Paul French
@chinarhyming
Author of Midnight in Peking, City of Devils, Murders of Old China, Peking Noir, The Defectors, Her Lotus Year. The Last Emperor of China is out this August. Return to the City of Darkness - Kowloon Walled City now on BBCSounds. Agent - Aitken-Alexander
The Bell Tower (Zhonglou) in Peking originally built 1272. The existing structure was reconstructed in 1745 to improve fire resistance. more open ground in front than today & low level hutongs behind & to the sides, most of which remain in differing states of upkeep. from an album dated 1928.
The sacrificial altar, Temple of Heaven, Peking, photographed by John David Zumbrun of Camera Craft (Legation Street), c.1920s
This shot of the Shanghai Bund must have been taken from the spire of Gilbert Scott’s Holy Trinity Church (aka the “Red Church”), c.1869 that still stands (despite Red Guards and fire) at the northern end of the Bund on Jiujiang Lu.
Austrian author Vicki Baum’s head shot for the promotional tour for 1937: Hotel Shanghai (aka Shanghai '37 and first printed in the UK under the title Nanking Road)
A 1933 colonial HK take on yuefenpai, Shanghai’s calendar posters. This one from Fletcher & Co, chemists and general traders (in HK since 1841) of Queen’s Road Central. The portrait is by Stanley Davis, a NZ artist who worked for NZ Railways Ad Dept.
The Hatamen Street Arches (Chongwenmen), David Zumbrun of Camera Craft Studio of Legation Street, c.1920s
English, Hong Kong-born, Bernard Leach(1887-1979) attended the Slade and the London School of Art, studying etching under the legendary Frank Brangwyn. Taught and studied art in Japan 1909-1920. In 1918 he visited Peking and produced this soft ground etching on paper of the “Chen mun” (Qianmen) Gate
Two new books on World War Two in China/Asia by accomplished historians - Hans Van den Ven, Professor of Modern Chinese History at Cambridge on the regional war and Stephen R Platt, Professor of Chinese history at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on the legendary Evans Carlson….
Elizabeth Keith was a Scottish artist whose works were significantly influenced travel to Japan, Korea & China. A collection of plates of Keith’s Asian work published by The Studio (London) in their series Masters of the Colour Print with an introduction on Keith by art critic Malcolm C Salaman.
A boat on the Min River in Sichuan, a tributary of the upper Yangtze, running the rapids…
A Chinese School “View of Macau”, c.1850s (though I think it may actually be earlier) A lot of interesting detail… The Chapel of Our Lady of Penha & Penha Hill Macao’s egg boats & sampans the Praia Grande with a foreigner or I’m not sure what the large building behind with two domes is meant to be?
My latest column for Macau Closer and Ponto Final in Macao - remembering 1967’s Macao/Hong Kong-set Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven B-Movie remake Kill A Dragon with Jack Palace…. (Illustration by Rai Rasquinho)
Wood engraving “Sketches of Life in China: Gambling House in Macao”, Harrap’s Weekly, 1873, from the original by Horace Harral. As Harral never visited Macao he must have worked at his Fleet Street desk from a now anonymous sketch done in situ.
Zhang Daqian, Originally known as a guohua painter he evolved as an expressionist painter. He was also a legendary and highly talented forger!! These works contained in ‘Fine Letter Papers From the Beijing Rongbaozhai Studio’ (Xinji Shijian Pu) published by Rong Bao Zhai, Beijing, 1953.
Distressed Chinese spelter jewellery/trinket/cigarette box. Late 19th/early 20th century. Top left character is 壽 (Shou), which translates to longevity or long life. Right hand is 福 (fú), which is commonly translated as "good fortune" or "happiness".
The notoriously back jarring, shock absorber and rubber tyre free Peking cart complete with irritable mule. Nobody missed their passing….
Qi Baishi birds from ‘Fine Letter Papers From the Beijing Rongbaozhai Studio’ (Xinji Shijian Pu) published by Rong Bao Zhai, Beijing, 1953. Bamboo Partridge, Duck and Myna Bird….
Mat making at the Boys’ Blind School, Foochow (Fuzhou), date unknown
Members of the Boys’ Blind School Band, Foochow (Fuzhou), date unknown…
Bridal sedan chair, unknown location, date: given characters on the wall refer to “Republic of China” then after 1912.