Shanghai's story was a unique experience of Chinese modernity. It was a stage for multiple dialogues between modernity and tradition. Because of its ideal geographical location, Shanghai proudly served as a window for the coming of western ideas and materials....[ Read more ]

Shanghai's story was a unique experience of Chinese modernity. It was a stage for multiple dialogues between modernity and tradition. Because of its ideal geographical location, Shanghai proudly served as a window for the coming of western ideas and materials.

People in Shanghai were also proud of its leading role in the development of different cultural and mass media, including novel, film, and art. Among these, calendar posters were one of the most popular and widespread media and were regarded as an icon of the popular art of Shanghai from the 1910s to the 1930s. Calendar posters represented the urban life style and the taste of the age.

The beautiful female images portrayed in a large number of calendar posters were undoubtedly the most eye-catching features. By depicting the women's appearance, physical posture, life style and esthetics in a seemingly "modern" and "liberated" style, calendar posters were regarded as a symbol of Shanghai's modernity.

By decoding the cultural codes of the different themes, namely modernity, sexuality, family concept, smoking, and outdoor activities, in the calendar posters, we can gain a better understanding of the importance of traditional elements still embedded in the modern images of China in the early 20th century.

As China's most exciting metropolis, Shanghai's charm has already inspired many fruitful scholarly works. This piece is a modest attempt at the study of Shanghai's modern culture. Its academic significance, however, lies in the reading of the cultural and visual language of the calendar posters from a historical perspective. It helps us to understand not only the miracle of Shanghai's modernity but also the path and experience of Chinese modernity in which the seemingly modern features were also heavily blended with elements from Chinese tradition.