Syllabus
Lecture
1. Introduction (overview of the course, its aims and sources; discussion of methods in working with pictorial materials for the study of history, society, and art). Andrews and Shen 2012; Burke 2001; Panofsky 1955 Lecture
2. 1900s: based on anonymous cartoon “Pulling out the wings” to discuss the last years of Qing Empire, domestic and international anxieties, and the humorous response to deteriorating situation. Brokaw and Reed 2010 Lecture
3. 1910s: based on anonymous film poster to follow political turmoil after the Xinhai Revolution, China’s involvement in World War I, Paris peace talks, Japan’s acquisitions in China, and May Fourth movement. Fairbank and Goldman 2006 Lecture
4. 1920s: based on a fashion poster by Jin Meisheng to trace the emergence of Communist and Nationalist parties, their cooperation and split, Northern Expedition, as well as foreign influences in politics and culture. Crespi 2020 Lecture
5. 1930s: based on cartoon “Yanzi?” by Lu Shaofei to discuss Nanjing government’s policies, New Life movement, Sino-Japanese relations, and position of communism in different regions of the country. Bevan 2016 Lecture
6. 1940s: based on cartoon “Bombing No. 4” by Feng Zikai to consider some aspects of the Second Sino-Japanese war, tensions between Nationalist and Communist parties, attempted negotiations and political reforms, and the ensuing Civil war. Hung 1994 Lecture
7. 1950s: based on Dong Xiwen’s famous “Inaugural Ceremony for the New Nation” to follow the foundation of the PRC and political transformations after it, mass campaigns, socialist and revolutionary realism, and radicalisation in various spheres of life. Ho 2020; Hung 2011 Lecture
8. 1960s: based on anonymous poster “The 3 July and 24 July proclamations are Chairman Mao’s great strategic plans!” to ponder the stabilisation after the Great Leap Forward, unfolding of the Cultural Revolution, Down the countryside movement, and Sino-Soviet split. Min, Duo, and Landsberger 2015 Lecture
9. 1970s: based on Huang Yongyu’s painting “Winking owl” to look into the last years of Mao Zedong’s rule, the establishment of Sino-American relations, such art trends as “hotel faction”, and the fate of “the Gang of Four”. Laing 1988 Lecture
10. 1980s: based on painting “Father” by Luo Zhongli to follow Deng Xiaoping’s reforms, attempts at liberation in cultural and social sphere, clash of ‘pragmatic’ and conservative wings of party and society, Tian’anmen protests and their suppression. Andrews and Shen 2012 Lecture
11. 1990s: based on Wang Guangyi’s artwork “Great criticism” to consider the freezing of reforms, Deng Xiaoping’s Southern trip, market economy, consumerism and seeming loss of ideology, as well as transformations in foreign and domestic policies. Sorace, Franceschini, and Loubere 2019 Lecture
12. Final discussion based on caricature “Mao-Xi” by Badiucao, concluding remarks on the situation in China in the beginning of the 21st century; overview of ruptures and continuities since the 1900s. Lent and Xu 2017
Annotation
Tumultuous events of the twentieth century can be studied through different media. This lecture course proposes to look at the transformations of Chinese society and state via the medium of visual sources: oil and ink paintings, cartoons, advertising and propaganda posters, and other images. Some of these sources are very well known, others quite obscure, yet they allow one to zoom in and out of the cataclysmic events of China’s twentieth century—revolutions, wars, natural and man-made disasters, while keeping the human in focus. Each lecture is centred on one image; it discusses the circumstances and context of the image’s creation, multiple factors affecting the image’s circulation and influence; and in sum, the course is aimed to enrich the participants’ understanding of China’s past and present.
In the course of lectures, participants will discuss the collapse of the Qing Empire, the troubled shaping of the Republic of China where militarism, nationalism, and communism cooperated and struggled with each other, the bitter years of the Second Sino-Japanese war, the foundation and transformations of the People’s Republic of China under Mao Zedong’s rule, and the intermittent reforms after Mao’s death. The course consists of an introductory overview, ten lectures devoted to ten visual sources created in China during the twentieth century, one for each decade, and a brief excursion into the 2000s at the concluding meeting of the course. The lectures are thus intended as a thought-provoking discussion of socio-political trends with the emphasis on the agency of less-known actors, such as painters, cartoonists, and their audiences. The course does not require prior knowledge of Chinese history or language, although either can be useful to attendees.
Course aims:
– introducing the history of twentieth century China to those students who are not closely familiar with it;
– suggesting new angles of view to students who are more acquainted with China’s past;
– widening the scope of sources for research by inclusion of pictorial materials and existing databases.