it with his wife Yu Airong. Then I sent it to the printing factory to take pictures, and the first "Arizona Chinese News" was published on April 29, 1990. At that time, I was working in the printing factory and running the newspaper at the same time. To tell the truth, even if Mr. Huang is alive, he would be embarrassed to admit that he is the "originator of Chinese-language newspapers in Alberta." I wonder which scholar worships Mr. Huang as the "originator". Is it because he intends to push Mr. Huang into the trap, or does he have ulterior motives? As for the fate of the "Arizona Chinese News", it seems that we have to explain it clearly in the next issue.