Glamorous history behind the making of a modern metropolis
May 1, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WHAT would be featured at a wedding during the period of the Republic of China? What did the Shanghai passport for Jews look like when they were taking refuge here? What did fashionable Shanghainese wear in the 1930s?
All the answers are now waiting for you in the "Exhibition of Shanghai in Modern Times" in the Minhang Museum.
The exhibition began on March 25 and will be open until May 25. The museum has collected over 200 cultural relics and documents from the Shanghai History Museum to display various scenes of Shanghai's social life and development since its earliest days.
After Shanghai opened its port in 1843, with the development of industry and commerce as well as the improvement of urban facilities, it gradually became the most modern and international city in China.
When the developing Shanghai attracted Western countries to come to make money, it also brought the city many new elements of modern urban life in different aspects, including economy, technology, management and urban construction, influencing common citizens in lifestyle and cultural entertainment.
Special spirit
Coming from different places, new Shanghainese have formed the special city spirit of diversity and balance through the impact and mixture of different cultures.
During its development, modern Shanghai's city layout and management also became the model for China's modern cities. Its prosperous urban scenes and life showed the world its order, efficiency and fashion.
In Chinese, Shanghai means "over the sea." Actually, Shanghai is just like a sea, containing everything, and an exhibition may just be a drop of water of the sea. Of course you cannot see everything in a drop, but you may figure out the entire status through it. As Shanghai has stepped into a new age in the new century, it can carry forward its spirit of diversity and innovation on the basis of history, and that's what this exhibition wants to present.
Colorful elements
The exhibition covers various aspects of a complete urban society, including clothing, dining, living, transport, postal services, entertainment and folk customs. Qipao and mandarin jackets are two highlights of the exhibition, and colorful elements such as Zhongshan suits, railroad cars, human-powered vehicles and photographs of film stars are also featured.
All the displayed items sketch an outline of the glamorous history of modern Shanghai. It's also the first time for many items to be shown to the public, such as Jewish passports, the stamps and oil painting of the opening of Shanghai Port and photos of group weddings in old Shanghai.
The simulated wedding room of modern times may be the most shining part of the exhibition.
Red silk quilts cover the wedding bed, with wardrobe and dressing table adjacent.
For girls from rich families, their parents would even send their daughters out with boxes of books and little chairs for children. The sedan chair was a must for the wedding and gifts were also very important at that time.
Alongside are displayed photos and pictures of traditional and Western weddings of the modern age.
Many other cultural relics such as the Shen Bao (Shanghai News) and Huatian Daily, early Chinese newspapers, and some academic works including "Mathematics Logic of Triangle" and Wang Tao's "Illustrated Handbook of Western Culture" are on display.
All the answers are now waiting for you in the "Exhibition of Shanghai in Modern Times" in the Minhang Museum.
The exhibition began on March 25 and will be open until May 25. The museum has collected over 200 cultural relics and documents from the Shanghai History Museum to display various scenes of Shanghai's social life and development since its earliest days.
After Shanghai opened its port in 1843, with the development of industry and commerce as well as the improvement of urban facilities, it gradually became the most modern and international city in China.
When the developing Shanghai attracted Western countries to come to make money, it also brought the city many new elements of modern urban life in different aspects, including economy, technology, management and urban construction, influencing common citizens in lifestyle and cultural entertainment.
Special spirit
Coming from different places, new Shanghainese have formed the special city spirit of diversity and balance through the impact and mixture of different cultures.
During its development, modern Shanghai's city layout and management also became the model for China's modern cities. Its prosperous urban scenes and life showed the world its order, efficiency and fashion.
In Chinese, Shanghai means "over the sea." Actually, Shanghai is just like a sea, containing everything, and an exhibition may just be a drop of water of the sea. Of course you cannot see everything in a drop, but you may figure out the entire status through it. As Shanghai has stepped into a new age in the new century, it can carry forward its spirit of diversity and innovation on the basis of history, and that's what this exhibition wants to present.
Colorful elements
The exhibition covers various aspects of a complete urban society, including clothing, dining, living, transport, postal services, entertainment and folk customs. Qipao and mandarin jackets are two highlights of the exhibition, and colorful elements such as Zhongshan suits, railroad cars, human-powered vehicles and photographs of film stars are also featured.
All the displayed items sketch an outline of the glamorous history of modern Shanghai. It's also the first time for many items to be shown to the public, such as Jewish passports, the stamps and oil painting of the opening of Shanghai Port and photos of group weddings in old Shanghai.
The simulated wedding room of modern times may be the most shining part of the exhibition.
Red silk quilts cover the wedding bed, with wardrobe and dressing table adjacent.
For girls from rich families, their parents would even send their daughters out with boxes of books and little chairs for children. The sedan chair was a must for the wedding and gifts were also very important at that time.
Alongside are displayed photos and pictures of traditional and Western weddings of the modern age.
Many other cultural relics such as the Shen Bao (Shanghai News) and Huatian Daily, early Chinese newspapers, and some academic works including "Mathematics Logic of Triangle" and Wang Tao's "Illustrated Handbook of Western Culture" are on display.
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