Shanghai tram posters
Date
Credits
- Unknown 104 Photographer
Format
- Poster 1916
- Photograph 174
Locations Made
- China 55
- Shanghai Shi 13
- Shanghai 13
This photograph depicts a tram with two principle posters on its front, both of which communicate the upcoming change in traffic flow, namely that vehicles were to change to driving on the right. The poster on the left communicates this only through text, naming New Years Day of 1946 as when this change would begin. The poster on the right communicates this with text and imagery, depicting what appears to be a man directing a car to the right side of the road, with large text over his head saying something like “Drive to the right!” (according to google translate).
One element that contributed to this change was the United State's presence (and thus, right-side driving tendencies) in China during the second Sino-Japanese war (1937-1945) (Britannica, Wenhui.whb.cn).
This is an interesting example of public transportation being used as a means of communicating important public information to the general populace.
