Sa Kongliao

Sa Kongliao, or Sa Kongle (; March 26, 1907 – October 16, 1988) was a Chinese journalist, editor, journalism scholar, writer, and social activist. Originally named Sa Yintai, he also wrote under the pen names Liao Liao and Ai Qiubiao. A member of the Chinese Communist Party, he was known for his contributions to journalism, publishing, and art theory, as well as for his role in China's democratic and cultural movements during the 20th century.

Biography

Sa Kongliao was born in Chengdu, Sichuan, on March 26, 1907, into a Mongol family whose ancestral home was Ongniud Banner in Zhaowuda League, Inner Mongolia. He grew up in southern China and later attended Peking University, although he did not complete his studies. In 1925, he joined the Apollo Art Society, and from 1927 began working in journalism in Beijing, serving as a reporter and editor for the Beijing Evening News. From 1929 onward, he worked as an editor of pictorial supplements for the World Daily, editor-in-chief of World Pictorial, and editor of an arts biweekly for the Ta Kung Pao in Tianjin. In 1931, he was appointed a lecturer in art theory at the National Beiping University College of Arts.

In 1935, Sa moved to Shanghai, where he became editor-in-chief and manager of the supplement of Li Bao. Under his leadership, the newspaper adopted a concise editorial style and became one of the most widely circulated papers in China. It reported extensively on major political events, including the arrest of the "Seven Gentlemen" in 1936, drawing nationwide attention. After the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, he relocated to Hong Kong to continue publishing Li Bao. In 1938, he traveled to Xinjiang with Du Chongyuan to support anti-Japanese activities and served as president of the Xinjiang Daily. He later worked in Chongqing as general manager of the Xin Shu Daily.

During this period, Sa maintained contact with leading political figures such as Zhou Enlai and Ye Jianying. In 1941, following the New Fourth Army incident, he went to Hong Kong and became involved in founding the newspaper Guangming Daily, serving as its manager under the auspices of the China Democratic League. In 1943, he was arrested by Kuomintang agents and detained in prisons in Guilin and Chongqing until his release in 1945, after which he resumed his journalistic work in Hong Kong.

In 1949, Sa participated in preparations for the first plenary session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and assisted Hu Yuzhi in founding the Guangming Daily in Beijing, where he served as secretary-general. In March 1950, the Central People's Government sent its first delegation to Xinjiang for a goodwill visit. Delegation members (from right) Shen Junru, Sa Kongliao, Wang Feng, and Burhan Shahidi are seen conversing. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, Sa held a series of important positions in journalism, publishing, and ethnic affairs. He served as Deputy Director of the General Administration of Press, Director of the News Photography Bureau, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Publication, President of the Nationalities Publishing House, President of the People's Fine Arts Publishing House, Vice Chairman of the State Ethnic Affairs Commission, and Deputy Secretary-General of the CPPCC. In 1952, he was appointed founding president of the Nationalities Publishing House under the direction of Zhou Enlai, contributing to the institutional development of minority publishing in China. He joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1960.

In 1978, Sa was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the CPPCC. In April 1983, he founded the People's Political Consultative Conference Daily and served as its editor-in-chief and party secretary. He died of illness in Beijing on October 16, 1988.

Sa Kongliao authored numerous works in journalism, literature, and aesthetics, including Introduction to Scientific Journalism, Introduction to Scientific Art Theory, and Studies in Propaganda Psychology. He also edited the Encyclopedia of China: Journalism and Publishing volume and published collections such as Collected Works of Sa Kongliao. His literary works include the novel Coward and essay collections such as Diary of the Fall of Hong Kong and From Hong Kong to Xinjiang.