Jingjing Zhang

Yufenpai - A Conversation


Yufenpai - A Conversation This series of works has been developing over a long period of time. Unlike all my previous work, this is my first attempt to discuss the definition of beauty by mainstream values according to the trend of fashion and retro. What is yuefenpai - let us know right away - you are attempting to create a conversation.

The Republic of China (1912-1949) was founded at the end of China's feudal rule. With the invasion of China by the Eight-Power Allied forces, China changed from a feudal society into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. At the same time, Western goods and culture began to penetrate China. More and more Chinese private factories and enterprises began to import and produce Western goods, also Yuefenpai began to develop and become popular at this time.

At first, Yuefenpai were only given to customers as gift cards after customers bought the commodity. Later, those businessmen made the card with beautiful pictures combined with China's calendar to make the real Yuefenpai we saw now. Yuefenpai's cover and inside pages are mostly portraits of young beauties, with merchandise pictures or factory names attached to them. They were sitting or lying down, standing or smiling, wearing the most popular cheongsam - define of the Republic of China at that time, imitating western women who were perming their hair into curls, and showing customers who got Yuefenpai their beautiful moment of being frozen. In fact, most of these women's postures and clothings are not closely related to those products. Businesses just use the pictures of these young beauties as a means to attract customers' attention, so as to increase the sales volume of their products.In another word, the pictures of these beautiful women are just gifts of those goods.

Young girls on Yuefenpai are the representation of beauty and should not be bound by worldliness and prejudice. In order to meet the interests and desires of men, nobles or businessmen, they cover up their emotions and not be able to truly be themselves. However, in the 21 world civilization society we live in today, have the female images in advertisements of various commodities really been changed? Has the public's aesthetic really changed?