This silent film shows a tour of China and was likely shot in the early 1930s as a promotional film for a tourism company. Some title cards are marked “Wonders of the World” which might suggest it was also simply a commercial release of a travel record.
Most of what you see in this film no longer exists. At :59 a “one wheel taxi” — a wheelbarrow carried by a very strong Chinese man — is shown. At 1:28 the houses of farmers are seen and at 1:38 a man poses with a child. At 1:47 a street scene in a rural area is shown. At 1:55 men pull rickshaws through the streets of Shanghai and at 2:00 men tow a cart loaded with lumber. At 2:20 metal poles are moved by a gang of men, their hands behind their backs. At 3:10 men tow a roller as a road is constructed. At 3:20 keelboats ply the river loaded with sacks of rice. At 4:00 a Chinese junk is seen on the water.
At 4:20 a trip by rail to North China is shown. At 4:37 the train rides past what appears to be small boats. At 4:45 formal dining aboard the train is shown. At 4:51 the Tientsin East train station is shown. At 5:00 a large pagoda is shown near Tientsin.
At 5:17 a card says “The Great Wall of China” and the film shows views of tourists being carried on sedan chairs to see the edifice. At 6:59 the tour by train continues to Peiping / Peking / Beijing, where camels are seen in the streets (7:10). At 8:48 children and women with bound feet are shown. At 9:11 the film progresses through the Chien Men Gate into the Tartar City, or inner city of the Beijing wall defenses. At 9:35 the South Gate is shown and glimpses of the Imperial City and Temple of Heaven (10:40) and Altar of Heaven.
At 11:27 a Chinese man is shown eating noodles and at 11:30 a barber is shown working on a man’s ponytail. At 12:30 a young child is seen. At 12:40 an “elaborate funeral in China” is shown. The film ends with more shots from the train including of a pagoda and at 15:40 of sailing vessels moving up a narrow canal or river. At 15:46 a marina of sorts is shown as the film comes to an end.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
