Research On The Beauty Contest In The Newspaper Of Youxi Bao

The Beauty Contest activities lasted for a long time, dating back to late Ming Dynasty, but it is also said that the similar activities emerged from Song Dynasty. However, it wasn't until 1897 when Li Boyuan ,a learned person and writer in late Qing Dynasty, organized on a large scale by using the new media, the newspaper, Youxi Bao, as a platform, with "the amount of letters" as standard to ascertain honored prostitutes. From that time on, it attracted the public attention and participation. The Beauty Contest also brought him a huge financial benefits, which was considered as the origin of modern beauty economy. By looking over Youxibao and referring to Chen Wuwo's The 30 Years Description of Old Shanghai , we have made a general inquiry into activities of that entertainment and also pondered over the influences of the Western culture on the Beauty Contest in the late Qing Dynasty from three aspects: the "new Literati ", the modern mass media of newspapers and the means of electoral voting.