Freedom of the Press and the Restriction of Press Law in Late Qing Dynasty

Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental rights of the citizen, and freedom of press is extension of the freedom of speech. Journalism began to develop in late Qing dynasty,but the rulers restricted the development of journalism through laws to maintain the governorship. The paper introduces the thoughts of the freedom of speech and the freedom of press promoted by the thinkers in late Qing dynasty,as well as analyzes the press laws restricting the development of journalism.