Swimsuit human body in the 1930s

Author: Shan Zhengping (Written by) / Zhong Nianren (Edited)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-01-01
Features: What people are willing to remember and cherish but often easily forget or become vague is the past history. If people want to navigate a small boat through the long river of history, they need a continuous source of living water. This source of living water is the rich and diverse kinds of literature. China has always been a civilization that highly values literature since ancient times. Although the "He Tu Luo Shu" is heavily legendary, it is the earliest classification of literature, indicating that literature mainly includes text and images. Without literature or insufficient literature, it would be very difficult to explain history. Even Confucius, the revered sage for over two thousand years, would sigh in helplessness. In the "Book of Filial Piety, Chapter 8" of the Analects, it records the following passage: "I can speak of the Xia rituals, but there is insufficient evidence. I can speak of the Yin rituals, but there is insufficient evidence from Song. It is due to insufficient literature that I cannot verify them. If there were enough, I could verify them." Since the Qin and Han dynasties, each dynasty, especially during the early stages of seizing power, paid great attention to collecting literature, which was then broadly referred to as "tu ji," meaning both images and textual records. Those who destroyed literature would inevitably face severe condemnation, referred to as "misfortune." Thus, preserving literature has become an excellent cultural tradition in China. In recent years, as people have gradually corrected their attitude toward traditional culture, valuing the collection, organization, and promotion of historical documents, as well as the publication of historical archives and old photographs, has become a trend. In particular, the search for old photographs has been highly valued. As a result, scholars in the fields of literature, publishing, and collecting have actively unearthed, organized, and published detailed explanations, making them available to readers.
Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House, in response to social demand, organized efforts to collect a substantial amount of material from museums, libraries, and collectors, compiling them into ten themed series and combining them into a set of books named Old Materials Series (Lao Zai Congshu). The series is structured around four pillars: celebrities, nostalgia, tradition, and collecting. Under these pillars are ten volumes: Photographs of Modern Figures, Women of the 1930s, Swimsuit Nudes of the 1930s, Western Female Nudes of the 1930s, Shanghai Skyscrapers and Folk Customs of the 1930s, Scenic Spots Along the Yangtze River in the 1930s, Photographs of Centennial Bridges Around the World, Illustrations from the Soviet magazine "Zvezda", Ming Dynasty Carved Images of a Hundred Beauties Through the Ages, and Ming Dynasty Carved Images of Emperors and Sages Through the Ages. In addition to the old carvings from the Ming Dynasty, the main time frame is from the early to mid-20th century, with the 1930s being the most represented. This period was an upward phase in the development of modern Chinese history, marked by surging cultural trends and widespread resistance to invasion. Coastal cities were trending toward becoming metropolises, leaving behind a wealth of photographs and images. Social and historical conditions are vividly depicted through these visuals. The value of compiling and publishing this Old Materials Series lies in this.
The publication of the Old Materials Series can serve as a nostalgic reminder for the elderly who experienced those times, allowing them to reflect on the past and appreciate the present even more. For the younger generation, it not only satisfies their curiosity about historical events but also provides inspiration and motivation. The historical information provided by these photographs and images not only offers valuable references for studying and exploring the social dynamics and landscapes of the early 20th century but also offers vivid visual experiences, especially for those engaged in visual arts, providing important material for creation. The significance of this work lies in this.
The compilation of the Old Materials Series adopts a format that combines text and images. It features fluent and readable textual discussions, as well as relatively complete images for readers to appreciate, deepening their understanding of the text. The integration of text and images is a key feature of this series. The publication of this series is only the first step in the plan of its organizer—Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House. If it is well-received by society and achieves the desired effect, then the second and third series of similar nature will be published in a timely manner.
I had the privilege of reviewing the preliminary drafts of this series and, from the perspectives of preserving materials, passing them down to future generations, providing references, and offering valuable insights, I believe it will be a series with dual benefits. Therefore, at the request of Ms. Dai Jianhong, the deputy editor-in-chief of the publishing house, I have written this preface in hopes of wishing the publication of this series success.