1929 TRIP TO CHINA & JAPAN 16mm FILM TRAIN TRIP ON KAGOSHIMA & TIANJIN RAILROAD LINES 19864

Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Browse our products on Amazon: This silent 16mm film, shot in 1929 or possibly the early 1930s, depicts an art dealer or a bespectacled corpulent businessman’s trip to Japan, China, and possibly Taiwan. He is joined by two associates – a gaunt tall European man and a Northern Chinese Quing-era-style-merchant-looking man. They are also seen being accompanied by an Imperial Japanese Army officer. The sights in this movie include Orio station of the Kagoshima line and the railway running along to Kokura and Mojiko, an ordinary street, possibly in Japanese Taiwan or post-Marco-Polo bridge incident China, a train station somewhere in the Northern China on the Nanjing to Tianjin line. Hukou waterfalls on the Yellow river and the port of Tianjin are also shown 0:07 A solemn-looking woman 0:11 The bespectacled gentleman and a young woman are eating a Christmas meal amidst festive decorations together with an older man, possibly the bespectacled gentleman’s father. 0:51 Carving the piping-hot turkey 1:05 A train station in Japan or Taiwan, if Japan - possibly Tenjin, Hakata or Mojiko on the Kagoshima line. If Taiwan – unknown station - possibly Taibei or Takao(Kaohsiung) – as main port cities, of the then-rapidly developing Japanese colonial Taiwan. An old Asian man, wearing a hat stands with his back to the cameraman. The hustle and bustle of an arriving train. 1:22 Jinrikisha in front of a train station, possibly Mojiko or Hakata. A car dealership in the background 1:29 A city street. On the right side - “Western-style food and Japanese food“ advertising 1:40 On the building on the left side of the shot - “ Tendon (mixed rice bowl style food), Oyakodon, sushi, pickles (tsukemono) etc.“ Sign on top of an eatery and “Tendon oyakodon“ (chicken and egg ricebowl dish) 1:49 Bespectaled gentleman selecting antique Chinese vases 2:19 Gentleman selecting Japanese Noh theater masks 2:40 An antiques shop.2:47 one of the four level crossings at the Orio station, Kyushu, Kagoshima line. 2:55 Train, leaving the Orio station of the Kagoshima line. 3:00 Luggage handler with a cart with «  Orio line  » written on it. 3:04 Crossing the Kanayama river Dokai bay/Kanegama river with log rafts floating in it 3:06 Nakamotsu public bath.中持湯 3:16 Honshu seen from Kyuushu, across Shimonoseki or Oseto strait, seascape with junks, and a prolonged shot towards the steam engine. 3:51 Meeting up with the a group of Chinese men, presumably merchants, in Northern China. Based on a native speaker lip-reading, both Mandarin Chinese and English phrases are being spoken. 4:51 in another location, Northern China, waiting for a train. A tall, gaunt European gentleman, together with our anonymous bespectacled man, accompanied by a station officer and luggage carrier and a Japanese army officer. :58 The tall man walking towards the cameraman 5:09 A Qing-era silken embroidered fur coat and fur hat-wearing Chinese man, possibly a business associate, approaches. 5:19 Two more cap-wearing station workers join in the conversation. 5:39 Group continues to talk while a senior Imperial Japanese Army officer walks by. 5 :47 The bespectacled man talking with the Qing-style clothing-wearing Chinese man. 5:53 Tall gaunt man listening in. 6:08 All three stare at the floor 6:28 The train has arrived. 6:39 The train line in the background goes from the Mukden, Liaoning province, to Nanjing and, as shown by the panel – incidentally written in large characters in English, and in small characters in Traditional Chinese – to the Shanhai Great Wall in Hebei province. 6:46 The train they’re taking is the one from Tianjin (Metropolitan City, similar to Beijing and Shanghai) to Pukou district of Nanjing. 7:03 The Chinese man and the two Europeans go onto the train. 7:17 Bespectacled man reading in the lounge carriage on the train, notices the camera and says something 7:39 A rampart with an unpaved trade road, possibly Shanhaiguan (Shanghai pass) or Tianjin itself 7:40 A caravan of Gobi camels passing by on the dusty road 8:52 Yellow Mountain (Hengshan) hanging pine 9:08 views from the train – a logging village 9:13 fields and sparse dwellings 9:31-9:45 Hukou waterfalls 9:45 Port of Tianjin and the ship they’re taking, from a high vantage point. City and the port is covered with mist and smoke. 10:09 A single-funnel combined passenger and cargo steamer 10:23 Daily life on the passenger deck 11:09 A man and a woman enter and play with a heavy-looking basketball. 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
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