Illustrierte Zeitschriften und die urbane Kultur Shanghais in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts

Abstract

Shanghai in the first half of the 20th century was an internationally influenced metropolis with a highly pronounced cultural diversity, where numerous illustrated magazines emerged and flourished. These magazines are considered as a cultural product of a mixed and pluralistic urban environment and serve as an important source for understanding the everyday culture and history of Shanghai during that time. The cultural hybridity of Shanghai in the early 20th century was primarily shaped by its “semi-colonial” societal conditions. After the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, Shanghai became a city where people from around the world lived together, foreign and Chinese political forces constantly interacted, and the concessions continuously evolved. In this environment, Shanghai also experienced a prosperous phase of the printing industry, which promoted the rise of various illustrated magazines. From the perspective of social and cultural history, this study examines the interactions between urban culture and various illustrated magazines in Shanghai during the first half of the 20th century using Visual Culture Studies theory and media construction theory et al. On the one hand, it explains the conditions of Shanghai’s urban culture that contributed to the emergence and development of illustrated magazines from four aspects: the “modern” city administration, Chinese national consciousness, urban material conditions, and the kaleidoscopic cultural environment. On the other hand, it provides a comprehensive picture of the representation of Shanghai's urban culture in illustrated magazines. Specifically, it focuses on the themes of “the West,” “women,” and “consumption,” which are central characteristics of Shanghai’s urban culture. The portrayal of the “West” in these magazines is often ambivalent. The “West” is presented both as a model of a “modern lifestyle” and as an adversary in the context of national conflict. Additionally, the image of women is closely linked to the city of Shanghai. The depiction of the two typical female images, “Modern Woman” and “New Woman,” reflects both the specific unequal gender relations in Shanghai’s urban culture and the desire for emancipation along with the related realistic challenges faced by women. Furthermore, various advertising and consumption messages in the magazines reflect many aspects of Shanghai’s urban culture, particularly the blend of Shanghai’s consumer culture, the influence of Western commercial culture, Chinese nationalist discourses, and gender issues. In summary, the emergence and development of illustrated magazines in Shanghai are closely tied to the urban environment. At the same time, these magazines have contributed to the shaping of specific features of Shanghai’s urban culture through the representation of recurring themes and discourses.