【中文版】
On November 2, 1925, the National School of Fine Arts (Yizhuan) held its opening ceremony, marking the formal beginning of Li Xuying’s studies at the institution. Early the following year, Lin Fengmian (1900–1991), having just returned from France, took over as principal and began implementing educational reforms. In addition to restructuring class levels and adding a sculpture department, Lin promoted “art at the crossroads” and “art for the people” in terms of artistic philosophy and practice. He encouraged students to step outside the school gates, hold more exhibitions, and promote aesthetic education to the general public. Art societies sprang up among students and teachers in response. Lin was also bold in his hiring practices; beyond directly recruiting high-level talent from home and abroad, he began retaining outstanding graduates from the school to serve as teaching assistants. Although Lin Fengmian’s tenure at Yizhuan was not long, the changes he brought directly influenced the development of Li Xuying’s artistic career.
The Beijing Spring Art Conference, convened in 1927, was the moment Lin Fengmian elevated artistic practice to the height of an art movement. Based at Yizhuan, the conference collected over 3,000 works and featured speeches and entertainment activities. Art groups and schools from outside the region also organized trips to Beijing to visit, creating an unprecedented spectacle that played a positive role in promoting the prosperity and development of art in Republic-era Beijing. This grand event also provided an opportunity for the talented and diligent Li Xuying to make her debut in the art world. The exhibited works included achievements by outstanding students of the school, among which were Li Xuying’s pieces. The May 13, 1927 edition of The Morning Post (Chenbao) introduced the highlights of each exhibition room one by one. It noted: “Exhibition Rooms 13 through 16 mostly contain design works; among them, the various exhibits by Professor Huang Huaiying of that department, the architectural drawings by Chen Faqing, various textile dyes, and the designs by Li Xuying and Wang Lihua are the best.” On May 18, The Morning Post reported again: “The Ceramics Section of the Art School’s Design Department is currently displaying its excellent standard coursework in Exhibition Room 14 of the Beijing Art Conference. Items include vases, tea trays, and large porcelain platters. Among them, Li Xuying’s large porcelain platter is the best.” The cover design published in The Morning Post Weekly, Vol. 2, No. 85, was likely one of Li Xuying’s entries in the Art Conference.
Not long after the Art Conference, the Beiyang government reorganized nine national specialized schools in Beijing, collectively naming them the National Capital University (Jingshi University). Yizhuan became the Fine Arts Department of the National Capital University. At the same time, Lin Fengmian was squeezed out, the drama and music majors were cancelled, gender-segregated classes were implemented, and nude sketching was banned. Amidst this series of conservative reform measures, one rule was intended to enforce strict gatekeeping: students were required to wear school badges. According to a report in The Morning Post on October 28, 1927, “A ‘Dragon-Horse Bearing a Diagram’ style badge designed by Li Xuying, a second-year female student in the Design Department of the school, has been adopted by the school authorities, and the student has been awarded a prize worth four yuan.”
In 1928, the Nationalist Government reorganized the national higher education system. In June, after the Northern Expedition Army pacified Beijing and renamed it Beiping, the National Beiping University was established. Consequently, the art school became the College of Arts of National Beiping University, remaining so until the end of 1933. When Li Xuying graduated in June 1929, her diploma bore the name “National Beiping University College of Arts.” The certificate stated Li Xuying was “currently twenty-nine years old,” which likely referred to her nominal (lunar) age. Her actual age at the time should be 26. By then, the Design Department had been renamed the Department of Applied Arts. At that time, the curriculum for Chinese painting and Western painting in the art college was essentially segregated; however, for Applied Fine Arts students, Chinese painting, sketching, and photography were all required courses in addition to their major subjects. At the graduate exhibition in late June 1929, Li Xuying’s Western paintings Thousand-Petal Lotus and Tuberose, as well as her design Summer Women’s Clothing Pattern, were all highly acclaimed works (Today’s New News, June 30, 1929).
After Lin Fengmian’s departure, his advocacy for combining Chinese and Western styles and absorbing folk art was suppressed in the official teaching curriculum. However, his ideas about forming societies, holding exhibitions, and promoting art to the public had taken root among the students and did not stagnate. During the graduation season, Li Xuying and her classmate Wang Lihua established the Xuli Design Society (Xuli Tu’an She) to showcase their works to society. The first exhibition was held by the Board of Directors at Zhongshan Park from July 12 to July 14, 1929. It displayed nearly one hundred works across eight categories: basic design, print design, textile design, ceramic design, metalwork design, woodwork design, architectural design, and composition. Huang Huaiying, Director of the Applied Arts Department, personally wrote the preface for the exhibition and introduced them to society, showing the high regard and support he had for the Xuli Design Society. The North China Daily (July 14, 1929) praised it as “the first perfect creation in the Beiping design world.”
Due to the exhibition’s broad acclaim, it was invited to reopen at the YMCA from July 19 to 21 of the same year, displaying essentially the same works as the first exhibition. During this time, Huang Huaiying told a reporter from Today’s New News: “Ms. Li and Ms. Wang are naturally gifted and possess learning that surpasses others. Not only are they exceptionally diligent during class, but they also work tirelessly during holidays. Aside from paper-based designs, they pay special attention to practical specimens, such as printing, plate-making, dyeing, and ceramics. Their grades are excellent, and they have long been famous throughout the school. Therefore, the designs they create are not only rigorous in thought and exquisite in drawing but are also perfect in terms of applicability and economy. This exhibition shines a dawn on the future of applied fine arts, a true blessing for the infinite future.” (Today’s New News, July 20, 1929).
Applied fine arts was not only a novelty in the Chinese art world at the time but also a new requirement for industrial development. The works of the Xuli Society represented not only the artistic pursuits of two young designers but also their determination to advocate for industry and bring glory to the nation. Subsequently, from July 25 to August 4, the works of the Xuli Design Society were exhibited again at the National Goods Exhibition Hall. “The two ladies are dedicated to practical drawings, turning trademarks, lace, carpets, wallpaper, porcelain, etc., into designs that are brilliant and beautiful, greatly benefiting the future of industry and commerce.” (North China Daily, July 25, 1929). Selected works from these exhibitions were later published in periodicals such as The Young Companion (Liangyou), Daya Pictorial, Yilin Ten-Day Review, and The Pictorial Times.
In September of the same year, the National Goods Exhibition Hall held a Pattern, Painting, and Calligraphy Art Exhibition in Tianjin. The exhibits were divided into four categories: Design, Western Painting, Chinese Painting, and Calligraphy. The design works were primarily creations by the Lifu Design Society and the Xuli Design Society. The Lifu Design Society was founded by Li Xuying’s seniors, Gao Shufang and Yang Lifu (who later stayed on as teaching assistants), during their student days. Both art societies originated from Yizhuan, yet their styles were distinct. The Lifu Society absorbed the abstract spirit of Western art, while the Xuli Society blended Japanese design with Chinese painting techniques. Each led the way in their own style, highlighting the strength of the School.
Regarding Li Xuying’s designs, scholar Li Shuang provided a detailed description in the article “Design Education at the National Beiping University College of Arts in the Late 1920s: A Study Centered on Design Societies.” An excerpt follows:
“The advertising design Lampshade created by Li Xuying uses a symmetrical structure. The central part uses a silhouette technique to depict two female figures under the light of a lamp. On the left and right sides of the image, the characters for ‘China Factory’ and ‘Refined Lampshade’ are displayed respectively, with the text stylized into the shape of a lampshade, cleverly combining textual information with visual information.
Li Xuying’s creation Color is a logo design for ‘Triangle Brand’ pigments. The work primarily uses a combination of graphic arrangement and text. The center of the image is an equilateral triangle with ‘Triangle Brand’ written inside. Three tube-shaped pigment graphics extend outward along the three sides, each decorated with a triangle to echo the theme. The three pigment tubes divide the entire image into three spaces, each filled with text in a ‘fitted pattern’ style (shihe wenyang), containing the words ‘National Art School,’ ‘Triangle Trademark,’ and ‘Design Color.’ The overall effect presents a radial shape expanding from the center. This purely rational emphasis on balance and regularity, especially the use of fitted patterns, is a design creation method derived from Japan.” (Zhejiang Arts and Crafts, 2023.1)
Yizhuan recruited female students and hired female teachers from its inception. However, in society during the 1920s, it was still a novelty for women to receive modern education just like men. Female students were the “modern girls” of that era, representatives of modern women, and newspapers often published recent photos of them. Perhaps because the Xuli Design Society’s exhibitions received so much attention, in addition to Li Xuying and Wang Lihua’s works, we can also see several photos of them on outings. Regardless of the reason for their publication, they remain for us later generations incredibly precious.
As mentioned earlier, starting from Lin Fengmian’s era, Yizhuan began retaining outstanding graduates as teaching assistants. However, Li Xuying did not go through the role of a teaching assistant; she was hired directly as a Lecturer, teaching the Basic Crafts Design course.