Objectionable Advertising. Request by Shanghai First Special District Citizens' Federation for removal of objectionable advertisement on Bubbling Well Road. 1937. Source: SMA (SMC), U1-4-3821 (0501-0509)
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 mentioned 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 suddenly contronted by the said advertisement. On returning home she felt 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 Siniging" 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 Compan, 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.
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