Chinese Pinup Girls- The Lost Art

The New Imperialism in China

A couple of months ago, I was in Macao for the grand opening of the Venetian Integrated Resort. Sheldon G Adelson, the fifth richest man in the world, an American, who decided to bring the magic of Venice to Macao, through his Las Vegas Hotel. When you bring Vegas anywhere, you get your standard Vegas culture (i.e. lovely women in lovely feathers) Myself? I 'm more of a traditionalist. And so I exited the hustle-bustle of the biggest building in the world (except some flower warehouse in Holland) and headed out to the calm, pleasant streets of Macao.

Pinup Adventures on the Streets of China

Quite quickly, I stumbled upon these beauties. These are cigarette boxes of a brand called "Double Happiness". This is a generic Chinese cigarette brand. The paintings of the women s reminiscent of old Shanghai in the forties, when American colonialism reigned supreme (to be fair, the British and French were also occupying Shanghai, at the time). You can really see the Western influence in the hair and makeup, the slim cut of the dresses and in the art itself. Cally Blackman in "100 Years of Fashion Illustration":

The history of fashion illustration begins in the sixteenth century, when increased exploration and discovery led to fascination with dress and costume of the nations of the world.

However, as fashion started establishing it's foundations, the more European costume would influence the colonies population's dress.

The Disappearance of a Rich Pinup Culture

In one of the many Hong Kong markets, I found this packet of cards. Pinup pictures, in China, are known as Beauty Calendar (as it is explained on the box). Among my cards, I also found my "Double Happiness" girls, but there were many more interesting advertising origins, like Maoist propaganda or winter fashions.
It seems that China had a rich pinup culture (way back when the US also had it). However, the internet doesn't seem to swarm with information about it. From what I've seen in Macao, aside from the historical value, they, rightfully, don't regard their Portuguese occupation as anything positive. So this is not surprising. The closest thing I found on the net was Stefan Landsberger's Chinese Propaganda Poster Pages, which are fascinating, but a little off topic for this blog. Maybe the internet will prove a better way to spread culture than colonialism

Please let me know, if you find any Chinese pinups, so I can post them here.

To peaceful cultural blends,

Tags: pinup enthusiast, pinup memorabilia, pinup cards, Double Happiness Cigarettes, 1940, shanghai, Hong Kong, Beauty Calender, Western influence, cheesecake collection, The Venetian Macao, Las Vegas, chinese pinup girls, china, Macao