民初海上「百美圖」時尚敘事與性別文化的塑形嬗變

The Formation and Transformation of the Fashion Narratives and Gender Culture in the “Portraits of a Hundred Beauties” Series

本文主要闡發民國初年上海文藝圈多種「百美圖」書籍，揭示畫家試圖挑戰以褒讚為名行拘限之實的百美／百媚繪畫傳統，在瞭解和同情的基礎上所體現民初女性群像與性別文化的相互定義與辯證關係。特別關注作為男性代言者的創作主體如何參與並形塑性別意識的複雜過程，該類圖籍反映民國初年社會文化思維曾一度踟躕不前卻艱難行進的足跡，更彌足珍貴地記錄近代中國性別文化的萌芽與衍化歷程遭遇的困境，及相應而生的種種創新求變的嘗試方案。論述的主要內容固然先是拈出民初「百美圖」敘事的基本面相與特徵，最終歸結於對新女性身份與性別意識猶然參差的駁雜意涵。但在方法上側重民國百美圖與晚清上海標誌百媚／百美圖畫與文學的脈絡梳理，並觀照同時代語境中的舊派小說文本。最後借助四○年代海上文藝代表人物張愛玲的圖文作品及犀利的文化批評視野，反思百美圖敘事傳統與社會思潮、文化時尚互動對話的近代演化，盼能清晰揭示民國初年海上都市中性別文化的衍變歷程。

This paper interprets a series of the “Portraits of a Hundred Beauties” pictorial books issued in Shanghai during the early years of the Republic of China in order to reveal how artists challenged the artistic tradition of “a hundred beauties/a hundred types of obsequiousness” — a tradition that put strains on women in the act of celebrating their beauty. From an interpretative point of view that understands and empathizes with the phenomenon, this paper examines the embodiment of mutual definitions and the dialectic relationship between female portraits and gender cultures in the early Republic years. The paper also dwells upon the sophisticated process whereby male artists became involved in the representation and formation of gender consciousness. Certain pictorial books reflected the fact that socio-cultural logic and thinking were struggling to advance. Moreover, these books documented the initial stages and subsequent difficulties encountered in the development of Chinese gender culture, as well as how these difficulties led to various innovations and attempts to initiate change. The article begins with a discussion of the basic facts and features of the narratives of “Portraits of a Hundred Beauties,” and comes to the conclusion that gender consciousness and the new female identity were still at odds with each other. Methodologically, this article seeks to clarify the historical contexts of “Portraits of a Hundred Beauties” in the early years of the Republic and “A Hundred Beauties of Shanghai” in the late Qing dynasty, making reference to both their literary counterparts as well as the old school novels written during this period. Finally, the article reflects on the narrative tradition of “Portraits of a Hundred Beauties,” social ideology, and the interactions between the evolution of modern culture and fashion. It adopts the incisive cultural critical perspective found in Eileen Chang’s pictorial and literary works to shed light on the evolution of gender culture in this city-upon-the-sea, Shanghai, in the early Republic years.