Zhang Yuan (1885-1919): Constructing a Public Garden in Cosmopolitan Shanghai
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Zhang Yuan (1885-1919): Constructing a Public Garden in Cosmopolitan Shanghai A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Jinyi Liu August 2017 © 2017 Jinyi Liu. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Zhang Yuan (1885-1919): Constructing a Public Garden in Cosmopolitan Shanghai by JINYI LIU has been approved for the School of Art + Design and the College of Fine Arts by Marion S. Lee Associate Professor of Art Elizabeth Sayrs Interim Dean, College of Fine Arts 3 ABSTRACT LIU, JINYI, M.A., August 2017, Art History Zhang Yuan (1885-1919): Constructing a Public Garden in Cosmopolitan Shanghai Director of Thesis: Marion S. Lee This thesis studies Zhang Yuan 张园 (Zhang Family Garden), a public garden in semi-colonial Shanghai founded by Wuxi merchant Zhang Shuhe 张叔和 (1850-1919). Opened in 1885 and closed in 1919, Zhang Yuan, along with other Chinese public gardens, was one the most popular venues for the public to experience the newly imported Western-style practices and ideas in urban Shanghai. However, scholarship on the urban history of Shanghai overlooks this critical field and focuses instead on Western-style schools, companies, and print industry. I propose that commercialized entertainment gardens, such as Zhang Yuan, better illustrate the negotiation between the established and the imported which marked the permeation of changes in late 19th and early 20th century Shanghai. In addition, this thesis approaches Zhang Yuan as a fluidly constructed social space to reveal the interconnections between changes in various integrated social areas. I frame the garden within the geopolitical transformation of semi- colonial Shanghai, map its architectural design in relationship to the developing built environment, and understand it through the ever-changing leisure pursuits. As a garden evolving with the urban culture of the city, Zhang Yuan illustrates the disappearing boundary between participating in the newly imported entertainments and advocating for sociopolitical reform. Such an interchangeability between popular culture and political discourse underlined the fluidity of changes in late Qing and early Republican Shanghai. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Marion Lee, for her continuous guidance throughout this project and her tireless dedication to explore my potential in conducting research. Her compassion, generosity, and immense knowledge constantly inspire me. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. Joshua Hill, Dr. Brian Collins, and Dr. Samuel Dodd for their courses, which shaped my interest in history, space, and architecture, and for their valuable comments. Additionally, I thank Dr. Yan He and Nancy Story from Alden Library who provided me with ready support about research materials as well as Kathy Devecka and Yi-ting Wang from the Graduate Writing Center who helped me improve my writing skills. I am indebted to the “College of Fine Arts Dean’s Graduate Award of Merit” for providing me with funds to carry out the field and archival research in Shanghai during the summer of 2016. I thank Zang Jianmin, Wang Hong, and Huang Guorong from Shanghai Library for lending me rare unpublished maps of semi-colonial Shanghai. I also acknowledge Yang Jiguang and Liu Hongye from Jing’an District Cultural Heritage and Historical Records Institution in Shanghai for generously sending me books on primary materials about Zhang Yuan. Lastly, I extend sincere appreciation to my parents and, especially, my husband who constantly encouraged and supported me throughout this journey. 5 A NOTE ON TRANSLATION All translations in this paper are done by the author, unless otherwise noted. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. 4 A Note on Translation ......................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1: Building Zhang Yuan in the International Settlement .................................... 20 A Brief History of the Foreign Settlements ................................................................ 20 About Urban Construction .................................................................................... 22 About Expanding Territories ................................................................................ 25 Boulevards, Promenades, and Courtesans .................................................................. 26 “Testing Electric Lights on the Double Ninth Festival” ............................................. 30 Chapter 2: Acadia Hall and the Expansion of Zhang Yuan .............................................. 35 The Construction of Acadia Hall ................................................................................ 36 “An Up-to-Date Tea-House” ................................................................................ 36 “The Architecture of Spectacle” ........................................................................... 40 Courtesans, Acadia Hall, and Mass Media ........................................................... 42 A Vibrant Garden: Landscape of Zhang Yuan after Expansion ................................. 44 Expansions and the Open Landscape .................................................................... 45 A Vibrant Space and Popular Recreational Sports ............................................... 49 Chapter 3: Zhang Yuan: Fashioning the Leisure Pursuits ................................................ 53 Some Early Activities in Zhang Yuan since 1885 ...................................................... 54 Fireworks Displays ............................................................................................... 54 Photographic Studios ............................................................................................ 55 Flower Expositions and Flower Appreciations ..................................................... 57 A Theme Park: Leisure Activities in Zhang Yuan after the 1890s Expansions ......... 59 The 1907 “International Fair and Fête:” A Charity Fair on a “Global” Scale ............ 63 Zhang Yuan: A Most Suitable Site ....................................................................... 65 A Comparison with Other Large-scale Social Events in Shanghai ...................... 67 “Merchant Bureaucrats” and Organization of the Local Events ........................... 69 Chapter 4: Reform in and out of Zhang Yuan .................................................................. 72 7 Reform in Different Aspects of City Life as Seen in Zhang Yuan ............................. 75 Catching up with Global Trends: The “International Fair and Fête” .................... 75 Reforming the Traditions: “Civilized Weddings” in Acadia Hall ........................ 78 Participating in Public Events: Women Seen in Zhang Yuan .............................. 80 A Public Space: Political Demonstration and Public Meetings in Zhang Yuan ......... 83 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 88 References ......................................................................................................................... 93 Glossary .......................................................................................................................... 140 Appendix: News Reports on Zhang Yuan ...................................................................... 141 8 LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1. A map indicating Jin’an Temple Road in the International Settlement in Shanghai, 1860 ................................................................................................................ 100 Figure 2. A reconstructed map showing locations of five treaty ports in semi-colonial China ............................................................................................................................... 101 Figure 3. A map of the walled city and the foreign settlements in Shanghai, 1885 ....... 102 Figure 4. A reconstructed map indicating the expansion of the foreign settlements in Shanghai .......................................................................................................................... 103 Figure 5. Promenading on Jing’an Temple Road, 1880s. ............................................... 104 Figure 6. Shanghai Race Club, C. E. Darwent, Shanghai: A Handbook for Travellers and Residents to the Chief Objects of Interest in and around the Foreign Settlements and Native City, 1903. ........................................................................................................... 105 Figure 7. Shanghai Country club, C. E. Darwent, Shanghai: A Handbook for Travellers and Residents to the Chief Objects of Interest in and around the Foreign Settlements and Native City, 1903. ........................................................................................................... 106 Figure 8. Social