An iconic form of visual advertisement popularized in the early 20th century, the yuefenpai bore heavy influences from the West. These were typically printed in glowing color lithography. Best remembered as portraits of fashionable women with a particular product, these posters were an effective way for companies to advertise their offerings as they were often given away as free gifts or loyalty rewards for customers. The posters were hung in homes and shops, functioning both as a calendar and as decorations. Here are 8 things to know about the iconic yuefenpai.
1. Yuefenpai Originate From New Year’s Pictures or Nianhua
The roots of the yuefenpai could be traced to the printed calendars that had been popular since the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–220 A.D.). Instead of scantily dressed ladies, these posters typically featured personalities from Chinese folklore or divine figures such as Kitchen God or Door God. Known as Nianhua or New Year’s pictures, these posters were often plastered on doors or walls as a form of protection for the household. Another form of printed calendar was the Spring Ox Calendar which featured illustrated scenes of the Spring ploughing ceremony, a tradition still upheld in rural parts of China today. The printed calendars in imperial China mostly featured religious or cultural motifs, instead of serving a commercial function.
2. The First Known Yuefenpai Was Created in 1884
While it had existed previously in the form of printed calendars or pictures of divine figures, the yuefenpai that serves a commercial purpose as we know it today was created in 1884 by A.S. Watson & Co. Today, the A.S. Watson Group prides itself on being the largest health and beauty retailer in the world. But some 180 years ago, it was but a humble dispensary in British Hong Kong. As its business expanded, A.S. Watson & Co. would play a leading role in introducing a wide variety of affordable, high-quality cosmetic and pharmaceutical products to the Chinese populace. It would also be pivotal in popularizing the yuefenpai, being the first to create a poster that mixed elements of advertising with Chinese motifs.
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Created for the year 1885, the poster featured calendars in English and Mandarin, with the firm’s logo taking center stage alongside some descriptions of A.S. Watson’s products. The borders which were adorned with floral motifs and animals such as deer, cranes, roosters, and monkeys were the most captivating part. The aesthetically pleasing poster took the advertising world by storm as followers soon emulated this formula, laying the foundations for the endearing legacy of the commercially viable yuefenpai.
3. Yuefenpai of the Early 20th Century Often Featured Chinese Ladies
The yuefenpai is synonymous with beautiful ladies dressed in the traditional figure-hugging dress known as the Qipao. In these posters, products such as cosmetics and household items were often relegated to the borders, while the ladies took center stage. A far cry from the overt product placement tools of today, the yuefenpai opted for a more subtle advertising strategy where the ladies were the main stars. With their slim silhouettes and fair skin, these ladies reflected what was commonly associated with Chinese beauty. Floral and natural motifs were also popular embellishments in these posters, accentuating the elements of femininity and poise.
Kwong Sang Hong, one of the first local cosmetics brands in British Hong Kong, was best known for employing this advertising strategy. Its iconic Two Girls series was illustrated by Chinese artist Kwan Wai Nung, who had been dubbed Hong Kong’s Calendar King in the 1920s. Kwan’s works featured heavy traditional Chinese cultural motifs intertwined with the popular Art Deco style of the time. So iconic were these posters that they ingrained the Two Girls brand into the popular consciousness of Hong Kong. Rooted in the cultural heritage of Hong Kong, Two Girls still exists to this day and is lauded as an affordable local brand.
4. The Ladies of the Yuefenpai Became Modern Girls
Although the ladies in the yuefenpai were initially dressed in a modest manner, this traditional style soon gave way to more liberal tastes going into the late 1920s. This was a reflection of the almost universal rise of the Modern Girl or modeng xiaojie (literally Miss Modern), as they were called in China. The Modern Girl represented a generation of free-spirited women with liberal interpretations of gender roles who were eager to shake off the shackles of tradition.
Representing new feminist discourses, they began to emerge in different societies in the early 20th century and championed similar ideals of freedom and individualism. Modeling Western fashion styles, beliefs, and behaviors, these modeng xiaojie adored the latest cosmetics and participated actively in social activities such as dancing and partying. As a result, these attributes unique to the modeng xiaojie found their way onto the yuefenpai of this period. Donning clothing with shorter hemlines and showing more skin soon became the norm both on the streets and in print.
5. The Yuefenpai Sometimes Featured Nudity or Semi-Nudity
Beyond shorter hemlines and exposed legs, some yuefenpai artists went as far as to present the ladies in nude or semi-nude manners. Sometimes the artists illustrated the ladies in see-through clothing to tease the audience, even if the product advertised had absolutely nothing to do with nudity or anything sensual for the matter. There were also numerous examples of yuefenpai where women with bare breasts were illustrated. Clearly, the art of using provocative imagery seemed to be an age-old, foolproof formula to capture popular attention. In line with the liberalizing social norms of the 1920s and 1930s, yuefenpai featuring nudity was tolerated. This also coincided with a time when local magazines were publishing other nude imagery, be it Western-style nude paintings or photographs of scantily dressed celebrities.
6. Yuefenpai Invited Criticism From Local Chinese Artists
While the masses were putting up the yuefenpai as decoration in their homes and shops, members of the cultural sphere expressed vehement dismay and disapproval of these works. Many of these critics belonged to the revolutionary camp with nationalistic sentiments. They believed that the trend of learning about Western art resulted in these advertisements being regarded as works of art created by so-called artists.
These posters were attacked for having subjects with limbs and bodies that were drawn out of proportion and deviated from human anatomy, portraying unrealistic beauty standards. Some criticized the lack of artistic value and lamented the suggestive nature of these posters, going as far as to label them as vulgar. For instance, prolific Chinese writer and literary critic Lu Xun allegedly condemned these posters in a public lecture, lambasting them as examples of decadent art with subjects that were disgusting and depraved.
7. Yuefenpai Was Filled With Art Deco Influences
As Western artistic influences permeated Chinese society in the 1920s and 1930s, the Art Deco style gained widespread popularity, especially in cosmopolitan cities such as Shanghai. Many of the towering infrastructures that lined The Bund in Shanghai were built in this style. Within these buildings, theatres, foyers, and rooms bore heavy geometric patterns and were furnished with chairs and tables of similar styles. The yuefenpai of this period quickly reflected these emerging preferences. The beautiful ladies in the advertisement posters were wearing Qipao with Art Deco prints and were often depicted sitting on lush chairs. Frames and fonts of Art Deco were also heavily employed by yuefenpai artists of the time. These posters enjoyed increasing popularity throughout the 1920s and 1930s, to the extent that scholars have argued that they played a crucial role in helping the everyday Chinese become acclimatized to the abstract nature of modern art.
8. Yuefenpai Went Into Decline After Communist Rule Swept China
As China turned red after 1949, art took on a new form. It no longer imitated life but instead became subservient to the socialist ideology. Under Mao Zedong’s iron-fisted rule, artistic production and activities were subjected to rigid guidelines and only existed to serve the political interests of the Chinese Communist Party. In place of the exploding consumerist culture of the 1920s and 1930s, posters now had to reflect patriotism and socialist ideals.
Instead of beautifully dressed women celebrating the inexhaustible variety of life, yuefenpai artists now illustrated scenes of female peasants in the farmland. Some of the most prolific yuefenpai artists adapted their techniques to illustrate state-sanctioned propaganda posters of the time. Shanghai-based artist, Xie Zhi Guang, was one of them. Although these propaganda posters retained the same vibrant colors as the yuefenpai, they conveyed an entirely different message and served a political rather than a commercial purpose.
During the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s, culture underwent a violent overhaul. Galvanizing the public with heavy-handed propaganda, the Chinese Communist Party encouraged anti-capitalistic sentiments and sought to purge traditional elements. The yuefenpai was declared to be one of the hated Four Olds which referred to Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Customs, and Old Habits. Subjected to torture and house arrest, numerous talented artists from the Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy were forced to halt production of the yuefenpai. In such a coercive socio-political climate, the yuefenpai would see the end of its day until nostalgia for a bygone time revived it in the 21st century.
