Traveling back to 1966, starting by living in a cowshed.

Chapter 17: Headline in the Daily News

Nowhere else in the mornings is there so much poetic beauty. It's a fast-paced place, and the newsstands on street corners are always bustling with people. People on their way to work skillfully pull out coins and take newspapers that still feel warm from printing. This is a habit they've maintained for years, decades—buying a newspaper is what truly starts their day.

However, this routine was completely disrupted on the third day after the Zhonghua Daily launched its "100,000 free daily distributions".

On the first day, when the deliverymen of Huayi Daily appeared at various newsstands in bustling areas such as Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui, and Mong Kok, few people in Hong Kong's newspaper industry took it seriously.

"It's just a gimmick." Li Zhenbang, editor-in-chief of Sing Tao Evening Post, scoffed at the morning meeting, tapping his finger on the table. "One hundred thousand copies? Printing, manpower, logistics—all of these cost money. They won't last three days; they'll give up on themselves."

Most of the owners and editors of other newspapers shared the same view. In their eyes, Zhonghua Daily was just a newly emerging newspaper with no experience or foundation. The free distribution was more like a small-scale hype and could not shake the established pattern of Hong Kong's newspaper industry at all.

On this day, newspapers proceeded with their layout, printing, and distribution as usual. The price tags on newsstands remained unchanged. A newspaper costing 15 cents was considered a bargain by Hong Kong locals, and no one thought that offering it for free would steal away many customers.

But the wind direction changed abruptly the next day.

At six in the morning, Mr. Wang, the owner of Cheng Kee Newsstand, laid out newspapers from more than a dozen newspapers as usual. However, by ten o'clock in the morning, more than half of the newspapers were still left on the shelves. "At this time usually, Sing Tao, Ming Pao, and Ta Kung Pao are almost sold out." Mr. Wang scratched the back of his head, looking at the few passersby who stopped by. Most of them took the free Zhonghua Daily and turned to leave without even asking about the price of other newspapers. The sales volume that day was nearly 30% lower than usual, which was unprecedented in Hong Kong during the golden age of the newspaper industry.

Similar scenes were playing out simultaneously at hundreds of newsstands across Hong Kong.

Ming Pao's distribution manager, Zhang Zhiqiang, received over a dozen anxious complaint calls from distributors: "Manager Zhang, if this continues, we're going to go bankrupt! If we give away the Zhonghua Daily for free, who will buy our newspaper? Half of today's stock is already unsold; could you please distribute less tomorrow?" Zhang Zhiqiang quickly compiled the statistics, and the result made him gasp. Ming Pao's sales plummeted by 40% that day, marking its lowest single-day sales record in nearly five years.

The situation at Sing Tao Evening Post was even worse. Li Zhenbang's fingers trembled as he looked at the sales reports handed to him by his subordinates. Their core readership consisted of office workers and housewives, precisely the main recipients of the free distribution of Zhonghua Daily. Sales in core business districts like Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui had been halved, and even traditionally stable neighborhoods had seen a significant decline. "A bunch of lunatics!" Li Zhenbang slammed the reports on the table, his face ashen. "Free distribution? They're trying to drag the entire industry down with them!"

Hong Kong's newspaper market is like a cake of a fixed size, which has been divided up by a few established newspapers such as Sing Tao Daily, Ming Pao, Ta Kung Pao, and South China Morning Post for many years, resulting in a relatively stable market share.

Now, the Zhonghua Daily has suddenly entered the fray, giving away 100,000 copies daily for free, essentially carving out a huge slice of this pie. Keep in mind that the total daily circulation of all Hong Kong newspapers is only around one million copies; 100,000 copies is a significant loss for any newspaper.

Some people are wondering, if Zhonghua Daily can distribute its newspapers for free, why can't other newspapers do the same? After all, 100,000 copies a day doesn't cost much. But that's not how it works. If every new newspaper offered free distribution, the industry would be in chaos. Besides, the big newspapers can't just follow suit; they can't afford to lose face.

"We can't just let this go!"

That afternoon, the heads of more than a dozen newspapers quietly gathered at a secluded tea restaurant in Central. Amidst the swirling smoke, everyone's face was filled with anger and anxiety.

"The actions of Zhonghua Daily are a violation of industry rules!" the South China Morning Post's deputy editor-in-chief said through gritted teeth.

"Our printing costs, journalist salaries, and distribution channels all cost money. They're giving it away for free; it's clearly malicious competition!"

"Yes, if we let them keep causing trouble like this, we'll all starve!" A small newspaper owner slammed his fist on the table.

"He wants it for free, but even if we let him give it away for free, nobody will want it!"

This statement seemed to open everyone's eyes, and everyone's gaze lit up. Since they couldn't compete head-on with free services, they would ruin its reputation. In Hong Kong's media landscape, a newspaper's credibility was its lifeline. Once labeled as "attention-seeking" or "disruptive to the industry," even if it were given away for free, few would dare to take it.

After some discussion, everyone quickly reached a consensus: on the third day, multiple newspapers across Hong Kong would launch a coordinated attack, using their front-page headlines to smear the Zhonghua Daily.

On the morning of November 3, as the first rays of sunlight shone into Hong Kong, the scene at the newsstands became particularly dazzling.

The Sing Tao Evening Post's front-page headline in bold boldface read: "Malicious Dumping! Zhonghua Daily Disrupts Hong Kong's Newspaper Industry, Industry May Face Reshuffle." The article detailed three major accusations of "free distribution": undermining market fairness, squeezing the survival space of small and medium-sized newspapers, and misleading readers with low-price strategies. It concluded with a direct appeal: "Resist unfair competition and restore a clean environment to Hong Kong's newspaper industry!"

Ming Pao's headline was even more sensational: "Popularity Stunt! The Hidden Tricks Behind Zhonghua Daily's Free Service: Readers Should Be Wary." The article speculated that Zhonghua Daily was "controlled by capital behind the scenes, intending to monopolize the newspaper market," and even implied that its content "lacks review and contains false information," warning readers to "be careful not to be misled."

Ta Kung Pao, on the other hand, took the stand of "industry justice," with its headline directly addressing the core issue: "Upholding the bottom line! Zhonghua Daily should immediately stop malicious competition and get out of Hong Kong's newspaper industry." The article quoted the views of several "veteran industry figures," condemning Zhonghua Daily for "ignoring industry rules, only caring about its own interests, and disregarding the stable development of Hong Kong's newspaper industry," and calling on relevant departments to intervene and regulate it.

In addition, several smaller newspapers followed suit, some blatantly lying and smearing the Zhonghua Daily's printing quality as "unbearably rough," while others denigrated the novel "A Step into the Past" as "vulgar, boring, and utterly devoid of substance."

For a time, newspapers throughout Hong Kong were almost entirely filled with condemnations of the Zhonghua Daily. Regular readers who habitually bought newspapers were inevitably swayed by such headlines.

"So that's what the Zhonghua Daily is all about. No wonder they gave it away for free. They were up to no good!" In a teahouse, an uncle flipped through the Sing Tao Evening News and said to the people at the table, his tone full of disdain.

"Yes, it breaks industry rules, this kind of newspaper should go out of business!" someone chimed in, even pushing aside the Zhonghua Daily that someone else had handed him on the table.

Similar discussions were heard everywhere. Many people were misled by the sensational news in the newspapers and felt that the Zhonghua Daily was indeed a "black sheep" in the industry, so they joined in the cursing to vent their dissatisfaction.

But after the outburst, a strong sense of curiosity began to spread.

"What kind of newspaper could possibly be so powerful that so many other newspapers would unite to smear us?"

"Since you describe it so badly, I'd like to see just how bad it really is!"

"It's free, so there's no harm in taking a look. It'll also be a good opportunity to verify if what's said in the newspaper is true."

Then, a miraculous scene unfolded.

Passersby who were just passing by and casually picked up the newspaper now made a special detour to come; those who were originally cursing and swearing couldn't help but join the queue, wanting to see for themselves what this "universally condemned" newspaper actually looked like.

The newsstand owners were incredibly busy, with stacks of newspapers being quickly taken away. Some people immediately started flipping through the papers, becoming increasingly surprised as they read. The content of the Zhonghua Daily was far richer than those newspapers that smeared it. It featured in-depth local news reports, as well as sections on entertainment, sports, and finance. The layout was clear, and the printing was of excellent quality, completely unlike the "rough and vulgar" claims made by some newspapers. The novel "A Step into the Past" was particularly captivating, pioneering the concept of modern people traveling to ancient times.

"This newspaper is pretty good, so why is it being criticized like that?" someone couldn't help but mutter.

"Isn't it because it's free and steals other people's business?" A young man next to him said, revealing the truth. He had already flipped to the financial section of his newspaper and was reading it with great interest.

Before 9 a.m., all 100,000 copies of the Zhonghua Daily were sold out again. Many people who arrived late and didn't get one even asked the newsstand owner, "Are there any left tomorrow? I'll come earlier tomorrow!"

In the editor-in-chief's office of Sing Tao Evening Post, Li Zhenbang stared at the plummeting sales figures, his face grim. He couldn't understand why, despite colluding with so many newspapers to smear him, Zhonghua Daily's popularity had actually increased.

What he didn't know was that in the internet age where traffic is monetized, the saying "being famous for both negative and positive reasons" meant that to become famous, one needed to gain recognition and expand influence, regardless of whether it was for negative or positive reasons.

However, this statement also applies to Hong Kong today. The Zhonghua Daily was originally just an obscure new newspaper; even with daily free distribution, its influence was limited. But through the joint "headline exposure" by so many established newspapers, its name instantly spread throughout Hong Kong. The more people criticized it, the more curious people became, and the more people wanted to find out what was going on.

Those who were previously unaware of the Zhonghua Daily learned about it through other newspapers; those who were initially uninterested in it became curious and sought to learn more about it. The 100,000 free newspapers were no longer simply distributed, but rather became the most direct "trial reading experience."

In this way, Zhonghua Daily unexpectedly gained fame by taking advantage of its competitors' smear campaigns, and carved out its own path in the Hong Kong newspaper market.