In 1917, American sociology professor Denis David Gamble came to Chongqing, China for the first time. He was immediately attracted by the unique customs and customs here. He is also a photographer and has traveled to every corner of Chongqing and taken a large number of photos related to Chongqing.
Gamble
The photos taken were not released until after Gamble's death. Through these precious old photos, we saw Chongqing for the first time more than 100 years ago. It turned out to be so beautiful! These photos reflect Gambo's rigorous scientific attitude, keen historical vision, profound artistic accomplishment, and his kind and friendly character towards foreign nations.
Renjingmen
In ancient times, the only way to enter and leave Chongqing by land was via Fotu Pass. There are four gates in Fotuguan: Ruifeng Gate, Tai'an Gate, Fotuguan Gate and Renjing Gate. The city gate in the photo is Renjing Gate.
In 1945, Renjingmen was renamed Zhongxiaomen. Today, the south gate of Fotuguan Park is newly built on the basis of the original Renjing Gate.
Stone Arch Bridge over the Zhuxi River in Wanxian County
This was a stone arch bridge over the Zhuxi River in Wanxian County, Chongqing (now Wanzhou). It was very beautiful in shape and had pavilions built on the bridge. The arch bridge is ten feet long, two feet eight feet wide and five feet eight feet high. It was built in the ninth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1870).
In 1917, the Zhuxi River flooded, and the earthy yellow water rushed down. In May 1970, the stone arch bridge was washed away by floods.
In the past, there were many stone arch bridges on the Zhuxi River in Wanxian County. However, with the submergence and relocation of Laowan County, everything here gradually sank to the bottom of the river, leaving people with deep memories and deep nostalgia.
桡fuzi
In 1917, Gambo took a boat upstream and came to Fuling County in the Three Gorges of Chongqing. There, he saw the rafters rowing hard on the river. Some of them had no clothes on.
The captain of the boat shouted the slogan, and the others opened their mouths. shouted the slogan while rowing.. Gambo experienced the tough and rough side of boatmen.
"桡夫子" is the collective name for the boatmen of Sichuan River. In 1998, Fuling City, Sichuan Province was merged into Chongqing City and became Fuling District.
Pier
Gambo's boat temporarily docked at the riverside pier. Here, he took pictures of the beautiful scenery of Xiajiang Pier. In the distance, there are endless green mountains, and there are white sails on the vast river. Nearby, small boats are ready to go. This is a unique spectacle of the Three Gorges in Chongqing.
An unknown tower
At the foot of the green mountain, there is a temple. The temple is small in scale and built near the water. There is also a tall white tower in the temple grounds. The tower is octagonal in shape and has 9 floors in total. Gambo did not put the name of this temple and tower on the photo, so we don’t know, maybe only the locals know.
Chongqing ear picking
On the street in Chongqing, Gambo saw a man picking ears for customers. He was curious and took this photo.
Ear picking, to put it bluntly, means picking out the ears. It has a long history in our country. Ear picking is a major feature of Chongqing, and many people choose to relax in this way during their leisure time. Ear picking by a professional ear picking master is definitely a pleasure.
Wanxian Wharf
In 1917, Gambo arrived at Wanxian Wharf in Chongqing and docked on the shore. At this time, he saw a boat on the riverside, parked on the shore, with a roof on it. The boatman told him that this kind of boat is called a "barge" and is often fixed on the shore and used as a floating dock for loading and unloading cargo or for pedestrians to get on and off. Gamble thought it was amazing and took this photo.
Zhang Fei Temple
When Gambo's boat passed Yunyang, he took a photo of Zhangfei Temple at the foot of Feifeng Mountain. The four characters "Jiang Shang Feng Qing" are very eye-catching on the temple wall. Zhang Fei Temple, also called "Zhang Huanhou Temple", was built in the late Shu Han Dynasty. It is said that Zhang Fei's head is buried here. At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, the "Fengqing on the River" on the temple wall was replaced by "Lingzhong Qiangu".
Street fruit stall
This is a fruit stall on the street in Chongqing, taken in Suizhou at that time (today Suining City). There is a dazzling array of fruits on the stall, and the stall owner is standing guard next to it.
Suizhou is located in the heart of Sichuan Basin and in the middle reaches of Fujiang River, with convenient water transportation. At that time, Ganbo took a boat from Suizhou to the Jialing River and arrived in Chongqing to collect the scenery.
Haircut
On the street, a barber is giving a customer a haircut. Such barbers were common at the time, and they carried burdens. One end of the load is the hairdressing tools, and the other end of the pick is the stove and basin.
Barbers carry their burdens and walk around the streets. When customers need haircuts, they put down their burdens and serve them. It is also a craft job that can also support the family.
Tower on the riverside
Gambo took a boat along the river. On the way, he saw a high tower on the riverside, and there was a temple under the tower. The names of the temple and the tower were unknown. There are some small boats moored on the shore. Maybe someone crossed the river and came here to worship.
Women by the River
This is a pedestrian street by the river in Chongqing, with endless views. There is a railing on one side of the small street, and outside the railing is the river. On the other side of the street are some simple shops. Some people were shopping, and a few women were sitting on the street to rest.
Shipbuilding
In 1917, Gambo saw local people building wooden boats on the Chongqing riverside. The bottom of the cabin has been exposed, and craftsmen are assembling it very professionally. In the distance, you can see the stilted buildings on the hillside by the river, which are very unique when built near the river.
During the Republic of China, there were many small shipyards like this along the river. They built wooden boats to transport goods or passengers on the river.
Streets in Chongqing
This is a small street in Chongqing in 1917. It was raining at the time. The streets are paved with bluestone slabs, and the buildings on both sides are antique.
Pedestrians on the street wore bamboo hats, and some people did not bring rain gear and stood under the eaves of street shops to take shelter from the rain. Seeing Gamble holding up the camera to take pictures, everyone looked at him in surprise.
Wanxian Wharf
This was a riverside wharf in Wanxian County at that time. Along dozens of steps, you could go down from the river bank to the bottom of the river. There is a small boat on the riverside, waiting to pick up passengers.
The houses on the river bank are one next to another, and there are many bamboos hanging on the walls to dry. There may be a bamboo factory nearby.
Ginger Market
This was a vegetable market on the riverside in Chongqing at that time, mainly selling ginger. Cargo ships on the riverside transport fresh ginger from afar to the shore, and merchants on the shore gather at the dock to purchase.
Although it was raining heavily at the time, it still couldn't stop people's enthusiasm for purchasing ginger. Everyone was running for life.
On the Stone Bridge
In 1917, Gambo came to a stone bridge in Chongqing. In addition to the usual traffic, this bridge also had an aisle on the side of the bridge, and some shops were open for business. The building is antique, with an awning propped up at the door of the shop and clothes hanging on ropes to dry. The whole picture is very lifelike.
Fuling Pier
Gan Bo and his party came to Fuling Pier on the Yangtze River . There are small boats docked at the pier, and on the river in the distance, boats are passing back and forth, making it a busy scene.
The boats on Fuling Pier are very unique. They are all equipped with awnings, so people can live on them for a long time. At the sterns of these ships, oars can be seen.
Riverside Pier
In 1917, Gambo came to a pier by the river in Chongqing. There were dozens of steps down from the river bank.
Gambo saw the tall city walls on the river bank, as well as a towering pagoda, and the stilted buildings on the river bank one after another. There are many boats moored at the pier, and there is an endless stream of people getting on and off the boats.
Boatman and son
These two boatmen are a father and son. The two make a living punting boats on the river. The man's father, with a look of vicissitudes on his face, was a good punter, and his son inherited his father's job.
At that time, the family conditions of the boatmen who rowed on the river were not very good. Although their work is hard, they can also support their families.
A sunken steamship
In the shallow waters of the river, there is a sunken ship for some reason. The iron pipe exposed out of the water is the chimney of the steamship. During the Republic of China, shipping on the Yangtze River was developed, with large and small ships traveling back and forth. In addition to ships driven by human power, there are also some steam ships. Maybe the steamship ran aground on the river for some reason.
Guards
These two soldiers wearing military uniforms and carrying rifles are the local security personnel hired by Gambo. They followed Gamble around Chongqing to interview him and ensure his safety.
In front of a building, Gamble took this photo of the two soldiers as a souvenir.
Fuling Siwang Temple Pier
This photo was taken at Fuling Siwang Temple Pier. The ships docked at the pier are very distinctive, with their bows tilted to one side. This kind of ship was called a "thick plate ship" at that time, and the two sides of the stern were very asymmetrical.
What is even more amazing is that the stern of the thick plate ship has no rudder and is replaced by a stern. This kind of ship is unique to Wujiang . Nowadays, such ships can no longer be seen.
Beggar on the steps
An old beggar was sitting on the steps by the river. His face and hair looked like a mountain eagle in the movie. He was wearing rags, his feet were bare, and all he owned was the stick leaning against the wall.
During the Republic of China, due to various reasons, the lives of the people at the bottom were relatively difficult. They could not solve many problems of food and clothing, so they had to beg to make a living.
Dacheng Hall of Confucius Temple
In 1917, Gambo came to visit the Confucius Temple in Chongqing. The Confucius Temple was built in the Shaoxing period of the Song Dynasty. It was called Fu Confucian Temple at that time and was located in the Linjiang Gate of the Temple.
The building in the photo is the Dacheng Hall, the main hall in the Confucius Temple. There is a three-story platform in front of the main hall, surrounded by stone orchids. At that time, troops occupied the Confucius Temple, and the soldiers dried their clothes on the railings of the platform.
Diaojiaolou
Along the riverside and hillside in Chongqing, there are square wooden buildings supported by a few fir poles everywhere. These are Diaojiaolou. Diaojiaolou, as a unique traditional residential form in Chongqing, can be traced back to before the Eastern Han Dynasty.
There are many benefits to a stilted building. The elevated ground is ventilated and dry, and can prevent poisonous snakes and wild beasts. Debris can also be placed under the floor.
Strange Boat
While collecting winds, Gambo and his party saw a strange boat on the river. The boat was covered with mats, and the oarsmen could not be seen. On the side of the ship, several waterwheel-like devices were seen rotating and paddling. The ships relied on these devices to obtain power and speed on the river. Judging from the picture, this kind of ship should not be driven by human power.
Riverside Pier
In 1917, Gambo's ship docked at a pier on the riverside. Here he saw some wooden boats and small ferries. There are sheds on wooden boats, and people can live on them. The small ferry does not have a shed, so it can be used to pull goods or carry people, which is very convenient.
Through these old photos, we can truly feel the true appearance of Chongqing people's labor production and folk customs more than a hundred years ago. Today's Chongqing presents to the world a new look that is modern, fashionable and full of vitality. I believe that Chongqing will have a better tomorrow!
