Monthly Archives: March 2012

Barges towed by a water buffalo

The domestic Asian water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is one of the most important animals of Asia.  It is used as an agricultural draught animal (including ploughing), and makes a direct contribution to food supplies with the its milk and as … Continue reading

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Drying noodles between sticks

There is an account of the traditional way of making  (‘swinging’) noodles by hand in ‘Classic Food of China’ (1992) by Yan-Kit So:  from dancing the dough to splitting it into noodle strands takes a noodle master about fifteen minutes, … Continue reading

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Water music

At this impromptu creekside concert, a record is being played for an audience gathered on the bank of a waterway.  One wonders what sort of music was played and what the audience thought of it.  The gramophone record player is … Continue reading

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Piazza Regina Elina, Italian Concession, Tientsin

Between 1860 and 1945, the Chinese port city of Tientsin (Tianjin) was the site of up to nine foreign-controlled concessions, as well as, temporarily, a multi-national military government (1900-02), and a series of evolving municipal administrations.  This photograph (Gr01-100) on … Continue reading

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Cat in the Chinese countryside

This one of several score portraits in the albums of Shanghai detective chief William Armstrong. They were taken in the years before he left China in 1927, when he was on houseboat holidays west of Shanghai in the Taihu region … Continue reading

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Dogs in Nanning, 1918

This photograph is one of two showing the domestic establishment of R.F.C. Hedgeland in 1918, when the Briton was Nanning Commissioner of the Chinese Maritime Customs. We have his ‘chair coolies’ in the back row, two other ‘coolies’ (his caption), … Continue reading

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A goose being taken to the home of a bride-to-be

  Apparently, at the Proposal Meeting (of the parents of the bride-to-be and her groom), the bridegroom’s family will present the bride’s family with a live goose. The bride’s family should not kill the goose and eat it, because the … Continue reading

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Bronze armillary, Peking Observatory, 1875

To mark the vernal equinox on Tuesday 20th March, this is a photograph by Thomas Child (1841-1898) of part of the Ancient (Imperial) Observatory in Peking (Beijing).  The equinox (a word from Latin, meaning ‘equal night’) heralds the start of … Continue reading

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Photographs of photographers: Maude Carrall

The ‘Blossoms’ looks like an orchard of either apple or cherry trees, which was probably in, or close to, Chefoo (Yantai).  It must have been a favourite springtime picnic spot for the Carrall family, as their photograph albums hold several … Continue reading

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1925 on the Nanjing road Shanghai, Bicyles, natty dressers, revolution

Another from Shanghai detective chief William Armstron’s albums. This is probably 1 June 1925, and it’s a view along the Nanjing road in Shanghai towards the Wing On department store. The crowd at the junction ahead are gathered around a … Continue reading

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