1930s women

Author: Shan Zhengping
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 types of documents. China has been a civilization that has always attached great importance to documents since ancient times. Although the "He Tu Luo Shu" is heavily steeped in legend, it is the earliest generalization of the classification of documents, indicating that documents mainly include text and images. Without documents or insufficient documents, it would be very difficult to explain history. Even Confucius, the revered sage for over two thousand years, would have been helpless in this regard. In the "Lunyu·Ba Yi" chapter, 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 Song is insufficiently documented. It is due to the lack of documents that I cannot verify them. If there were enough, I could verify them." Since the Qin and Han dynasties, each dynasty, upon seizing power or even during the process of seizing it, attached great importance to collecting documents, which were then generally referred to as "tu ji," meaning both images and textual records. Those who destroyed documents would inevitably face severe condemnation, referred to as "misfortune." Thus, preserving documents has become an excellent cultural tradition in China. In recent years, as people have gradually corrected their attitude toward traditional culture, there has been a trend of valuing the collection, organization, and promotion of historical documents, as well as the publication of historical archives and old photographs. 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 number of documents from museums, libraries, and collectors, compiling them into ten thematic series and combining them into a set of books named "Old Documents Series." 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 Century-Old Bridges Around the World," "Illustrations from the Soviet magazine 'Zvezda'," "Ming Dynasty Carved Images of One 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. At that time, China was in an upward phase of modern and contemporary historical development, with surging cultural trends and a nationwide anti-invasion movement. Coastal cities were trending toward becoming metropolises, leaving behind a wealth of photographs and images. Social and historical conditions are vividly presented through these visuals. The value of compiling and publishing this "Old Documents Series" lies in this.
The publication of the "Old Documents Series" can serve as a nostalgic reminder for the elderly who experienced those social conditions, 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 for progress. The historical information provided by these photographs and images not only offers valuable reference materials 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 (plastic arts), providing important material for creation. The significance of this work lies in this.
The compilation of the "Old Documents Series" adopts a format that combines text and images, featuring fluent and readable arguments alongside relatively complete images to enhance the reader's understanding. The integration of text and images has become a major feature of this series. The compilation of this series is only the first step in the plan of the organizers—Tianjin People's Fine Arts Publishing House. If it is well-received by society and achieves the desired effects, then the second and third sets of similar series will be published in a timely manner.
I had the honor 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, believe it to 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.