This map aims to locate specific billboards that were blamed for disfigurating surburban landscapes outside Shanghai in 1924. Original data come from a polemical article published in the Shanghai Sunday Times in connection with the Auto Club's complaining that billboards were spoiling Shanghai suburban areas. The information provided in this article enable to locate and identify the billboards with a satisfying accuracy. On the following map, each dot represents a location with one or more billboards were erected and blamed for disfigurating landscapes. I also added public parks and gardens from external secondary sources (Virtual Shanghai Project). Although municipal authorities did not design a specific zone to preserve natural spaces from advertising, from these various data, by contrast, we can draw a rough map of endangered spaces, or at least the spaces perceived as such by contemporary residents.

The associated table indicates the captions for each dot, including their exact location and the products or brands they advertised. 

Source: “Rural Beauties Marred by Ugly Hoardings. Auto Club's Protest. Should the Council Prohibit Erection Boards Around Rubicon?”. Extract from Shanghai Sunday Times dated July 13, 1924. SMA, SMC, U1-14-5775 (1671).