This collection of photos from China, all dated from 1870-1946, were lovingly restored by Ralph Repo. He painstakingly recoloured and repaired the aging images to give us a sneak peek at a China that was rarely photographed.
The images show China before tourism, before Mao Zedong, before the Industrial revolution. They’re beautiful and fascinating I’m sure you’ll all agree.
Many of the following photos were taken by the Englishman Ernest H Wilson, also known as “Chinese” Wilson. He was a foreign plant collector and introduced thousands of plant species from Asia to the UK, 60 of which are now named after him.
Others were taken by Arthur Rothstein, a groundbreaking American photojournalist. His military assignment took him to the China-Burma-India region and he remained in China following his discharge from the military in 1945.
In China Rothstein worked as chief photographer for the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. Rothstein documented the Great Famine and the plight of displaced survivors of the Holocaust in the Hongkew ghetto of Shanghai.
The Abbot Of The Monastery, Tíen Túng Sze, Chekiang Province – 1906
Queen’s Road On Chinese New Years Day, Hong Kong – 1902
Peking To Paris Autorace – 1907
Peking Mission School, The Dragon’s Head – 1902
