Blog - The "Museum Of Foreign Brand Advertising In The Republic Of China" - or "民國中外廣告微博物館" in Chinese - is a private collection located in Shanghai, China. It showcases the captivating history of Western brands advertising & selling to Chinese consumers during the Golden Age of the First Republic of China 1911 to 1948.
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Original 1930s Kirin beer trays, bottles, glass, beer opener and a photograph with a Kirin poster visible. From the MOFBA collection. Did you know that the name of Japan’s famous Kirin beer has a fascinating journey through Africa and China? Here is the story, told through artefacts from our collection… Original 1930s Kirin-branded bottle opener. From the MOFBA collection. Kirin beer originated in…
Suchard Milka and Velma chocolate bars advertisement in The China Journal, May 1930. From the MOFBA collection. For a brief period, Suchard attempted to market its famous Milka and lesser-known Velma chocolate brand in Old China. This 1930 advert from our collection is the only known surviving relic of an effort by the Swiss manufacturer to sell in a category that was notoriously difficult at the…
1928 Huacheng Tobacco calendar poster by Zhang Dihan (张荻寒). From the MOFBA collection. Cal 1936 My Dear cigarettes advertisement on a Shanghai public bus Few companies commissioned commercial illustration as consistently or as successfully during Republican China as Huacheng Tobacco Co. (華成煙草公司). Until 1949, it published over 16,500 ads in China’s most influential newspaper – the Shenbao. The…
1920s advertising poster for the "New Year Brand" by the Huaxin Textile Co., Ltd. From the MOFBA collection. The Huaxin Textile Co., Ltd. (华新纺织股份有限公司) was founded 1919 in Tianjin by the prominent industrialist Zhou Xuexi (周学熙, 1866–1947), often called one of the "Northern Industrial Giants". This advertising poster for it's "New Year" brand, from our collection, shows two men in traditional robes…
1932 Hankow Herald Christmas supplement. From the MOFBA collection. Printed at the height of Hankow’s treaty-port era, this 1932 Christmas supplement of the Hankow Herald from our collection depicts a city shaped by foreign concessions, international and local banks, and a distinctive blend of expatriate and Chinese urban culture along the Yangtze. The Ningpo Commercial Bank in Hankow, a…
Late 1930s advertising flyer for Eng Aun Tong Tiger Balsam in Shanghai featuring Liang Caishan. From the MOFBA collection. Tiger Balm is one of the most recognized Chinese brands in the world, yet few know of its international origin story, its eccentric founders & that at one point it was even banned in China. Let's take this 1930s ad from our collection to explore the famous ointments history.…
1926 Navy YMCA Map of Shanghai with Nestle Nut-Milk advertisement and matching original chocolate bar. From the MOFBA collection. This exquisite 1926 map of Shanghai features an ad for Nestlé chocolate of which we also have an original packaging in our collection. Researching it, we came across the fascinating story how the well-known brand crowdsourced its first English & Chinese slogans for the…
Original 1929 Chinese calendar poster advertisement for CIBA (Society of Chemical Industry in Basle) in Shanghai, China. From the MOFBA collection. Novartis is one of world’s largest pharma corporations and was formed in 1996 by the merger of Ciba-Geigy & Sandoz – originally three independent businesses all from the same small town of Basel, which is strategically located in Switzerland on the…
Chinese Coca-Cola ad commemorating the 1948 7th Chinese National Games in Shanghai. From the MOFBA collection. First ad in China referencing Coca-Cola, 1916. Coca-Cola had been available in China since the early 20th century, when bottles were first imported from Coca-Cola’s manufacturing base in the Philippines . The American soft drink was advertised by Shanghai restaurants catering to…
Original 1920s & 1930s Vaseline Chinese print ads and packaging. From the MOFBA collection. Vaseline is one of the most recognized brands globally and these artefacts from our collection showcase how over 100 years ago, the famous petroleum jelly already found its way into Chinese households, becoming a trusted name in health and beauty. Vaseline’s origins go back to 1859 when Robert Chesebrough,…
