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Appearance Politics
Legitimacy Building in Late Imperial and Modern China
Brief Description
Appearance Politics, by Lex Lu, argues that crafting an appealing and powerful outward image has long been a critical political tool in China. This strategy is evident in historical records, imperial portraits, physiognomic assessments, photographs, posters, statues, and digital images. Using rare archival materials from Beijing,...
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Description
Appearance Politics, by Lex Lu, argues that crafting an appealing and powerful outward image has long been a critical political tool in China. This strategy is evident in historical records, imperial portraits, physiognomic assessments, photographs, posters, statues, and digital images.
Using rare archival materials from Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanjing, Lu explores how political figures designed their images and examines the shifting standards of male beauty that shaped their choices.
The book analyses five case studies: Ming Prince Zhu Di's usurpation; the rise of Manchu masculinity and blended Han-Manchu beauty standards under Emperor Yongzheng; modern photography and Western beauty ideals in the early twentieth century; Sun Yat-sen's crafted image as the Republican founding father; and Mao Zedong's iconic visual legacy.
Through this empirical, nuanced study, Appearance Politics challenges stereotypical portrayals of Chinese male leadership in Western media and scholarship, offering a richer understanding of appearance as a deliberate political strategy.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781501787447
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 15 May 2026
Country: United States
Imprint: Cornell University Press
Illustration: 35 Halftones, black and white - 26 Halftones, color
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Width: 152.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 0g
Pages: 324
About the Author
Lex Lu is Associate Professor in History at Clark University. His research focuses on conceptualization of masculinity, as well as changing male beauty standards, as they pertain to Chinese politics, society, and culture.
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