The Central Asiatic Expeditions : Peking

Filmed during the AMNH Third Asiatic Expedition to China and Mongolia, 1921-1930. Film brought from the U.S. was intended for recording the expedition, but some precious film was used to photograph Peking (now Beijing), the site of the expedition's headquarters. Because of the need to conserve film, this film is choppy, but provides a record of the city in the 1920s. The varied modes of transport are shown: trolleys, ox carts, sedan chairs, rickshaws, camels, wheelbarrows, horsedrawn carriages, and cars. The film was probably made in summer when dust from unpaved streets and sand blown from the Gobi Desert choked the city, for several methods used to dampen the streets to keep the dust down are shown. Two processions, one a wedding, the other a funeral, move through the busy streets. An overall view of the main sites of the city is shown, including the Front and Bell gates leading to the Forbidden City, the Desheng Gate to the Ming Tombs, Tianamen Square (then a park), the Bank of China building, and parks and gardens. The expedition headquarters, a typical wealthy merchant's house with a central courtyard, is seen with a young girl playing in the front lawn. This building has since been razed to make way for a high-rise.