It took a truly great editor to push the Post clear of the competition: Henry Ching, who led the paper for 33 years
When the Post was founded in 1903, the hope had been that it would both project the viewpoint of the British colonial regime (with the business establishment), and help to further the cause of republicanism in China. The Qing dynasty was tottering in Beijing and being increasingly challenged in Canton (Guangzhou) by Hong Kong-based revolutionaries.
Nearly 20 years later, Hong Kong was still a colonial outpost and although the Qing dynasty was gone, Sun Yat-sen was still cooling his heels, waiting to become the first President of China. But there was a changing of the guard at the South China Morning Post. The Scottish Thomas Petrie was about to retire and a young ethnic Chinese man from Queensland, Australia, was champing at the editorial bit.
Henry Ching, 31, was given the nod in 1922 by the managing director, Ben Wylie. He wanted the editorial baton passed to a brash, well-read, articulate 'local' with a reputation for intelligent, hard-hitting editorials.
The board of directors looked askance at the idea of a Chinese face in the editorial chair. Would he gain the respect of the local establishment? Would he be able to join The Club? Would he find acceptance among the European community?
If the board had doubts, Ching had none. He proved a trailblazer, setting a standard of editorial independence, particularly in leading articles, which drew a steadily growing readership from all sections of Hong Kong.