This film is part of Free
Tientsin Street Scenes 1 (1929)
Fascinating snapshots of life in Tianjin, northern China's largest coastal city.
Overview
This fascinating amateur film is one of only two film records of Tianjin (then Tientsin) in this collection. It offers a series of intriguing snapshots of life in northern China's largest coastal city: ornate buildings, a majestic pailou archway, temples, rickshaws and street sellers. There are a striking number of faces too - one group of children seem utterly captivated by the camera.
Since the mid-19th century, Tianjin has been a major sea-port and gateway to neighbouring Beijing. This film was shot two years after Tianjin was established as a municipality of China. The filmmaker, J.G. Thomson, was a keen amateur who also made films of Egypt, Japan, the Philippines and Singapore. His collection was donated to the BFI in 1999.
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