Selling the Ruan Lingyu Drama: Tragedy, Irony, and Exploitation in a 1934 Ad
March 8 - On the anniversary of the death of Old Shanghai’s movie goddess, Ruan Lingyu, MOFBA* delves into the story of an ad that is inextricably linked with the actress, her final movie, and her tragic death. By The Little Museum of Foreign Brand Advertising in the R.O.C (MOFBA) // The ...
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The Creative Ambiguity of the Shanghai Communiqué
February 2025 - This month marks the 53rd anniversary of the Shanghai Communiqué, the world-startling diplomatic letter that marked the beginning of the rapprochement between the People’s Republic of China and the United States. The communiqué was signed on February 27 1972, at the end of a ...
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1972 Nixon Visit: How Shanghai Changed Since 1946
Fifty-three years ago this month, on February 21, 1972, U.S. President Richard M. Nixon flew into Shanghai on a landmark trip that would lead to the Shanghai Communique, signalling the beginning of a rapprochement between the United States and the People's Republic of China. America suddenly had ...
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Vintage Shanghai Comedy: “Da Li, Xiao Li & Lao Li 大李，小李和老李“
There are so many reasons to love this 1962 screwball comedy - let us count the ways: Scenes of 1960s Shanghai. You think images of 1930s Shanghai are rare? Try 1962, the year the Great Leap Forward ended. This is a rare film documentation of the period, including what may be the only existing ...
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Sweet Old Shanghai: Heritage Bakeries
February is sweet season (you know - sweethearts, sweet delights...) so just in time for Valentine’s Day, we take a look at Shanghai’s surviving heritage bakeries and legacy of Western pastry classics. A selection of Shanghai heritage pastry classics from Kaisiling - Left, clockwise from ...
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Treaty Port Gulangyu
“For situation and natural attractions, Kulangsu (Gulangyu) is unsurpassed along the coast of China.” -- Philip Wilson Pitcher, 1909 A tiny gem nestled in the embrace of big sister Xiamen ("Amoy" in the local Hokkien dialect) in China’s southern Fujian province, Gulangyu Island's ...
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The Creation of a 1940s Advertisement
By The Little Museum of Foreign Brand Advertising in the R.O.C (MOFBA) // The companies of Old Shanghai left behind their buildings, but what happened to their products? Following Duncan Hewitt’s post on Brunner Mond/ICI, we’re delighted to publish MOFBA's story on the making of a 1940s ad ...
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