Abstract: After the founding of the Republic of China (1912-1949), boredom and frustration with republican politics pervaded the public opinion. The disappointment with the republican government showed that the republic still occupied an important place in the political and cultural life of the intellectuals, and therefore, the way to reshape and recreate the republic constituted the problematic consciousness for the people of that age. The re-creation of the republic not only referred to a political practice, but also brought out a new understanding of the relationship between the press and state affairs in terms of the history of the press. The function of the editorials in the press had certainly been questioned and reflected upon. However, at the same time, the intellectuals tried to create new forms and language styles of editorials to reconstruct the relationship between the press and republican politics.

Key words: scholars commenting on politics；republic, editorials, legitimacy