| The box office’s success has shaken up the landscape of the film industry in modern Shanghai, while movie theatres are not only critical factors, but also connected the film trade / production and consumption, content, audience and viewing behavior, as well as the structure of space, constituted direct contact of film industry and civil society.This research focuses on the Shanghai International Settlement’s administration management of movie theatres during the period of 1908-1937 in the historical context of civil society and its superstructure. Tracking the process of Shanghai Municipal Council’s administrative management on movie theatres and historic interaction between the evolution of the administrative management system and movie theaters, reveals the inner relation between movie theater and civil society as well as the superstructure, promote a new way to enrich the existingacademic research onfilm industryin modern Shanghai.Research on film in modern Shanghai has become a hot academic area, also a lot of research literatures about movie theatres. As Shanghai concession, especially the Shanghai International Settlement, regardless of film industry or movie theater’s academic research, mostly in the concession and social context expansion. However, civil society and its superstructure, especially the main social structure, laws and regulations, such as the Land regulations, Licensing regulations, film industry and its cinema relationship are ambiguous. Moreover, to a large extent of film industries in modern foreign countries, architectural culture, form of entertainment, way of life in the existing academic research belongs to facts, and the settlement of civil society structure factors, especially the deep connection between the basic system and administrative authorities are not clear.As an art form developed in modern times, cinema features itself through movie theatres at first, which concomitantly produces film’s economic value. The movie theatre is an important space for cinematic communication, which materializes in the intersection of film production, projection, and the psychology of movie-goers. Movie theatre management, which can be divided into business operating management and government administration, is an indispensable system in these processes. Movie theatre management is not only an important component of the movie industry and public administration system, but also deeply reflects particular political, economic, cultural aspects of social life, especially the cultural system and its ideology system.The research of Republic of China’s cinema is among the most popularity academic areas both in mainland China and abroad. The research of Shanghai cinema in the contemporary times naturally develops into an international key sphere. However, the academic research of movie theatre management is very scattered, while the administration management of movie theatre in Shanghai International Settlement is almost nonexistent. As a study of the management of movie theatre, this research raises several academic problems, the solution of which will improve the quality of the academic research of both Shanghai and Chinese film industry. Specifically, the following points should be noted:First, the existing research about business operating management of modern-contemporary Shanghai movie theatres not only mainly depends on second-hand or even third-hand materials, but also is divorced from the Shanghai Settlement’s government administration of movie theatres during the same period. As a result, it cannot expose those factors within the context of Shanghai Settlement that actually determined the formation and development of movie theatre management. This context in modern-contemporary times has profound effect the shaping of the business operating management of Shanghai movie theaters, the trajectory of the development of Shanghai film industry, and the evolution of the film management system of the Republic of China.Second, although some academic research sporadically relates to the management of Shanghai International Settlement movie theatres in modern-contemporary times, it often ignores the jurisdiction of theater actors and only gave a very superficial picture of the landscape of movie theatre management in Shanghai.Third, the lack of government administration of movie theatres in the Shanghai Settlement has seriously limited the research quality regarding the film industry in Shanghai and the Republic of China policy environment.This research focuses on the Shanghai International Settlement’s administration management of movie theatres during the period of 1908-1937, and explains how the Municipal Council of the Shanghai International Settlement gave administration management to a large number of movie theatres in this specific historical context. It explores the relationship between the administration management of movie theatres from Municipal Council and space construction of movie theatres, business operating management, behaviors of movie-goers. It also analyzes the complexity, continuity and transition of those factors. On the basis of a large number of historical materials from Shanghai-based archives, this research seeks to objectively explicate the historical occurrences and the basic contents and features of Shanghai International Settlement theater administration management. It also examines the role and significance of the Municipal Council’s administration regarding movie theaters, with the aim to substantially fill the research gap in the film history of the Shanghai International Settlement both in domestic and overseas scholarship, thus providing the basic research literature for the Republic of China’s movie studies as well as research about the history of Shanghai.Following are the seven aspects of this research:First chapter focuses the research social context of the administrative management of movie theatres in Shanghai International Settlement. Reviewing the historical development of Shanghai concession and the profound impact on the pattern of the city, focusing on analysis of municipal bar, billiard room, bowling alleys and other early entertainment management to reveal the subsequent theatre and shadow theatre license system historical evolution lay the foundation.Second chapter mainly focuses on the origin of the Shanghai International Settlement’s administrative system in movie theatres, history of theatres and theater security and content of performance management.Third chapter focuses on the early period administration of movie theatres in Shanghai International Settlement, and the analysis of the theater land approval, home demolition, entertainment venues alterations, architectural standards and other administrative management.Fourth chapter focuses the administrative management of public facilities, functional structure, and theatres concession. Focus on the analysis of the theater space structure and function expansion and its administrative management.Fifth chapter focuses on behavior administration of movie theatre in Shanghai International Settlement, especially of the process of behavior of movie-goers and its influence on the regulation of the cinema’s concept and the behavior of the cinema.Sixth chapter focuses on the films administration.Seventh chapter focuses the relationship of administration in movie theatres among the French concession, the Shanghai International Settlement and the Republic of China.The modern western publishing industry was introduced into Shanghai in late 19 th century. The accumulated comprehensive archives and informative historical materials thus provide a great assistance for the study of history. This research will put great emphasis on original historical materials, especially those based on the English archives of the Shanghai International Settlement and major newspapers and magazines at that time. It also draws heavily upon relevant studies made both by domestic and overseas scholars. This historical research, with documented original sources and theoretical sophistication, will fill a significant research gap. |
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