History of nude modeling in China

Although nudity in art was not an uncommon sight in ancient China, figure drawing -- a study of the human form in its various shapes and poses, was introduced to China as a modern western art in the 1910s.

In 1914, artist and teacher Li Shutong opened China's first figure drawing class in a teacher's school in eastern China's Zhejiang Province. The class however did not receive much public attention as it was strictly limited to the students in the school.

That same year, Liu Haisu, a painter excelling both at Chinese painting as well as oil painting, initiated figure drawing course at a Shanghai art school.

When Liu tried to find a nude model to pose for his students, he encountered many problems. At first, he could only find a 15-year-old boy, but one adolescent model would simply not suffice. He needed an adult model as well.

Liu offered potential candidates a handsome pay and eventually found a man willing to take on the job. But the man regretted doing so the moment he stepped into the classroom. In the end, Liu persuaded the man to take off all his clothes and this man went on to become China's first nude model.

The first female nude model in the country appeared in 1920, but she was actually a Belarusian.

The first public controversy regarding nude models occurred in 1917, when Liu's school held a student art exhibition including several examples of nude drawings. This immediately sparked public uproar and Liu was denounced as a "traitor of arts" and the "rotten apple amidst teachers".