Twenty-four enchanting images of China now available to us thanks to quite the unexpected source.
Try to remember back to the days before the Internet. People communicated by phone or mailed letters; news from abroad took longer than 10 seconds to find; in order to learn about different countries you had to open a book and copy things down.
That goes for teachers too. Back before you could just Google China, teacher Stella Garrison used these photos to teach her students (in her one-room school in Nebraska) about China and Chinese culture. Originally published by Keystone View Company, Stella received the pictures and their accompanying descriptions from her state’s superintendent’s office..
Stella’s son, now-retired US Department of State officer Richard Garrison, recently gifted his mother’s antique photo collection to the Chinese Embassy in the US, carrying out her wishes that the photos one day be returned to the Chinese people.
Thankfully, nowadays we do have the Internet and the means to digitize anachronisms. So, without further ado, enter 1930s, Republican era China:
▼ The Great Wall of China on the Rugged Hills Near Nankou Pass
▼ And accompanying description
▼ The Bund and the Huangpu River, Shanghai
▼ The Temple of Heaven in Beijing
▼ On a street in Beijing
▼ A peddler grinding soy beans with a hand-mill
▼ A caravan of camels outside the city walls of Beijing
▼ Transplanting rice in China
▼ The Empress Dowager’s Marble Boat in the Summer Palace
▼ A picturesque thoroughfare in Hong Kong
▼ Contrasts on a modern street in Canton
▼ The treasury building, Canton
▼ On the promenade of Macao
▼ Witches’ mountain and the Yangtze River
▼ The bride and bridegroom of the Chinese stage, Canton
▼ Unloading tea at Hankow, the great tea market of interior China
▼ Foochow Road, Shanghai
▼ A free milk station in Peiping
▼ A huge sentry on the road to Ming Tombs
▼ The shop of a wicker ware merchant
▼ A vegetable garden in Nanking
▼ The Interior of Joss House Tieantsin
▼ The ruins of Chapei
▼ Entrance to Canton University
▼ State Square, Victoria, Hong Kong
We didn’t include all of the descriptions here, but if you’d like to see them, visit the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America website. They are full of interesting information and enhance the time-machine effect of these fascinating photos.
Sources/Images: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the United States of America via Shaghaiist
French journalist’s photos of 1930s Shanghai take us back in time【Photos】
In pictures: Everyday life in China and Hong Kong, 1868-1872【Photos】
Japanese company selling bear-proof automatic doors
China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning seems to be affecting Osaka’s Namba and Dotonbori neighborhoods
Viral 3D ice creams land in Japan… but are they worth the hype?
Toyota City civil servant arrested for using government access to run a detective agency
Uniqlo Ukiyo-e Blue T-shirts: A cool-hued reinterpretation of some of Japan’s greatest paintings
This Osaka laundromat wants to clean more than your clothes; it also wants to clean you
Studio Ghibli adds new Kiki’s Delivery Service music box to its anime merchandise shop in Japan
Are these normal Japanese things weird to you? 10 things that might surprise you when you visit Japan
All-you-can-ride Shinkansen deal coming to Japan for a limited time
Discovery of Death Note-inspired hit list in New Hampshire school has families on high alert
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Japan considering raising international traveler departure tax even more than previously reported
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Shibuya’s Don Quijote?
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowd sizes in Nara?
Studio Ghibli stamps lift your spirits with motivational phrases from Totoro
Japanese town suing resident for being a jerk
Is Kyoto less crowded with tourists after China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning?【Photos】
You can now buy a Japanese train station clock in Japan
Japanese police attempting to clamp down on “zombie cigarettes”
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods and a rhinestone tumbler that costs 19,500 yen
Real-world Nausicaa Ghibli anime glider completes its final flight in Japan【Video】
Brand-new Pokémon park opens in Japan with larger-than-life-size Lapras【Photos】
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood?
The 10 best day trips from downtown Tokyo【Survey】
Naturally brown-haired Osaka student sues government for forcing her to dye her hair black
Japanese government considering tripling departure taxes to combat overtourism
Unique inclined elevator in Japan leads to a town that inspired Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Leave a Reply