The daily will mark 100 years as Hong Kong's leading English-language newspaper on November 6 with a special report that looks at the SCMP and how it grew with the community. As part of the celebrations, it will also publish a special edition of the Post Magazine, which will focus on Hong Kong as reported through events that affected the territory over the past century.
Managing editor Anthony Lawrance said: "Telling the story of the SCMP is not just about the paper but about Hong Kong as well ... we'll be focusing on telling the human side, the triumph of the will of the people over nature and other challenges and also how the paper overcame those same challenges: typhoons, the Second World War, the 1967 riots and economic difficulties."
There will also be a special edition of the Racing Post to complement a horse race meet during the centenary week, where the feature programme will be the SCMP Centenary Cup.
News photos from the past 100 years is the common thread that runs through all the activities. One such project involves the giveaway of sets of 100 postcards, which can be obtained through a coupon redemption programme, and a 260-page book, which will retail for HK$380 (US$49). A discount will be offered to readers.
SCMP marketing director, Amanda Turnbull, said: "Our photography has consistently been the strong point of the newspaper over the years because we have always strived to give a different and unique perspective to readers."
Both the postcards and the book details Hong Kong's history from 1903 to this year in a visual format. Turnbull added that the pictures show not only Hong Kong's resilience but also its development from a sleepy backwater port to a global centre of business and finance. "A century ago, one of the key problems was typhoons but after each one of these awful events, people managed to pick themselves up and continue with their lives."
Other centenary initiatives include reproducing the first issue of the newspaper, whose most prominent feature is the front page filled with classified ads, exhibitions at major shopping malls, schools and universities, and special centenary web pages at scmp.com.
