Cass Scammell

Southern Weekly

Southern Weekly, also referred to as Southern Weekend (Chinese: 南方周末; Pinyin:Nánfāng Zhōumò), is a weekly newspaper based in Guangzhou, China, and is a sister publication of the newspaper Southern Daily (Chinese:南方日報). It is attached to the Southern Newspaper Media Group. Southern Weekly, founded in 1984, has its head office is in Guangzhou, with news bureaux in Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu. It is printed simultaneously in many Chinese cities, and distributed to the whole of the Chinese mainland. Circulation is more than 1.6 million copies, on average, which is said to be the biggest weekly circulation of any newspaper on the Chinese mainland. Thus it is considered as one of the most influential media outlets in China. Southern Weekly is considered the most outspoken newspaper in China. It is strongly recommended by liberal intellectuals and is said to contribute to public democratic debate and the formation of civil society. The New York Times has described the Southern Weekend as "China's most influential liberal newspaper".