The Lost World Of Qing China Captured On Film

Renowned filmmaker Christopher Doyle narrates this uniquely vivid picture of Chinese history through film, compiled with exclusive access to the British Film Institute China collection. These never-seen-before films provide new insights into China’s momentous changes, from the first ever Chinese film in the Qing dynasty through to the Communist era.
Silk Road is your guide through the storied history of the Far East. Our channel delves into the vibrant histories of the Far East and the Middle East, uncovering the hidden stories of empires, traders, and cultures that flourished along the fabled Silk Road. With fascinating new documentaries uploaded every single week, be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out.
Silk Road is part of the Little Dot Studios Network. To get in touch please email [e-mail].

[@fayekimball3538]

A real treasure of "how it was daily" for those living at that time. These bits of film are priceless. The few modern of our era who speak in this documentary clarify what is seen & what was normal in that era. Wonderful documentary. Thank you for sharing.😊

[@evelinharmannfan7191]

The best documentary about 19th and 20th Century Chinese History I have ever seen.

[@CrossOfBayonne]

World War II also struck China in the Second Sino Japanese War part of the Asiatic Pacific theatre in 1937, Many Chinese civilians were brutally murdered by Japanese soldiers most infamously at Nanjing where a massacre took place

[@coreycox2345]

I wish my undergraduate course, "The History of Western Civilization," had been zoomed out and called "The History of the World." I didn't realize how much I had missed until I was older. Thank you for this.

[@jeanninemalek693]

what I liked about this documentary is how happy those people were the smile they all have as they seemed just content with whatever they were doing 😊 ❤

[@ladyhawk5245]

Thank you for posting this on the web. Very important for the young people to see this. It's how it was..where the grandparents came from. 💕😊🇨🇦

[@go2yourself]

Highly educational about China and film

[@Gorilla007-r6t]

The most fascinating thing I have ever seen !

[@herbertvonsauerkrautunterh2513]

I need to film around my home town. It's already not a town anymore and a huge tract of farm land is destined to become a micro city. I didn't like it and will end up leaving

[@angela_somanythings5670]

Yes !! Please do!! Post them on your channel! Start recording noticeable changes too!!

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

Welche Stadt soll denn das sein?

[@60xx]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@francinebarr1204]

❤ Thank You Fantastic Video

[@hollyhalter9237]

This is amazing. Thank you!

[@supremacy2040]

This film has shown me how far Chinese society has come. The film was talking about how this was shot from a “westernised” perspective that probably was made to film China in a certain perspective, which made me realise that if you go on any Chinese platform where someone has uploaded a video of their “Chinese perspective” all you see of America from a Chinese viewpoint is drugs in Philadelphia and homeless in California and shooting range vids. There is rarely any uploads of videos from a positive perspective about the US. Thousands of videos of homeless and drug addicts are uploaded from Chinese people today, going to America just to This type of perspective of “western society”. So I was struck by the term “westernised lens” when I just not long ago spent a good hour on chinese socials trying to find anything positive about the west from a Chinese perspective. Seems like revenge in a way even though I see lots of amazing Chinese history that was captured in many “colonial eras”

[@michaellehane4800]

The mere fact that Chinese women at that time had bound feet showed quite clearly that their respective relationships were anything but equal…. I found it fascinating that one of the women commentating said she thought the couple shown eating looked ‘equal’, and how nice that was to see. Wow ! She must live under a rock..

[@os2958]

True but we have a form of voluntary foot binding here in the west - it's called heels. High heel shows ruin our health but women have to wear them to be considered beautiful, mariageable

[@TheEmmaLucille]

@@os2958 Most absurd comparaison ever...

[@Patriot1789]

@@os2958 Ah, but we are not obligated to wear high heels and those women had no choice. Big difference.

[@DL-idk]

@@os2958Well, I don’t know about you, but there’s no obligation for women to wear heels at least where I live. You can always take them off after work. They normally don’t break your bones like foot binding would certainly do unless you wear them for way too long than you should. A proper foot binding would take more than a year to slowly break down the bones in 5-6 year-old girls (they have to start with children or the feet wouldn’t be able to reach the desired size). It was mostly done by the girl’s mother and other women experienced with the process. The kids were forced to walk on broken feet and they would scream and cry, described by some as “the most disturbing noise in the world”. Not all people were pro foot binding back then. Manchu didn’t do that. The practice was specific to Han Chinese. Some Han scholars accused the practice as being unnecessarily cruel to innocent young kids. But the the trend was stronger than their voices, especially after Manchu’s taking over. The Han Chinese stuck even harder to their own tradition out of the spit (Manchu tried to abolish the practice alongside many other Han Chinese traditions, like the men’s hairstyles (they succeed with the men’s hair, but failed to free women’s feet unfortunately). Foot binding is child abuse and it is brutal. It’s purposely creating disability in people on a large scale for no good reason(you won’t be able to walk properly with bond feet. Some muscles would rot and drop off in the process. Some people would have their entire toe drop off, and whatever toes that didn’t would be dead anyway). Heels simply can’t compare.

[@laurastabell2489]

It wasnt practices by normal people, only elite. It was creating a product that showed status. A man whose wife couldnt walk had to have servants. That woman was held a kind of captive in a gilded cage. Having a hobbled wife was a status symbol though. Im sire many parents hobbled their girls to try to marry them up. Marriage contracts were arranged at a young age. You could pre- order your hobbled wife. You can see the age difference. He probably was an older man with money. You wouldnt marry your daughter to a poor man. He couldnt afford to keep her. We have modern versioen of useless status wives here and now. Just not so extreme! America was the opposite for years. Probably because we came from pioneers whose capable women worked beside their men. In times of need, like war, American women ran everything- farm, household, businesses and worked at everything so men could go. The same for ship captains wives that engaged in the China trade. Now, nail polish keeps them helpless! Its todays foot binding only on hands. At least it can be removed- but will it? Helplessness in a woman has its rewards apparently! Even today.

[@mellowmaureen]

Thoroughly enjoyed this documentary. I have seen most of these clips before but the commentary added by scholars is priceless. Enjoy chinese history but most intrigued by the Qing Dynesty. BTW barber is kinda hot 🙂

[@Brembelia]

I have always been fascinated by China, but this interest has always been limited to dynastic China. I have never seen these film before, so I find them most interesting. Thank you for posting them. I really appreciate it and them.

[@KerrieRedgate]

I thought he was, too!

[@mellowmaureen]

@@KerrieRedgate 😅

[@niaaavatar]

Spectacular. Thanks

[@angelicaholiday7755]

Auspicious! Hungry for more please. Thank you

[@clarelynch5860]

I really enjoyed this video. I knew very little about these times in China, and they were far more complex than I realised. Seeing the Chinese people of the early 1900s relative to China today puts the history of their struggles into context I think. Today China is a world power; they have come so far.

[@chrisgreek4285]

SUPER interesting!!

[@SWMLOOJ20]

14:38, thats my people haha im glad that they were taken in this film

[@SusanRaickle]

That's so awesome!

[@AM-xo7lr]

Miao/Hmong?

[@user-ov6bv9cn1o]

I love watching videos of old Qing dynasty china. That culture no longer exists, sadly.

[@CassandraHowe-ho7op]

Doesn't seem to be any more or less than most documentaries. I liked it.

[@niaaavatar]

I want to see more documentaries about this fantastic story. Where can I see more? Thanks

[@juliajanssens8432]

A small glimpse into the past.

[@karchi12]

Every time when I see the pictures of the Qing dynasty they present a shabby look of this poor country who was humiliated by the powers far and near. Fortunately this power restores her strength and superiority lately. The Heaven is fair!

[@sarahkhan2310]

Really appreciated the contribution of Chinese diaspora global and never to be humiliated again during the hundred years humiliated. This time the collective west will face its unwelcome KARMA. Welcome the 21st Century China a blessing and benefactor to the world 👍♥️🇨🇳

[@oileengrace8228]

Wow! Thank you.

[@adamclark3843]

I liked the part where Edward Anderson identifies the Shaowansheng store in the old film, and the film makers visit it today. Fantastic. But have to agree drop the professors from the next project please.

[@TheStormey]

What are some footage! Truly amazing, Francoise" mustache just slays me😂❤

[@Whiskeygalore24]

This must be amazing for the Chinese people to look back, wow love China historical Qing period.

[@davepx1]

Fascinating. And yet as late as 1900 China supported more people than the whole of Europe. The provincial scenes are the most interesting, away from the artificiality of imperial Beijing and western-occupied Shanghai. It's worth noting that what we're seeing here is a sample of the urban 7% of the population (a tenth by the 1930s): the remaining 90% or more would have been a good deal more traditional into the 1930s or even the 1950s, such has been the pace of change in the past century.

[@penelopechamberlain1822]

Absolutely fascinating. What an interesting film. Living history. Thank you.

[@kathryncarter6143]

Fascinating

[@janegreen9340]

Very interesting thank you. I have read some books about this period of China’s history and the films really bring that to life.

[@heidimiller5475]

Compare video minute 16:25, to the foreign settlement at the end of this film, 44:50 and 45:11, and 46:00. There were foreign settlements inside China.

[@srashed6934]

Just How much footage did we just watch of the light coming out from the projector room and of reels ?!?!!?

[@kathryncarter6143]

That's true. That part was disappointing. Perhaps it was because they had so much to say.

[@cascajada]

🙄

[@rayna6635]

47:02 Thank you for this. So very important and interesting... So very relevant to the times we find ourselves in presently... Much to absorb... The last few minutes tell much! Pt 2, yes please. 47:22

[@juli-annb.anderson8816]

Thankyou so much, this was fascinating. I can't wait to learn more.❤

[@chadlyles5444]

This country to have the first government. An the first women roller that ran the country. She gave government jobs to women. Their preaching before the ccp was love understand, peace, trust. Came up first finger prints to identify a person. An the buildings amazing.

[@Alusnovalotus]

16:02 The Chinese weren’t wrong. China had stagnated because of the unequal treaties forced upon them by the western powers along with the influx of opium and its addiction ravaging the country. As well as the encroachment of the missionaries and their very unethical ways of conversion in the “spheres of interest “ placed in several parts of China. There’s a film in Vietnam about the same time showing Victorian women throwing bits of food at a courtyard full of Vietnamese children, the children picking them up like they were pigeons and the Europeans smiling benevolently as if doing them the greatest kindness. You wonder why the Chinese hated foreigners…

[@cogs11]

I understand you love the CCP but China stagnated in the modern era because of the communist party policies.

[@Alusnovalotus]

@@cogs11 I understand you’re a weeb with no social life and that doesn’t understand there’s records that prove this. But go off.

[@dmraven]

​@@cogs11why would you say "I understand you love the CCP" I don't believe that person was ever trying to state that.

[@cogs11]

@@dmraven Because you got triggered as well. From the comment you can say that it is very biased and I don't even need to explain myself to you on your pointless debate.

[@dmraven]

@@cogs11 what exactly do you mean saying, "Because you got triggered as well."? I was literally just asking you a simple question. 🤦

[@mariehillard1742]

Very interesting.

[@Vickssszhhh]

Sooo interesting! Love the old videos

[@claranimmer7349]

Fascinating.

[@JenniferBartlett-xi3tq]

I love this

[@n67ina]

I love watching period Chinese drama, it was a brutal and beautiful culture.

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

That's every culture. Nothing unusual.

[@donitaforrest9064]

The German influence is prevalent with the goose-step marching practice... and the bavarian alps style hat & uniform jacket at 28:32.

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

They don’t mention anything which doesn’t have something to do with the US or Britain. Typical English speaking documentary…

[@b3ckiv]

Interesting.

[@heidimiller5475]

38:50 rickshaw - Richard Shaw! 😂

[@Bara0]

i dont understand some of the jumps the people in the documentary make? like at about the 25min mark: the woman doesnt look noble so she is a brothel keeper? was the middle class not a thing for china during that time??? i just dont get a lot of the comments made or where theyre getting them from beside, seemingly, out of the air

[@graemewatson2296]

I walked up those steps in Chungking in Jan 1980. I feel bad that I rejected a lady from carrying my bags. I guess I was worried they might just disappear in the crowds. 1979 and 1980 were interesting times to live in China.

[@alfaeco15]

High heels better than foot binding.... Still uncomfortable but at least can take them off.

[@frankm7707]

Vehicles were traveling on the left side of the road in the video but modern China is on the right side.

[@abbeyglencircle]

Imazing film discovery!

[@jamesblair9614]

The subjects look very animated, very relatable, unlike the Communist automatons of the last 75 years.

[@appnzllr]

I believe that the cameras had to be hand-cranked, so people would have noticed.

[@kathryncarter6143]

They noticed. If you watch the first film in Europe; the people were very much aware that they were in the cameras eye.

[@fischman26-China]

This is an incredible video. Hopefully, some of my videos will be looked at in 100 years, long after we are all gone.

[@heidimiller5475]

16:25, the narrator claim this is a reenactment. It looks real to me. If it were real, why would the narrator/investigator think it was fabricated only for the camera?

[@user-ud4do1hj5t]

Britain wanted to expand its imperial power and sell more goods, especially the opium whose import the Chinese tried to ban, while the British sold or smuggled in anyway. In other words, it was a case of commercial and imperialist British greed trying to force opium on the Chinese.

[@TeWai-rj8zt]

I would like to watch this Historic footage in Silence without all the talking and maybe some soft Traditional music.

[@susanmercurio1060]

Turn off the audio and play some traditional music on your radio. The rest of us want to learn something.

[@rayna6635]

​@@susanmercurio1060 LoL, my thoughts exactly 💯🤣🤣🤣 47:22

[@kathryncarter6143]

Just turn off your volume

[@candide1065]

@@susanmercurio1060 You want to "learn" something from some academics who laugh, smirk, tell anecdotes or say things like "that was my blade runner moment"? ahahaha, classic murican moment.

[@jenniferholden9397]

I watched a documentary called The Rape of Nankin, I watched t with tears running down my face. That wasn’t a movie, it was real and heartbreaking. There were some European people in a compound that managed to save some Chinese people by bringing them into the compound but thousands were slaughtered y Japanese troops. I don’t know how those brutes lived with themselves after doing what they did to the poor civilians, a few soldiers but mainly men women and children, it was beyond barbaric. God bless those poor souls who were just trying to live their lives.

[@kouavang5928]

Well, my meo people were in here.

[@VideoFunForAll]

"exclusive access to the British Film Institute China collection" wait, are those clips in the public domain?

[@maryleung1425]

Chiang Kai shek relatives are still alive today ....

[@kalevala29]

"What China is all about; people."

[@janesmith9024]

That was wonderful to see. I know everyone on the planet blames we British for just about everything, but at least we did take a lot of the film and preserve it. Our museums and archives serve a good purpose of keeping things safe and I also love looking at the earlier films of the UK in the 1800s too.l I have an 1890s photograph of my grandmother (now also scanned). It gives us such a connection to the past to see old images - it really brings it to life in a way a census or other record does not.

[@ChinaJapanLover]

British brough opium when China didn't need, so don't try to whitewash what Britain did. Britain brought opium, destroyed Old Summer Palace, humiliated China with satanic churches no one wanted ( China is Confucian nation). You can't change your own crimes even preserving films.

[@savannahshepherd2283]

10% showing films 90% talking

[@entropybentwhistle]

Context and history not your strong suit?

[@mdevries209]

This is the 19th and early 20th century, so Europe looked just as poor and ragged except the lucky few.

[@wyndommin875]

15:38 rent being called taxes lol America wake up

[@johninman7545]

Opium addiction in the West wqas very common. No one much cared it didn't have the stigma. After the Civil War of the United States it was called the soldier's disease. This attitude continued until the nineteen twenties

[@nancybrouse5070]

Ummm, the Great Wall, was built LONG before this time. Present before the reset, built by a previous civilization.

[@user-ql7zn3im1b]

brilliant documentary, the only downside here is the narrators voice, its just a mixed bag of accents and not nice at all to hear for a lengthy period.

[@johncopeland3826]

You don't see too many overweight Rickshaw carriers ..do you ,har ,har ?

[@devoradamaris]

🕊🌎🕊🕊sharing🫂thankYOU 👑

[@terryandrews49]

What a marvelous journey China has made. To day it has overtaken most of not all of its previous oppressors. To become the leading technical and industrial power in the world. It seems impossible... But so true.

[@mitzura2945]

well, rana mitter didnt u were my teacher into modern philosophy or so? at this spiru haret hardcore philosophy?

[@yujishinohara1uponatime]

east is east and west is west

[@MrTVintro]

16:00 "for somehow" The Chinese government was shit. That doesn't mean Western powers didn't significantly contribute to making life even more shit for the average Chinese person. The earlier mentioned opium for one, much of which came to China from India and the British East India Company. Hell the Chinese government even attempted to ban opium and the British went to war to force China to allow opium.

[@kathri1006]

Why was everything in chaos

[@user-go2fl1ow2k]

It was civil war between warlords and nationalist after collapse of Qing dynasty and from 1927-1950 civil war between nationalist and communist

[@dmraven]

​@@user-go2fl1ow2kactually the Chinese Civil War was between 1927 and 1949 (not 1950). To be even more specific, there was actually 2 different phases in which the Kuomintang and Communist stopped fighting because of the Second Sino-Japanese War/WW2. The first phase of the Chinese Civil War began on August 1st, 1927 and stopped on December 26th, 1936 making a temporary truce. This was due to the high tensions and multiple small confrontations with the Japanese after their invasion and capture of Manchuria in 1931. Rouphly 7 months later (on July 7th, 1937) the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident" happened and became the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War/WW2. Eventually after WW2 ended the Chinese ended their temporary truce and on August 10th, 1945 the second phase of the Chinese Civil War continued until December 7th, 1949 with the Communists victory and the Kuomintang retreating to Taiwan along with many others escaping to Hong Kong, Vietnam and other countries. Now even earlier to the start of Chinas Civil War, there was protesting going on and ofcourse in 1911 the Qing Dynasty fell. After that came the start of the Chinese revolution but multiple groups had their own beliefs and/or ideas. There were even some people you could refer to as "warlords" perhaps who thought that they could have a chance. In anycase it all boiled to the Kuomintang and Communist and eventually a drawn out civil war.

[@dmraven]

​@@user-go2fl1ow2kactually their Civil War was between 1927 and 1949 (not 1950). To be even more specific, there was actually 2 diff phases in which the KMT and Communist stopped fighting because of the 2nd Sino-Jap War/WW2. The 1st phase of the Civil War began on Aug 1st, 1927 and stopped on Dec 26th, 1936 making a temporary truce. This was due to the high tensions and multiple small confrontations with the Japanese after their invasion and capture of Manchuria in 1931. Rouphly 7 months later (on July 7th, 1937) the "Marco Polo Bridge Incident" happened and became the start of the 2nd Sino-Jap War/WW2. After WW2 ended so did their temporary truce and on Aug 10th, 1945 the 2nd phase of the Civil War continued until Dec 7th, 1949 with the Communists victory.

[@dmraven]

​@@user-go2fl1ow2k​ The Civil War was from 1927-1936, then the 2nd Sino-Japanese War/WW2 followed by the continuation of the Civil War from 1945-1949.

[@user-go2fl1ow2k]

@@dmraven okay

[@stewartantony8225]

Show the films, stop talking

[@lindastevens6861]

😮

[@eddiefoskew3613]

The film maker HIMself - or was it the Film maker HERself?

[@JohnSmith-qy2wm]

👍

[@wholefoodplantbasedmama5398]

Unfortunately the abundance of food in China is causing massive health problems.

[@mitzura2945]

we talke about eliade, gosh this ridiculous what was sponsorship but looked like a notebook and forgot i about 13 roses or other maytrei :))))

[@janeday9148]

The constant interruption of the commentators is such a shame so impossible to enjoy

[@damainx]

very poorly done documentary.- too many 'professor's' faces shown. show CONTENT. big failure

[@glenncbjones]

This is an AMAZING documentary! You suck hectares of pond water, potty brains… Don’t get up “damainx” (which I believe means “servant of evil”), I’ll see myself out…

[@jz4057]

How else do you stretch 5 minutes of content into 45 minutes 😂

[@johnf5927]

I agree - wanted to see more of the historic films not the professors - they could have cut them all out and the doc would have been much better - no one wants to see boring people the so called professors.😮

[@johninman7545]

​@@johnf5927maybe a fist start.Lets hpoe

[@johninman7545]

Han Su Yin tells od the Colonialism

[@alfredneuman6488]

Easy for the Chinese commentators to criticize the footage as being 'quaint' and a Europeans perspective but, where is the footage shot by Chinese people of the same era?

[@didineerod4371]

Mao communist party saved China from being broken up by the West-Japanese colonialisation. There was a period of austerity in China under Mao but then again, then again out in that period of austerity China has risen like a Phoenix from the baptism of fire to be what China is becoming - economically strong, reduction in poverty, modern, cities technologically advance infrastructure and self-reliance. It would have been different under the Guomindang if they had won. The Guomindang was a party made up of bourgeois Chines elites who were aligned with the West "Democracy". China would have ended like Palestine all broken up, stateless with unrests.

[@homeonthemountain]

Lol

[@alejandraparker7272]

Mao did nothing but enslaved his own people from the world to serve the masters of the CCP. Chinese people are creative, talented they deserve a better life. Everything belongs to the CCP.

[@dsaigon]

Mao almost brought China back to the stone age 😂

[@Sarisu-ml2hp]

日本はシナを植民地にしていません。正しい歴史認識をしてください。

[@AmarLama-ov2li]

​@@dsaigonbut didn't, did he ?

[@northkoreanmeat]

CCP with My Characteristics

[@ericastier1646]

You watched my video and stole my idea and are using video algorithms. I don't think it adds anything. The americanized chinese may not give the best interpretations either.

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

None of this footage is surprising or revealing. Anyone versed in Chinese history is familiar with these details. Only those who have an overriding desire to view history thru the lens of relativism, and PC smugness, find it a revelation.

[@mitzura2945]

promotion this 2002 2006? :O its surely you :)))

[@jeffyoung60]

I'm not impressed by Qing Chinese culture. That was a foreign culture forced upon the Ming Chinese, such as shaving the head leaving a pigtail queue. The Qing conquerors forced Chinese men to shave their heads and wear queues, but the Qing could have but did not abolish the horrid Han Chinese custom of female foot-binding. Evidently while Chinese men passively accepted having their heads shaved while Chinese women simply looked on, abolishing foot-binding would be going too far. The Qing Manchurians would have faced hordes of outraged Chinese men and women taking up weapons to defend foot-binding. Even so it took brute force of threats from the Nationalist Kuomintang and the Chinese communist to force the abolition of gruesome foot-binding.

[@ChinaJapanLover]

China has always been a mix of ethnicity, Han Chinese is only 1 among 56 of them.

[@rdred8693]

Depressing b/c the communism was lurking

[@user-uy9zm8sf2y]

LO this india dude mitta, why even have this guy's talk about China im the first place? Only those that have been brought up in China can really be a China expert. He should focus on india 😂

[@davedavis6433]

LOL. He's British. Anyone can study history otherwise most of humanity would not have access to basic scientific fact because it came from europe.

[@user-uy9zm8sf2y]

@@davedavis6433 yes but thst the difference between being a expert from China and being a so called expert from the west. And we all know how the expert from the west got all info wrong. Take a look at geopolitics and you will get the true meaning of idiot expert on China lol

[@user-uy9zm8sf2y]

@@davedavis6433 you can study it but would you still be more qualified than a chinese born person? Just look at all those geopolitics expert on China from the west and you will get my meaning

[@user-uy9zm8sf2y]

@@davedavis6433 a high schools student in China has more knowledge about China than this professor from Oxford lol

[@fargr5926]

@@user-uy9zm8sf2ybeing raised in China doesn’t guarantee you know China and Chinese culture, you need to study hard.

[@SarahAndrews24]

Too many talking heads, ruined it all.

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Mmmmmm korean mud snail delicious yum yum !!!!!🤪🤢🤮🐌🐌🐌💩

[@alessandragregori1518]

Troppe chiacchiere

[@ladyhawk5245]

Thank you for posting this on the web. Very important for the young people to see this. It's how it was..where the grandparents came from. 💕😊🇨🇦

[@chrisgreek4285]

SUPER interesting!!

[@PattieBaca-dh8zd]

Wow! Thank you.