Visiting the Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre — a hidden gem filled to the brim with rare Chinese propaganda posters dating from 1949-1979 — is like going on a covert mission. My group and I circled the west end of Shanghai’s French Concession in search of collector Pie Ming Yang’s elusive gallery, but there were no signs of any kind to assure us that we were, indeed, in the right spot. Instead, we stared, perplexed, at a dreary, gated apartment complex as our tour guide exchanged words with two security guards.
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One of the gallery’s propaganda posters from 1949 // (C) 2010 Shanghai propaganda Poster Art Centre |
“For you,” said a guard, while handing me a cryptic map the size of a business card. We followed the arrows on the map to building “B” and took the elevator down to the basement where the proprietor, Mr. Yang, and his treasured collection of somewhat controversial and under-appreciated art awaited us.
“When I began collecting propaganda posters in 1994, they were treated as rubbish [by others], and sent to the paper recycling factory,” said Yang. “I [found and] bought them from all over China but mainly from Shanghai, since it used to be the printing and publishing center for [the country].”
Yang has more than 5,000 pieces in his collection and gift shop, although not all of it is on display at the same time, mostly due to space issues. That which is exhibited, however, is fascinating and is further brought to light with Yang’s direct translations from Chinese characters to English phrases.
The literal translations are both insightful and, at times, startling: “Increasing output is a way of strengthening the power to defend our motherland” stated a 1951 pro-industrial poster. A more ominous poster circa 1950 shows a Herculean Chinese soldier as he steps over two diminutive, cartoonish Americans, with the caption: “Resist the U.S. and support Korea.”
“Our principle is to let the art tell the history,” said Yang. “Although we have had ups and downs in the recent past, a great number of artifacts survived as a scroll of our colorful history.”
In any event, Yang’s gallery is well worth a visit, and, finding it, as I discovered, is half the fun.
The Details
Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre
86-216-211-1845
www.shanghaipropagandaart.com
Tickets are approximately $3 per person, and the gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Increased Commissions
Peregrine Travel Group is offering agents 15 percent commission on select packages to the 2010 World Expo Shanghai. The all-inclusive packages range from a seven-day Shanghai itinerary with three days of World Expo tickets to a 13-day Shanghai, Xian and Beijing itinerary that includes three days of World Expo Tickets and a Yangtze River cruise.
The longer itinerary will begin with a four-night hotel stay in Shanghai where clients will have the opportunity to explore the Expo’s seemingly endless exhibits and themed pavilions. On the fifth day, clients will fly to Xian for a two night stay — just enough time to visit the Shaanxi History Museum and the Terra-Cotta Warriors.
The excursion continues with a three-night Yangtze River cruise disembarking from Chongqing and sailing through the Three Gorges Dam ship locks, with shore excursions to the City of Ghosts (Fengdu), Shibaozhai or Wanzhou. The tour will cap off with a three-night stay in Beijing where clients will set foot in the largest public square in the world, Tiananmen Square, as well as visit the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, the Ming Dynasty Tombs and the Great Wall of China, a must-see attraction.
www.peregrinetravelgroup.com
Yunnan For Less
Tour operator iExpress Travel is offering a 10-day tour of the Yunnan region in Southwest China. The region is known for being home to 25 different ethnic minorities, making it the most culturally diverse province in China. Starting at $1,999 per person, based on double occupancy and excluding tax, the package includes roundtrip airfare from San Francisco or Los Angeles on Cathay Pacific Airways or Singapore Airlines, hotel accommodations, meals per itinerary, daily breakfast at the hotels and sightseeing in Yunnan. The itinerary also visits Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and Hong Kong, where clients will shop and participate in the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s Meet The People program.
www.iexpresstravel.com
