Transnational China Project Image Archive:
"Public Advertising Culture in Shanghai"

 

Constructing a Socialist
Civic Identity

 

Announcing
Political
Events

 

Decentralizing Political Advertising
in Shanghai


 

Privatizing
Political Advertisements


 

Providing Public
Service
Announcements


 

Promoting
Model Residential
Units

Note: These images are from an informal survey of Shanghai's commercial and residential streets taken in December 1997 and organized to illustrate the trends and goals of outdoor political advertising and public service announcements in China today: (1) the construction of a Socialist Civic Identity"; (2) the announcement of key political events in 1997; (3) the decentralization of political advertising; (4) the privatization of political advertising; (5) the provision of public service announcements and (6) the promotion of model residential units.

Although only some 38 images have been selected for presentation on these pages, this 1997 survey of Shanghai streets produced some 240 images. Collection was made of one image of each political advertisement or public service announcement on each of six streets -- Nanjing Road, Beijing Road, Huaihai Road, Julu Road, Yuyuan Road, Dingxi Road -- across five districts -- Huangpu, Jing'An, Luwan, Changning and Xuhui. The survey was replicated in December 1998.