"The book began as ... research seminar at the University of Californa, San Diego (USCD) that culminated in an exciting international conference on Popular Print Media, Visuality and the Zigzag Road to Modernity in the Shanghai Global Metropolis, 1926-1949 ... held on June 11-12, 2011 at ... UCSD campus" -- Acknowledgments.

HKBU Library

"This collection of original essays explores the rise of popular print media in China as it relates to the quest for modernity in the global metropolis of Shanghai from 1926 to 1945. It does this by offering the first extended look at the phenomenal influence of the Liangyou pictorial, 'The Young Companion', arguably the most exciting monthly periodical ever published in China. Special emphasis is placed on the profound social and cultural impact of this glittering publication at a pivotal time in China. The essays explore the dynamic concept of "kaleidoscopic modernity" and offer individual case studies on the rise of "art" photography, the appeals of slick patent medicines, the resilience of female artists, the allure of aviation celebrities, the feistiness of women athletes, representations of modern masculinity, efforts to regulate the female body and female sexuality, and innovative research that locates the stunning impact of Liangyou in the broader context of related cultural developments in Tokyo and Seoul." -- Book Jacket.