On 10 February, the Jiangxi Daily (Group) hosted the first session of the ‘Jiangxi Daily Lecture Series’ for 2026. Fang Xingdong, Executive Vice-President of the Academy, delivered a lecture entitled ‘When There Is No Way Back, There Is a Path to Victory: How to Embrace This Round of Systemic Transformation in Mainstream Media?’.

 Zhang Feng, Editor-in-Chief of the Jiangxi Daily, Party Secretary and Chairman of the Group, chaired the lecture. In attendance were Li Songdian, Member of the Standing Committee of the Nanchang Municipal Party Committee and Head of the Municipal Publicity Department; Zeng Baoya, Zeng Xueyou and Ouyang Qun from Jiangxi Radio and Television Station (Radio and Television Media Group); and Wang Shaojun, Lian Mengmeng, Fan Gaonong, Zhang Yusheng, Liu Yong, Shi Yuhua and Liu Xiaorong from the Jiangxi Daily (Group). 

“The ‘final window of opportunity’ for systemic reform in mainstream media has arrived”, “The crux of systemic reform in China’s mainstream media lies first and foremost in innovation”, “The essence of systemic reform is the restructuring of the social communication landscape and order”... During the lecture, Fang Xingdong, drawing on the current situation, presented his views on the implications, strategies and pathways for systemic reform in mainstream media, as well as on strategic choices for such reform in provincial-level mainstream media, combining the latest research findings with practical experience.

Fang Xingdong stated that, against the backdrop of rapid evolution in information technology and the media ecosystem, the communication paradigm is undergoing a historic shift from a human-centred approach to the rise of machine-centred systems. The fundamental task of systemic reform within mainstream media is to upgrade from a mass communication paradigm to an intelligent communication paradigm. The next five years will be a crucial phase for the diffusion of artificial intelligence innovations, and will also serve as the ‘final window of opportunity’ for the transformation of global mainstream media. Mainstream media urgently needs to re-establish its core competitive edge in the field of intelligent communication. Only by deeply integrating data resources with technological innovation and embedding them throughout the entire chain of content production, distribution and feedback can it achieve a substantial leap forward under the intelligent communication paradigm, thereby returning to the main arena of public opinion dissemination and firmly retaining control over the discourse.

In his opening remarks, Zhang Feng stated that having no way back is the path to victory. Fang Xingdong’s proposals—including moving beyond a mindset of ‘passive adaptation’, implementing a ‘zero-time-lag’ strategy to facilitate the transition between old and new paradigms, using intelligent technology to reconstruct production and dissemination processes, employing data logic to optimise communication models, proactively adapting to the pace of technological iteration, and transforming technological time lags into strategic opportunities—are highly beneficial for the media in driving forward systemic reforms within mainstream media. These ideas have further strengthened the media’s resolve to advance the construction of intelligent media communication platforms, establish the ‘Dajiang News’ provincial committee official platform, strengthen the Jiangxi International Communication Centre, and accelerate the transformation into a connector and service provider for social life, as well as a participant and promoter of social governance.

During the lecture, attendees engaged in discussions with Fang Xingdong on topics such as ‘the transformation of media professionals’ and ‘pathways for international communication to reach new audiences’. They emphasised that, in the face of this self-revolution—which is crucial to the survival and development of the Jiangxi Daily—its staff must set their sights on leading the way, build momentum to overcome challenges, and strive for the success of reform; they must start afresh, embark on a second entrepreneurial venture, firmly seize this historic opportunity, and with the resolute conviction that ‘there is no retreat but the path to victory’, navigate the generational window of paradigm shift in communication to strive for a new chapter in the systematic transformation of the Jiangbao as a mainstream media organisation.