Presentation Schedule
Memories Through Cigarette Cards: Cigarette Advertisement and War Patriotism in the Republic of China (90034)
Session Chair: Selina Gao
Saturday, 12 July 2025 11:15
Session: Session 1
Room: UCL Torrington, B07 (Basement Floor)
Presentation Type:Oral Presentation
Cigarette cards (烟画) were first introduced to China by Duke Tobacco Company at the end of the 19th century as part of a campaign to open its market share in Asia. Both foreign and domestically produced cigarette cards later flooded the country as copycats followed the path of the world’s leading tobacco conglomerate. They emerged as one of many forms of modern advertising along with print media staples ranging from calendars, posters, magazines, and newspapers that aimed to boost sales for consumer goods in the early twentieth century. However, Chinese cigarette cards have not received much attention beyond niche collector circles, and they are understudied as an influential commercial/cultural media. This study explores how cigarette cards became a new print advertising medium in China and how they were used to stoke nationalist sentiment during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) as Chinese manufacturers circulated patriotic military-themed images to boost morale. Based on the visual references in cigarette cards, this study will take an original socio-cultural and interdisciplinary approach that explores the development of cigarette card advertisement in the first half of twentieth century China and addresses advertisers’ efforts to mobilize the Chinese people against their Japanese occupiers. This will, in turn, provide a fresh understanding of the Nationalist Party’s endeavor to defend China during WWII by enlisting the support of patriotic-minded members of the business community, which will by extension contribute to a vibrant and ongoing historical reappraisal of China’s Republican era.
Authors:
Selina Gao, Murray State University, United States
About the Presenter(s)
Dr Gao is a Full Professor of History at Murray State University in KY, USA.
See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule
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