What does lace mean?
Traditional lace refers to hand‑crafted trims woven or embroidered into various patterns, mostly used as decorative edging for garments. The term “gossip news” draws an analogy to this kind of decorative lace.
Gossip news got its name because its earliest form bore a strong resemblance to craft lace. In the beginning, newspapers inserted short news snippets between columns or articles to improve the overall layout aesthetics.
These brief pieces, which mostly covered private affairs of public figures, caught readers’ attention. Some people even bought newspapers specifically to read them.
Later it evolved into a distinct news genre. Gossip news was no longer tucked in gaps of newspaper pages nor limited to short items; instead, it was published in full pages or even entire publications. Its content still centered on celebrities with a strong entertainment focus. Today, gossip news specifically refers to entertainment news. It is meant purely for amusement and has low credibility, often consisting of hearsay or fabricated stories. People in Guangdong call it “bagua news”.