Early 20th Century Commercial Art Environment

This thesis is an important component of the study on modern design of China in 20th century. There are many indications that the rise of modern design in China is closely related to the formation and rapid growth of urban civilization in Shanghai. In the early 20th century, Shanghai, the cradle and pioneer in China's urbanization process, with its technological advancement and economic prosperity, attracted a substantial population of commercial design talents. This led to a brief period of booming commercial art and design that has subsequently influenced other cities in China. Economy, technology, culture and social administration and policy in Shanghai are four essential elements that constitute the environmental conditions and social momentum for the rise of modern design in China. This thesis aims to provide a comprehensive explanation of the growth of modern design in urban environments through analyzing the above mentioned elements respectively. At the same time, this article believed that'commercial design environment'(background) and'commercial design'(foreground) should not be two entirely differentiated terms. On the contrary, the foreground and background of commercial design overlapped frequently and interact with each other. China has taken a unique twofold approach, that is, to allow environment to improve through commercial design practices and to enhance practices in an improved environment. The approach has proven efficient in fostering modern design at a time when China's industrialization was not yet full-fledged. The thesis takes'pictorials'(huabao) emerged between late 19th century and early 20th century to be the main object of study, to verify the phenomenon and explore the factual influences of social environment at the time on China's modern design in 20th century.