The term “360 professions” refers to all trades and occupations in society. As the saying goes, “Everyone has their own line of work, whether it's beating a gong or selling candy.” The concept of professions has been recorded since the Tang Dynasty, with 36 professions documented. In the Song Dynasty, Zhou Hui's “Qingbo Zazhi” lists various professions such as butchers, seafood sellers, condiment makers, fruit and flower vendors, fresh fish sellers, cosmetic sellers, tailors, herbal medicine shops, basket weavers, coffin makers, antique dealers, potters, forensic experts, musicians, acrobats, leather workers, etc.
How did the number evolve from 36 to 360? According to Xu Ke's “Qing Pai Leicao – Agriculture and Commerce Section,” “36 professions refer to various vocations. When you roughly estimate based on their division of labor, it is said to be 36 professions; doubled, it becomes 72; multiplied by ten, it becomes 360.” It is evident that “360 professions” is just an approximate number, and since ancient times, the number of occupational categories far exceeded 360, even 3,600 would not cover them. However, “360 professions” is merely a general figure. Over time, people have gotten used to this collective term for all professions, as it is convenient to say and pleasant to hear, so even today, when referring to professions, they are still generally called the “360 professions.”
In the early 20th century, in old China, many foreign-run tobacco companies were established in Shanghai, followed by numerous domestic tobacco factories founded by Chinese capitalists. To compete for the cigarette market, both foreign and domestic tobacco companies devised a new marketing strategy: including a small picture card with each pack of cigarettes. These cards were commonly known as “cigarette brand pictures” in Shanghai and “hairpin pictures” in Tianjin, now collectively referred to as cigarette cards.
These were not only gifts but also advertisements for the tobacco companies. The content on the cigarette cards was rich and varied, featuring characters from classical Chinese novels like “Dream of the Red Chamber” and “Water Margin,” Peking Opera masks, animals and plants, opera figures, beauties, and more. Many tobacco companies published “360 Professions” cigarette brand pictures, with different versions. Although their versions varied, they depicted similar occupations such as noodle sellers, barbers, cotton fluffers, sweet potato roasters, dancers, prostitutes, and others.
Mr. Feng Yiyou's father, Mr. Feng Sunmei, was a renowned collector of cigarette cards. He was obsessed with collecting these small picture cards and spent decades pursuing his hobby with great enthusiasm, becoming unrivaled in old Shanghai. He had exhibited his collection publicly on several occasions, earning him the nickname of the “Cigarette Brand King of Shanghai.” Now that the “king” has passed away for many years, before his death, he donated many of his cigarette cards to relevant museums and passed down over 3,000 of them to his son, Feng Yiyou. Following in his father's footsteps, influenced since childhood, Feng Yiyou also developed a love for cigarette cards. He spared no expense in collecting thousands of additional cards. Among his collection are different versions of “360 Professions” cigarette cards. Though incomplete, they reflect some basic information about the old “360 Professions” in China.
Nowadays, cigarette cards from seventy or eighty years ago have become rare items. Upon learning that Feng Yiyou collected “360 Professions” cigarette cards, collectors and folklorists have flocked to borrow them, some for research purposes, others simply out of curiosity. However, nearing old age, Feng Yiyou finds it difficult to accommodate the demands of so many borrowers, leading him to consider publishing a book on the 360 Professions cigarette cards.
Additionally, the 36 professions are a collective term for the main industries of Tang Dynasty society, reflecting the division of labor at the time. The 36 professions led to the popular classification of 72 or 360 professions in Chinese folklore.
The discussion of the 36 professions can be found in Zhou Hui's “Qingbo Zazhilu.” Xu Ke writes in the “Qing Pai Leicao – Agriculture and Commerce Section,” “The 36 professions refer to various occupations. When you roughly estimate based on their division of labor, it is said to be 36 professions; doubled, it becomes 72; multiplied by ten, it becomes 360.” It is clear that 36 is not a specific number but rather an approximate figure.
It's akin to the phrase “twelve years in the same trade, unaware that Mulan was a woman”
Or terms like “waterfall plummeting three thousand feet”
Here, it describes a large number of professions, with everyone contributing their own efforts.
Major Professions
The 36 professions specifically refer to: butchers, cosmetic sellers, tailors, jade merchants, ball and treasure traders, silk merchants, hemp traders, jewelry sellers, paper merchants, seafood sellers, fresh fish sellers, stationery sellers, tea merchants, bamboo and wood sellers, rice and wine merchants, ironware sellers, embroidery artisans, needlework makers, soup shop owners, herbal medicine sellers, basket weavers, forensic experts, shamans, postal couriers, potters, coffin makers, leather workers, antique dealers, condiment sellers, firewood sellers, net makers, textile traders, acrobats, lottery sellers, musicians, and fruit and flower sellers.