Commissioner of Police to Secretary - "Reference: Your Endorsement No. M 13/10 - Letter from the Shanghai First Special District Citizen's Fereration Re : Advertisement Hoarding." Shanghai, March 22, 1937. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-4-3821 (0503). 

The hoarding referred to in the above mentoined letter is situated on Bubbling Well Road near Yu Ya Ching Road. The Manager of the Sing Hwa Moving Picture company, who owns the hoarding, has been interviewed, and he states that the advertisement will be removed on or about March, 26, 1937. 

Original Letter (in Chinese) to Council from Shanghai First Special District Citizens' Federation - Dated March 13th, 1937 - "Objectionable Advertisement." Shanghai, March 13, 1937. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-4-3821 (0506-0508).

Translation of Letter to Council from Shanghai First Special District Citizens' Federation - Dated March 13th, 1937 - Objectionable Advertisement. Shanghai, March 13, 1937. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-4-3821 (0504-0505).

Objectionable Advertisement. We have received a letter from Ch'iu Chia-liang (邱嘉(梁 Qiu Jialiang), a Committee Member of this Federation: - "The Ching Zeng Theatre (金城大戲院 Jingcheng daxiyuan) has been showing a film entitled "Midnight Singing". A frightful figure advertising this picture appears on a boarding west of the New World. 

At 6 p.m. on the 4th instant when alighting from a tramcar with my daughter Ching-tsu (金球 Jin Qiu) at the spot she was suddelny confronted by the said advertisement. On returning home she fell sick and died. The Citizen's Federation is asked to take steps to cause the figure to be removed so that this incident may not be repeated. 

The advertisement of "Midnight Singing" put up by the ching Zeng Theare is extremely Terrifying; people take fright, particularly children. It is objectionable. In view of the above letter will the Council please order the Theatre to remove the advertisement as soon as possible.

To prevent misadventures in future restriction should be placed on all advertisements of this kind

(Chopped) Shanghai First Special District Citizens' Federation.  

Extract from "The Shanghai Times" of March 11, 1937 - "Victim of the 'Chinese Dracula'" - Girl Declared to Have died from fright on Seeing Huge Figure. Shanghai, March 11, 1937. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-4-3821 (0509).

Erected on Bubbling Well Road to advertise a Chinese film "A Singing Voice at Midnight". But known to foreigners as "The Chinese Dracula", the colossal black-robed figure which hangs menacingly over a young couple on a hoarding opposite the entrance to the Race Course recreation grounds, has claimed a young girl victim. It was declared in a petition which was drawn up by the First Special District Citizen's Federation. 

This petition, which will be presented to the Shanghai Municipal Council, avers that the daughter of one of the Commissioner of the Federation was so frightened that she died after a short illness. The Federation asks for the removal of the advertisement. 

The motion picture, produced by the Hsing Hwa Motion Picture Company, co-stars Miss Hu Ping and Ching Shan and has been showing to capacity houses for 19 days. It is the first "horror" film produced by a Chinese picture company. 

Extract from "The North China Daily News" of March 11, 1936 - Cleaner Hoardings. Shanghai, March 11, 1936. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-4-3821 (0466).

Although the local authorities exercice a degree of control and censorship over the caracter of the advertisement hoardings, there is a feeling that, in the interest of good taste, the scrutinity shoud be more strict. Some of the blatant advertisements on hoardings lining Shanghai streets and especially those advertising remedies for various diseases and specifics for rejuvenation are not only crude and vulgar but offensive to public morals, and are calculated to make the married man wonder whether they should be exhibited in the sight of his children, although the context may be in Chinese. It is understood that this form of advertisement has to be graphic and crude in conception to impress the public, and art along these lines has been successfully used in health propaganda and other campaign to cary the message home to people of a lower standard of intelligence, but the moral side of it gives cause for perturbation. One particularly offensive hoarding is to be seen in avenue Edward VII and refers in large-type English characters to a subject over and advertising space the size of two house fronts to appeal to perhaps the largest traffic stream passing along any local thoroughfares. A little cleaning up would be useful and healthy.   

Extract from "The North China Daily News" of March 27, 1938 - Our Signboards, Plea to the City Fathers. Shanghai, March 27, 1938. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-4-3821 (0465).

To the Editor of the North China Daily News

- Sir, I fully endorse the letter of A.L. eappearing in your paper yesterday and do hope that the proper authorities will see to this matter and have "the lifeless figure with green flasay eyes and claw-like fingers dangling out of the overlarge sleeves, swaying with the wind" removed at once. It is hopeless to wait for the owners of such an ugly advertisement to remove it themselves. For it is evident that they have not the slightest idea about the welfare of the public, especially of children, by designing such a hideous sign, and putting it on the very spot where an innocent child was, a year ago, "killed" by also a frightful advertisement. 

I do, however, wish that the intended owners would wake to their senses by removing the above "nightmare" or substituting it with a less ugly one, or if it is not possible, with a beautiful one. I am prepared to pay a little, say one dollar, for the damage which might be caused to the owners on box-returns. If they fail, I fear they will, I hope our City Fathers will wake to their duties ot make some remedy. I appeal to our City Fathers because I believe they, as we too, must have enough nerve-cracking experiences in the last few months. How about you, dear Editor? 
(Signed) Y.L.. Shanghai, March 25.  

Extract from "The North China Daily News" of March 26, 1938 - Our Signboards, A Repulsive Example. Shanghai, March 26, 1938. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-4-3821 (0464).

To the Editor of the North china Daily News.

Sir, May I, through the courtesy of your columns call the attention of the proper authorities to the fantastic hoarding just completed opposite the Race Course on Bubbling Well Road, near the Loongfei Gate?

Is it really necessary to show the "Chinese Dracula" in all its hideousness in a main thoroughfare in this already over-congested city of ours? Under present conditions there is little enough open space in town and Shanghai younger population - those that cannot afford gardens - must make the most of the roads to have a breath of air, and I am certain that no parent would relish the idea of his child suddenly being faced with a lifeless figure with green fingers dangling out of over-large sleeves swaying with the wind. A more repulsive sight I have not seen!

If the writer remembers correctly it was only a year ago that a young child confronting a similarly frightening advertisement around the same spot, suddenly took sick and died within three days. To the ordinary Shanghai resident life is unpleasant enough these days and I send in this letter with the hope that residents using that thoroughfare may be spare the sight of the advertisement which certainly does not give the written any pleasure.