Over 80 images chronicle life in China’s ‘Paris of the East’
The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Shanghai 1860-1949: Historical Photographs, on display in the Herman Herzog Levy Gallery, part of the Asian Suite of Galleries on Level 1 of the Philosophers’ Walk Wing, from May 1 to October 26, 2008. The exhibit displays over 80 images highlighting the architecture, surroundings, inhabitants and way of life in China’s foremost commercial and cultural centre up to the radical changes of 1949, when the People’s Republic of China was established. The images are selected from the ROM’s extensive collections of historical photographs, including recent gifts by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum, Jacob Way and Amelia Gertrud Way-Evans. The events of 1949 are documented in 12 photographs by photojournalist Sam Tata, on loan from the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography in Ottawa. Shanghai 1860-1949: Historical Photographs provides a historical context and fascinating juxtaposition to Shanghai Kaleidoscope, a feature exhibition exploring modern Shanghai organized by the ROM’s Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) and running May 4 to November 2, 2008.
“These fascinating and poignant images provide a visual retrospective of some of the most glorious and dramatic years of Shanghai’s history,” said Dr. Klaas Ruitenbeek, Senior Curator, Louise Hawley Stone Chair of Far Eastern Art. “These photographs, many on display for the first time, capture a cosmopolitan city and the personal stories of those who experienced it firsthand.”
About the exhibit:
Once known as ‘Paris of the East’, Shanghai was a city unique in China in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as it combined both eastern and western culture. It was the country’s centre of international trade and finance, and the intellectual capital of China, where much of modern political thinking, literature and art was shaped. Shanghai was also the site of many of the violent clashes during the period of the civil wars and the war with Japan (1927 - 1949). Divided into three sections, this intimate exhibit of historic photographs explores this rich yet tumultuous time in Shanghai’s past, taken from the point of view of those who were there as the events unfolded.
The first section of the exhibit features approximately 30 early photographs taken in the 1870s - 1880s. The images are displayed in six groups featuring the Bund (the embankment of Shanghai’s Huangpu River), western buildings, Chinese buildings, the harbour and ships, city life and people. Many of these images were taken by Chinese photographers and depict life as it was for Shanghai’s Chinese citizens during this time. One such image portrays three lowly-dressed men and a fruit peddler accompanied by another man with embroidered shoes, most likely a servant in a wealthy western mansion. Other images range from convicts in a chain gang to fine ladies posing for formal portraits. These pictures come from the ROM’s collections including a gift of 100 historical photographs made by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum in 2000.
The exhibit’s next section features eight double-page spreads of pictures selected from the Evans Family albums, a collection of 17 albums comprising over 5,000 photographs. They document the Canadian family and firm of Edward Evans & Sons, Bookseller and Stationer, who lived in Shanghai from 1890 to 1945. The photographs illustrate the way of life westerners experienced, and offer a visual record of historical events that took place in Shanghai during this time. One such image, taken on Armistice Day on November 11, 1918, shows the exterior of the German club (nicknamed the “Hun Club”) where a banner has been affixed portraying a German soldier surrendering to Allied forces. The collection also includes two long, folding panoramas by commercial photographers of the Bund, dating to turn of the 20th century. The Evans Family albums were donated to the ROM in 2004 by Amelia Gertrud Way-Evans and her husband Jacob Way.
The exhibit concludes with the dramatic events of the Chinese Civil War of 1949, as documented in 12 photographs by Canadian photojournalist Sam Tata (1911 - 2005). His photos, on loan from the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography in Ottawa, chronicle the inception of communism in China and the end of the international city of Shanghai. Both powerful and poignant, these historic photos capture the last stand and ensuing flight of the Nationalist Army, the occupation of the city by the People’s Liberation Army, the evacuation of foreigners, and street scenes during the regime change.
Other information:
Coinciding with Shanghai 1860-1949: Historical Photographs, the ICC presents Shanghai Kaleidoscope, a contemporary exhibition highlighting an emerging generation of Chinese artists, architects and fashion designers. Guest-curated by Christopher Phillips of New York’s International Center for Photography, the exhibition offers an unprecedented view of one of the world's most dynamic cities. Shanghai Kaleidoscope, presented by Manulife Financial, will be on display in the ICC’s Roloff Beny Gallery on Level 4 of the Lee-Chin Crystal from May 4 to November 2, 2008.
As part of Asian Heritage Month, the ROM is pleased to present China Month, a series of lectures, courses, films and musical performances that focus on Chinese arts and culture. While certain lectures and Sunday programming are free with general Museum admission, some events are ticketed and require registration. Visitors can also enjoy special Chinese-inspired cuisine in Food Studio and c5. Visit the ROM website www.rom.on.ca for more details.
These two exhibitions and complementary programming add an exciting contemporary and historical dimension to the ROM's longstanding commitment to East Asian art and architecture. The Museum’s outstanding Chinese collection, ranked among the finest outside China, is featured in four galleries located on the main floor of its historic buildings: the Joey and Toby Tanenbaum Gallery of China, the Bishop White Gallery of Chinese Temple Art, the Matthews Family Court of Chinese Sculpture, and the ROM Gallery of Chinese Architecture.
ROM Museum Guides will offer tours of these two exhibitions throughout the duration of their runs. For the month of May, tours of the East Asian galleries will be available in Cantonese and Mandarin, upon request. Please contact the Museum Sales Dept. at 416.586.5889 or groupsales@rom.on.ca to reserve a tour.