Remembering Era-Defining Newspaperman Zuo Fang, Founder of Southern Weekly

On Nov. 3, Zuo Fang, a prominent newspaperman and a co-founder of the Southern Weekly, died in Guangzhou, at the age of 86.

Southern Weekly was founded on Feb. 11, 1984. Its first edition, a total of 7,000 copies, sold out in less than half a day. Zuo, leader of the preparation team for Southern Weekly in its early stage, could never conceal his happiness when talking about the first edition: the lead article on the front page was about Huang Zongying, a famous actor who had gone into business in Shenzhen, while the second article featured Deng Xiaoping’s tour to Zhuhai with a title of “Uncle Deng hikes to the top of Luo Sanmei Mountain.” With innovative layouts, Southern Weekly displayed Guangdong province’s new vitality after reform and opening up.