Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 285 p. Includes bibliographical references. Abstract available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center; full text release delayed at author's request until 2009 Nov. 30.

My thesis analyzes China’s most famous commercial film director, Feng Xiaogang, and his New Year Films against the background of infrastructure reform in the Chinese movie industry. The past three decades have witnessed dramatic changes in the Chinese film industry and phenomenal growth in commercial film production due to the movie industry reform that was launched by the Chinese government in order to commercialize the film industry. Feng Xiaogang is both a beneficiary and a contributor to the commercialization of the movie industry, and his unprecedented success in the movie industry also reflected the cultural changes within the film industry. This thesis first examines the transformation of the film industry due to the movie reform that allowed Feng Xiaogang to cross over from the television industry to the film industry, and the emergence of independent film companies also provided Feng with the opportunity to make commercial films. Next, I particularly analyze Feng’s first New Year film, The Dream Factory, which shows Feng’s approach of combining entertainment and social criticism in the film. Finally, I will analyze the popularity of his New Year films from an ‘auteur’ perspective. / text

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

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The thesis is a study of a traditional popular art form of China known as New Year Pictures. Although the production of these woodblock printed images virtually ceased early this century, the relevance of this art form in contemporary China has continued. The New Year Picture is often hailed as a prototype for modern forms of visual expression. A renewed interest in this old art form has also prompted widespread conservation of the New Year Picture at the same time as making it the subject of scholarly pursuit. This study evaluates the relevance of New Year Pictures to contemporary art and society by focussing on prints produced in the period spanning the century from 1842 to 1942. This period is definitive of the changes that occurred within the popular art form. The year 1842 marks the end of the Opium War with Britain and the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing, permanently changing China’s international relationships. This, in turn, impacted greatly upon Chinese society and culture. The 1942 was the year of Mao’s “Talks at the Yan’an Conference on Literature and Art”. In mapping out strategies for artists to participate in the communist transformation of Chinese society, the “Talks” articulated an approach to Chinese art and culture that would permanently alter the way in which artistic traditions were to be utilised, both in a practical way and in the sense of how the past was to be perceived.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Humanities / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Thesis advisor: Sara Moorman / My grandfather passed away four years ago of cancer. Every family member made their way to Cape Cod during his last few days in order to say their good-byes. It was not until the day after the last grandchild said good-bye that my grandfather passed away. We all felt that he wanted to wait so he could say good-bye to all of us. I have talked to many people who have had similar experiences with family members and friends. Some people have held on to see people one last time; others have wanted to make another birthday, while others have wanted to see another holiday that is special to them. In the present study, I explored the death dip, death rise phenomenon. Specifically, I analyzed mortality rates around the New Year’s Day, Christmas, and Pioneer Day. I examined two days before and two days after the holiday within specific cities (Project 1: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago; Project 2: Salt Lake City, Boise, Little Rock; Project 3: Atlanta, Oklahoma City, New Orleans) within a five-year period (1998-2002). The data observed found a death dip and death rise present for New Year’s in New York City and Chicago. There was not a death dip or death rise observed for Project 2, Project 3, or Los Angeles in Project 1. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology Honors Program. / Discipline: Sociology.

本文主要研究十九世紀末二十世紀初的一種傳統民間藝術--年畫。這短短的幾十年見證了在中國發生的一系列翻天覆地的社會政治變化：清政府的垮臺，外國勢力的入侵，以及西方先進技術與思想的引入；這些變化我們都可以在這一時期的年畫中找到。本文的地點範圍主要集中于天津楊柳青，另外其他中國北方的年畫產地的年畫，如武強、楊家埠，以及江蘇的桃花塢等，也會在文章因行文需要而被提到。總的來說，本文分為三個大部份，也就是年畫的生產、內容和消費。我認為這些新內容之所以在年畫中出現主要有三個原因：首先，西方先進印刷技術和新的繪畫風格的引入讓年畫內容的轉變有了可能性；其次一些維新人士創辦的畫報和報刊也對年畫的發展產生了影響；最後便是民初時期民國政府採取的對年畫的干涉。本文將這些在年畫中出現的新的主題進行了詳細的探討。一方面，我們可以發現反帝和其他愛國的內容被放入年畫，以此激發百姓的愛國情緒。與傳統年畫主要關注家庭這一點不同的是，改良年畫的重心放在了保衛國家這個更高的主題上。另一方面，在這類年畫中，婦女不再被認為是男人的附屬品，它們鼓勵婦女實現經濟和人格上的獨立，並且有必要的話，也可以成為士兵，加入到保家衛國的行列中。最後一方面，西方先進事物的引入，如鐘錶、自行車、火車和飛機等，為大眾引領了一種新的物質文化，也在不知不覺中改變中百姓的日常生活習慣。作為結論，我提出改良年畫是大眾文化和精英文化互動產生的結果。它們大多數都是在民國政府的提倡之下而生產的，但是年畫的商業本質決定了它需要有一定的市場以保證盈利。這樣，傳統年畫的形式被保留了下來，同時改革家和當權者為其填入了新的思想和觀念，用來教育廣大百姓。這種“舊瓶裝新酒的宣傳方式雖然效果在清末民初效果不佳，但是它卻在某種程度上為中國作為一個現代國家的出現奠定了基礎。 / This research examines nianhua年畫 (New Year pictures), a form of traditional folk art, from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. This time period witnessed a series of dramatic social and political changes in China: the collapse of Qing Dynasty, invasions of foreign powers, and introduction of Western advanced technologies and ideas, all of which could be found in nianhua prints. The spatial focus is mainly on Yangliuqing楊柳青, a town very close to Tianjin. However, nianhua produced in other places in North China, such as Wuqiang武強 and Yangjiabu楊家埠, and those from Taohuawu桃花塢 in the Yangzi River Delta, will also be mentioned, for some of them are of great use in my writings. Generally, this study has three sections: the production and circulation of nianhua in Yangliuqing, the contents of nianhua with new elements, and how common people reacted to the reformed nianhua. I demonstrate that the import of Western advanced printing technologies and painting styles, pictorials and vernacular newspapers published by social reformers, and the involvement of Republican government were the major reasons for the appearance of new elements in nianhua. Then the new themes in nianhua are discussed in details. First of all, anti-imperialist and other patriotic topics are found to arouse nationalist sentiments among the masses. The emotions in new nianhua started to shift from protecting home and family to defending the nation. At the same time, women were no longer treated as men’s subordinate; instead, they were also encouraged to earn their own bread and even go to the battlefield to save their country. Finally, the imports of Western inventions, such as clocks, bikes, trains, and planes, emerged in nianhua, building a new material culture for the common people. I conclude that reformed nianhua was a result of the interaction between popular culture and elite culture. Most of them were advocated by the Republican officials; but the commercial nature of nianhua determined that it needed to have market amog consumers. The form of traditional nianhua was kept, while social reformers and authorities fill new values and beliefs into it to educate the common people. This “new-wine-in-old-bottles way of propaganda resulted in limited success; but to some extents it paved the way for the emergence of a modern nation. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Wan, Mi. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 150-159). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / List of Figures --- p.v / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Statement of Research Problem --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Nianhua: The Background --- p.6 / Chapter 1.3 --- Methodology --- p.8 / Chapter 1.4 --- Literature Review --- p.13 / Chapter 1.5 --- Structure of the Thesis --- p.22 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- From Festivity to Propaganda: Nianhua’s Political and Educational Roles --- p.24 / Chapter 2.1 --- The Production and Circulation of Nianhua in North China --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2 --- The Influence of Printing Technical Improvement and Western Painting Styles on Nianhua --- p.32 / Chapter 2.3 --- Nianhua and Social Reform Promoters in the Late Qing --- p.41 / Chapter 2.4 --- Nianhua as a Popular Education Tool in the Republican Era --- p.53 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- From Protecting My Home to Defending My Nation: Nationalism in Nianhua --- p.68 / Chapter 3.1 --- Nation, Nationalism, and National Identity --- p.70 / Chapter 3.2 --- When China Confronted the West --- p.73 / Chapter 3.3 --- Anti-Imperialism in Nianhua --- p.83 / Chapter 3.4 --- Attitudes towards the Qing Government --- p.90 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Gender in Nianhua --- p.95 / Chapter 4.1 --- Women’s Appearance and Female Warriors in Nianhua --- p.98 / Chapter 4.2 --- Promotion of Women’s Education in Nianhua --- p.106 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Import of Western Objects and Interpretation of the Western World --- p.119 / Chapter 5.1 --- The Clock --- p.119 / Chapter 5.2 --- The Bicycle --- p.125 / Chapter 5.3 --- The Plane --- p.128 / Chapter 5.4 --- The Train --- p.130 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Conclusion --- p.138 / Bibliography --- p.150

Am 22. Januar 2011 wurde zugleich mit dem Neujahrsempfang der Universitätsbibliothek Leipzig das Kunstwerk „Perspektive“ von Lada Nakonechna eingeweiht. Die über 100 Quadratmeter große Bleistiftzeichnung der ukrainischen Künstlerin wurde in dreimonatiger Arbeit erstellt und schmückt nun den vor zehn Jahren neu aufgebauten Alten Lesesaal. Die Stadt Leipzig ist unter den Sponsoren dieser Kunstaktion und hat den Neujahrsempfang zur festlichen Erinnerung an 50 Jahre Städtepartnerschaft zwischen Leipzig und Kiew genutzt.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Catholic Theological Union at Chicago, 2000. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 274-291).