Tian Eye Foreign Affairs: Myriad Kingdoms

Author: Zhang Ming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Dian Shi Zhai Huabao (1884–1898) is like a vast pantry, reflecting both the significant influence of the West and the initial impressions of Western culture among the Chinese. From this periodical, people could see various images of the West: foreign presidents and kings, noblewomen and fashion, balloons flying in the sky, locomotives running on the ground, and steamships sailing on the water. Of course, there were also strange and bizarre stories like the "man bites dog," which were likely fabricated by someone unknown. Through this publication, the Chinese learned that foreigners also had love between men and women, fears of death, murders, and evil deeds—everything that Chinese people could also experience. Although the paintings of foreign buildings by our artists, regardless of which country they depicted, were all products of the foreign concessions, the scenes carried a strong foreign flavor. Dian Shi Zhai Huabao was founded by Ernest Major, a British businessman, in May 1884. It was published once a decade, with each issue containing 8 pages, printed on Lian Shi paper using stone engraving. It was distributed with Shanghai Weekly and also sold separately. The last issue was published in August 1898, and the periodical ran for a total of 528 issues. The editor-in-chief, Mr. Wu Youru, was a renowned painter in Jiangnan at the time, with a strong reputation in literature. Many stone-engraved publications in Shanghai during that era featured his paintings and calligraphy, and the bustling streets of Shanghai are filled with many anecdotes of his charm. For the periodical, he served as both the main illustrator and the main writer, with many of his artworks completed in brothels and literary houses. The compilers of this series of books have selected nearly 400 out of the over 4,000 illustrations from Dian Shi Zhai Huabao, rearranged and reorganized them, and provided new interpretations and explanations from historical, social, and cultural perspectives in concise, thought-provoking, and wise language. Over a hundred years later, Wu Youru's artworks have now sold for exorbitant prices, beyond the reach of the middle class, but the Dian Shi Zhai Huabao drawn by him and his fellow artists still remains like a showcase, revealing to people the turbulent past of our nation.