Journalists at a major Chinese newspaper, Southern Weekly, have gone on strike in a rare protest against censorship, BBC News reported.

The row was sparked last week when the paper's New Year message was rewritten to become a Communist Party tribute.

The staff wrote two letters calling for the propaganda chief's resignation.

A crowd of supporters has also gathered outside the paper's offices in the city of Guangzhou, reports say.

Chinese media are supervised by so-called propaganda departments that often change content to align it with party thinking.

Southern Weekend is perhaps the country's most respected newspaper, known for its hard-hitting investigations and for testing the limits of freedom of speech, says the BBC's Martin Patience in Beijing.