Tian Eye Foreign Affairs: The Imperial Household Department

Author: Zhang Ming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-08-01
Features: Dian Shi Zhai Huabao (1884–1898) is like a vast pantry, both reflecting the massive projection of the West and capturing the Chinese people's initial impressions of Western culture. 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 tales 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 under the Dian Shi Zhai Publishing House. It was published once a decade, with each issue containing 8 pages, printed on Lian Shi paper using stone lithography and distributed with Shanghai Weekly as a supplement or sold separately. The last issue was published in August 1898, making 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-printed publications in Shanghai during that era featured his artwork and calligraphy, and the bustling streets of Shanghai were 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 paintings 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 using concise and insightful language. Over a hundred years later, the works of Wu Youru have now sold for astronomical prices, far beyond the reach of the middle class. However, the Dian Shi Zhai Huabao drawn by him and his fellow artists still stands as a window, showcasing our nation's turbulent past.