Iconographies of Occupation Visual Cultures in Wang Jingwei’s China, 1939–1945

During the tumultuous years of Japanese occupation, from 1939 to 1945, a distinct and complex visual culture emerged within Wang Jingwei's Reorganized National Government (RNG) in China. This administration, often characterized as collaborationist, embarked on an ambitious project to forge a visual identity for itself, its leader, and the Chinese people under its dominion. It sought to carve out a unique visual space, one that both drew upon established pre-war Chinese iconography and assimilated techniques, symbols, and visual tropes from the occupying Japanese and their allies.

The visual landscape of this era was a fragmented tapestry woven from propaganda, print culture, graphic art, photography, cinema, painting, public art, and ephemeral pictorials. Beyond static images, the performative aspects of political culture, including dramatic arts and public spectacles, also played a crucial role in shaping perceptions. The RNG endeavored to project an image of legitimacy and authority, crafting a narrative through these diverse media to sway the populace.

Central to this visual strategy was the careful curation of Wang Jingwei's image. His likeness was disseminated through various portraits, often depicting him as a military leader or a diplomat meeting with other Pan-Asian figures. These images were circulated as political gifts, displayed in offices and classrooms, and reproduced in pro-Wang publications, echoing the ritualistic trappings of pre-war Chinese statecraft. Even in death, Wang's funeral procession and photographs were orchestrated to mirror those of Sun Yat-sen, a deliberate attempt to solidify his claim as Sun's rightful successor. Yet, despite these efforts, Wang's public persona remained inconsistent, shifting between revolutionary, martyr, and even a sex symbol for educated women, reflecting the inherent instability of the regime's message.

An "occupied gaze" began to form, extending beyond official propaganda into commercial interests and advertisements. This phenomenon saw products, even gonorrhea pills, being marketed with war messaging, explicitly linking medicinal benefits to political awareness, such as "eradicating communism." This blending of the mundane with the political underscored the pervasive nature of the visual influence the RNG attempted to wield.

However, this carefully constructed visual world was constantly challenged by the realities of occupation. The very credibility of the RNG was undermined by its ultimate reliance on Japanese acquiescence for survival, leading to a lack of coherence in its iconography. While the administration borrowed heavily from Republican-era iconography, tied itself to Sun Yat-sen, and alluded to well-known historical narratives through public spectacle and ceremony, the visual record reveals an administration never fully in control of its own destiny or its messaging. The fragmented iconographies developed over the RNG's short existence mirrored its broader failures to legitimize itself militarily, politically, and diplomatically in the eyes of the people it governed.