[3] Established in 1902 by Ying Lianzhi, a Manchu aristocrat, within the French Concession of Tianjin, Ta Kung Pao initially championed the cause of a constitutional monarchy in China.

The decline of the Anfu Club by 1920 prompted Wang to divest his stake, and Hu's subsequent resignation saw a drastic reduction in circulation, culminating in the newspaper's shutdown on November 27, 1925.

During his visit, Chai proposed the idea of starting a newspaper, mentioning that he had already secured funding of over ten thousand yuan and invited Ying to take charge, assuring him that he need not worry about profit and loss.

In January 1917, he reformed the newspaper's content, assigning special commissioners to attend Beijing's political meetings and arranging informants in major provinces to report significant news at any time.

While other newspapers focused on military, political, and sensational social news, Ta Kung Pao added a "Special Records" section to collect opinions from celebrities and created columns for education and industry.

In 1926, following the loss of his position due to the Central Plains War and finding himself in seclusion in Tianjin, Zhang Jiluan,[16][17] along with the decline of the Zhili and Anhui cliques, Wu Dingchang thought of gaining political support through running a newspaper, an idea that received backing from the Northern Four Banks.

One version is that Zhang Jiluan and Hu Zhengzhi, often passing by the desolate scene of the Ta Kung Pao office in Tianjin, were moved to restart the newspaper and sought Wu Dingchang to co-finance the venture.

Although the Northern Four Banks and their key figures supported Wu Dingchang in raising the start-up capital for the Ta Kung Pao, they only served as nominal shareholders and did not partake in the actual management of the newspaper.

[16] Following the Mukden Incident, Wu Dingchang, Hu Zhengzhi, and Zhang Jiluan anticipated potential issues due to the newspaper's location in the Japanese Concession and immediately sought a new site.

Ta Kung Pao's location on Xu Street became a patrolled zone by Japanese forces, surrounded by sandbags and wire fences, with Hu Zhengzhi, Zhang Jiluan, and all reporters and workers staying within the newspaper office.

Following reports of a civilian being shot in front of the Daibei Hotel, Hu Zhengzhi and Zhang Jiluan decided to evacuate the newspaper office, securing safe passage after contacting the Japanese consulate.

On New Year's Day 1934, Ta Kung Pao introduced "Weekly Essays," inviting external experts to write, and gradually shifted its editorials to vernacular Chinese, enhancing the newspaper's influence and reader base.

In the declaration of its temporary suspension, Ta Kung Pao clearly stated its commitment to aligning its fate with that of the legitimate administration of the Republic of China in Tianjin, staunchly refusing to yield to the pressures of any illegitimate authority.

[20] Due to its esteemed reputation, the Hong Kong edition faced hostility from local competitors on its first day of circulation, including disturbances by hired children who snatched and tore up the newspapers.

[21] On September 12, 1944, due to Japanese bombing, the Guilin Ta Kung Pao ceased publication, and the editorial staff once again retreated to Chongqing, losing all office supplies and equipment in the evacuation.

[20] The move of the Hankou edition to Chongqing saw significant losses due to insufficient transportation, leaving behind office supplies and suffering from Japanese aerial bombings near Yichang.

Due to continuous Japanese bombings, the newspaper had to be rebuilt, with Hu Zhengzhi personally overseeing the reconstruction at a new site in Liziba, including carving out air-raid shelters to ensure uninterrupted publication.

[1]: 242  Hu Zhengzhi immediately contacted Wu Dingchang, deciding to establish a joint board of directors to collectively lead the newspapers in Chongqing, Hong Kong, and Guilin.

[25] Foreseeing the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union, Hu Zhengzhi believed that Ta Kung Pao could not survive no matter whether it was under Communist or Kuomintang rule.

[1]: 389 After falling ill in Hong Kong, Hu Zhengzhi passed away in Shanghai in April 1949, leaving the future of Ta Kung Pao in the hands of Wang Yunwu.

[25] During the period under Ying Lianzhi's leadership, editorials in Ta Kung Pao, numbering over 20 per month, frequently critiqued figures such as Empress Dowager Cixi, Ronglu, and Gang Yi.

[5] Zhang Jiluan, who joined in 1926, adhered to the Chinese tradition of scholar-official by vehemently criticising political leaders in three editorials to advocate for the establishment of a democratic republic system.

On December 4, 1926, Ta Kung Pao published an editorial titled "The Fall of a Tyrant," criticising Wu Peifu as "strong yet ignorant, now devoid of even strength, possessing only arrogance."

Through Feng's introduction, he met Chiang Kai-shek and then travelled to Beijing on his special train, where he had enjoyable conversations with personalities such as Shao Lizi, Zhang Qun, and Chen Bulei.

[1]: 81–85 In 1930, Ta Kung Pao was the first press to report the intervention of Zhang Xueliang in the Central Plains War, which led to the defeats of Yan Xishan and Bai Chongxi.

[27] After the Mukden Incident of 1931, Ta Kung Pao did not approve for esclation of the war with Japan but rather discussed on how to revenge in the future, aligning itself with Chiang Kai-shek and was therefore criticised by overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia.

The Nationalist government air-dropped tens of thousands of copies of Ta Kung Pao over Xi'an, each bearing an open letter demanding Zhang to release Chiang.

This stance against government control over the media was further emphasized in 1948 when the newspaper responded to the shutdown of another publication by highlighting the protests of notable figures from the journalism, cultural, and legal sectors.

[36] Ta Kung Pao has been heralded as the "Whampoa Military Academy of journalism education," signifying its pivotal role in nurturing journalistic talent and contributing significantly to Chinese media and culture.

[37] In 1958, during a conversation with Fei Yimin, the president of Hong Kong's Ta Kung Pao, Zhou Enlai commended the newspaper for its patriotic stance against Japanese aggression and praised it for cultivating numerous outstanding talents in China's journalism sector.