Reception History
Shenbao, the “Shanghai Daily”(申報) was a commercial newspaper right from the beginning, and despite several changes of ownership, its essential character did not change in this respect. Here I attach some pages of the issue where the article “inside a Beauty Clinic” (美容醫院的內景), (see Figure 6) comes from to show the presumable readership of this newspaper.
The first page of this issue was entirely covered with commercial advertisements, among which two advertisements took the largest space, (see Figure1, 2, 3). On the top, Huacheng Tobacco Company (華成煙公司) was advertising for cigarette brand, “Beauty” (美麗), (see Figure 2). The two large Chinese characters “美麗” are placed in the traditional manner from right to left, in the top right-hand corner next to the two characters for Shenbao. Beneath the two characters was a text reading, “Brand ‘Beauty’, a showcase of highest respect for [your] guests”. The major part of the advertisement were two open packs of cigarettes, carrying “Western” details: the character “MyDear”, a loving message that helps deliver a sense of intimacy, thus it promotes this product to be a candidate for a gift; the elegant young lady with Western hairstyle, a typical image of femininity and a common pair with masculinity; and the English word “cigarette”. In the background were three young gentlemen in uniforms, entering a business setting room and talking to each in an intimate manner. By using English words on the package and images of uniform dressed men in the background, it suggested a connection between “Westernness” and “prestige”.
Beneath the cigarette advertisement, the “World Book [Publishing] House” (世界書局) announced its recent publication, a series of classical books on traditional Chinese medicine, (see Figure 3). At the top was a text reading, “active reprinting, what could be the reason for this”. And a smaller line below introduces the number of volumes and the price, saying “each volume costs less than 20 cents”. Below listed and visualized some representative titles in the series. The block in the top left-hand corner showcased the font employed in the edition, and noted that the font was mimicking an old style. The columns horizontally placed at the leftmost and rightmost were notes to potential buyers that the quantity is limited and there would be no further reprints if they missed this edition. Without heavy use of images, and in sharp contrast to the cigarette advertisement, this advertisement tried to impress the readers with useful information, and delivered a sense of simplicity and tradition, echoing the contents of the books.
The combination of the two advertisements sent out a mixed message to readers. On the one hand, what the cigarette advertisement implied was an elite Western lifestyle. On the other hand, the book advert emphasized the value of knowledge on traditional Chinese medicine. Moreover, this piece of advertisement also paired with the article “Inside a Beauty Clinic” about the Dr. Shi’s “Modern Scientific Beauty Clinic” in the coming page. Such balance between western characteristics and Chinese characteristics appear throughout the pages.
The section featuring the article “inside a Beauty Clinic” was “Life Weekly” (業餘周刊). In addition to column “Sight into Big Shanghai” (大上海風光), under which “Inside a Beauty Clinic” was placed, other columns include “Philosophy Lecture”(哲學講座), “Knowledge in the World”(世界知識), and “Common Sense” (常識), (see Figure 4,5). In this issue, column “Philosophy Lecture” introduced Kant’s Agnosticism, “Knowledge in the World” analyzed the major communication agencies in the world, and “Common Sense” traced the history of weapons, all firmly associated with concepts of science, knowledge, and modernity. Spaces surrounding these articles were filled up with advertisements for “Great Stocking Sales” of various department stores, most of which were located in the city center. While the knowledge-oriented columns might target educated and science-seeking readership, the commercial advertisements might appeal to urban housewives, for whom great literacy was not required to understand this kind of sales information.
As a commercial newspaper, with readership as a top concern, the balanced types of advertisements and article demonstrate a mixed readership of Shenbao at this time. Those who believed in traditional Chinese values were exposed to Western products and theories of knowledge. But at the same time, the emphasis on original Chinese wisdom created a different impression. Also, scientific knowledge accompanied by commercial advertisements, suggests the newspaper had a broad readership that enjoyed different types of information.