Li Gongming
"Qingdao in the Past Life: The Jiaoao Leased Land Through the German Lens", written by Li Jie/illustrated by Liu Yunzhi, Shandong Pictorial Publishing House, July 2021 edition
George Francis called for it as early as 1888 A systematic collection of photographic images believed to depict our way of life to the fullest extent possible. What he is talking about is looking at photography from the perspective of historical data. Therefore, the authenticity of these photos, the credibility of their interpretation, and the possibility of being viewed are all issues of greatest concern to collectors, researchers, and publishers of historical photos. Judging from the collection, exhibition and publication of these historical photos, they have multiple aspects and attributes: they can not only stimulate the desire for cultural consumption due to factors such as image reading, historical nostalgia and national emotions, but also the historical materials contained in the photo images. Information, image evidence and other elements have become the research objects and basis for historians. The academic background of the new development stage of research and writing on the history of photography in China is that a large number of new historical materials on photography have been unearthed and brought into the view of researchers and the public, such as those preserved from the late Qing Dynasty to the present in various places around the world (including collectors in mainland China) Image materials from the Republic of China period were intensively introduced into the country in the form of albums and exhibitions, as well as oral history interviews with photographers and the compilation and publication of complete collections of images. Secondly, the history of photography is increasingly moving away from traditional research horizons and narrative frameworks. Multiple perspectives and interdisciplinary research are gradually attracting attention. Among them, the relationship between photography and modern history, regional development and even colonial studies is attracting the attention of more and more scholars.
The exhibition and picture book "Qingdao in the Past Life - Jiaoao Leased Area Through the German Lens" (written by Li Jie, edited by Liu Yunzhi, Shandong Pictorial Publishing House, curated by Mr. Feng Keli, the famous publisher and editor-in-chief of "Old Photos") July 2021) emerged from these two academic backgrounds, and its importance in the study of early Chinese photography history and modern Chinese colonial history will surely become more apparent as the research develops and deepens. In the preface written for the exhibition, Feng Keli pointed out that a valuable historical picture album should have three elements: the scarcity of photos, professional standards of arrangement and interpretation, and high-precision printing presentation. According to Feng Keli, as many as 90% of the original historical photos that have been shown to the world for the first time in "Qingdao in the Past Life - Jiao'ao Concession through the German Lenses" are "honestly out-of-print photos" and their scarcity is beyond doubt. . However, in addition to being scarce and credible, interpretation is also full of difficulties. Feng Keli once believed in his " When History Can Be Viewed " (Guangxi Normal University Press , updated edition in May 2015), "Unlike text narratives, the history captured in photos is intuitive and holographic. It is not difficult to understand that it is intuitive. To say that it is ' holographic ' is to borrow the saying of ' holographic theory ', that is, 'every part of the body is a microcosm of the whole, storing the entire image. "Total information" is an analogy in a sociological sense. Sometimes a picture is like a slice of a social organism, carrying far more information than people imagine." (Page 9) This is the "information theory" and "slicing theory" that answer how to "view" history. It is a very meaningful formulation, and it is also the key to viewing " Qingdao in the past life- Jiaoao rental place through the lens of the Germans" Two methods.
Regarding these old photos of the Jiaoao leased land taken by Germans, Li Jie explained in the "Postscript" of the book: "Last year, the author finally went to Mr. Liu Yunzhi, an old photo collector in Linzi, Qidu, and saw hundreds of them. These are original photos of the early days of the German occupation of Qingdao, and they are rare photos that have never been seen in newspapers or on the Internet. These photos were taken from several German photo albums from hundreds of years ago. One of the photographers was a German officer, and the rest are unknown. Looking through these old photos from more than a hundred years ago, the boring words in the historical books instantly turned into vivid images, and the entries about Jiaoao recorded in the Qing history archives immediately became warm memories." (Page 254) Mr. Liu Yunzhi also talked about his collection of old photos in the "Origin" of the album: "The collections in our museum are mainly historical events, local customs and the best works of famous photographers who came to China in the early days. In the collection, the museum attaches particular importance to the thematic nature and rarity of the collection and the reliability of the accompanying information. Of course, the clarity of the image has never been ignored. "(Page 1) Mr. Liu Yunzhi collected more than 1,000 original photos of the German Jiao'ao leased area that were taken from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Only 121 of them were included in the album. They will be included in the album in the future. It will be compiled and published successively in the "Yun Zhiying Collection Series" for studying the history of Qingdao's German-occupied colonial period from the perspective of historical iconography.
The study of early Chinese photography history in the "external history" dimension. It should be closely related to the study of modern Chinese history, but the current research still remains more in "inner history" and is more reflected in the "photographic research" of photo images. The biggest problem encountered here is. I’m afraid it’s due to the lack of historical data on the photographer, photography behavior, and photography dissemination. When it’s impossible to understand the identity of the photographer, the specific time, reason, purpose, and dissemination process of the photos, etc., these historical photos actually contain Rich historical information is difficult to decipher. For travel photos taken by non-photographers such as missionaries, soldiers, and businessmen in China, there may be more accidental factors between the narrative of photographic history and the narrative of personal history. , both in the research perspective of "internal history" and "external history", it is easy to produce more blind spots. In addition, in the process of interpreting historical photos, the so-called "hindsight" problem is not that simple and easy to solve. . It should be said that since those who study history live in the present that is connected to the past, they should use the current level of understanding and current values to excavate and interpret the "spots" and "doubts" of special significance in historical photos. It is undoubtedly reasonable and even necessary. Li Jie, the author of the "Preface" and photo interpretation of "Qingdao in the Past Life - Jiao'ao Concession through the German Lens", studies the history from the late Qing Dynasty to Beiyang and the local historical relics of Qingdao. Expert, his understanding and discussion of the history of the Jiao'ao Concession shown in the photo interpretation show an objective, truth-seeking and reality-responsive stance. It is a valuable judgment and warm "hindsight"
The so-called "Jiaoao Concession" originated from the "Sino-German Jiaoao Concession Treaty" signed in Beijing on March 6, 1898 by Li Hongzhang, Weng Tonghe, on behalf of the Manchu and Qing governments, and the German Minister to China Haijing. " (according to the norms of international law, the Chinese text name should be " Jiao'ao Lend Treaty "). Jiao'ao was a leased area rather than a concession. It was completely ruled as a colony by the leasing country. From then on, Japan was defeated in 1914. During the seventeen years before and after Germany occupied Qingdao, Germany built a modern city with Qingdao as its center, and Shandong also became Germany's sphere of influence. This photo album, taken by Germans at the same time, covers military, political, economic, and urban construction. The multiple perspectives present a special historical landscape that appeared on the land of China in the early twentieth century. Jefferson Jones, an American military observer who visited Qingdao in 1914, wrote: "... Qingdao in 1914, with The image of the most exquisite, beautiful, modern and hygienic city in the Far East has left an indelible impression on tourists and the people of the Far East. "The past life of this "mock colony", which is misleadingly called "Make Ao", consisted of tidal flats, fishing villages and a few isolated 大清 barracks. It was called "Jiao'ao" in the official language. Before the German lease of Jiao'ao, "Jiao'ao" "Little people know it, and "Qingdao" in the waves is even more nameless. "Thanks to the records of the camera, we can know that the living environment of Jiao'ao, where Qingdao's ancestors have lived for generations, is really not worth lingering - barren mountains, ridges, rocks. There is much land but little, with sparse vegetation and rare rivers. It is a so-called land of barren mountains and harsh rivers. Without subsequent reasonable planning and large-scale construction, Qingdao would be nothing more than a deserted bay in northern China.” (Page 5) It should be said that this is true. For example, in the photo on page 3, “Panorama of Qingdao Village taken from the present Jinkou Road”, the so-called “a picture is worth a thousand words” is also the unique narrative of historical photos as image historical materials. Due to function. The author also talked about how Jiaoao gradually became a fishing port and commercial port on the eastern coast after Qingdao Port was opened to the outside world. Therefore, the real change was from a small commercial port to a commercial port open to foreign countries. Prussian Geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen to Wilhelm II, the Germans finally established an imperial colony here. The subsequent development speed was astonishing, in the seventeen years from 1898 to 1914. , Germany has invested more than 170 million marks in Qingdao, establishing a defense system, urban infrastructure, municipal management and industrial and commercial enterprise systems: it has built four docks, built the Jiaoji Railway and supporting projects; built tap water , electric power, highways, bridges, water supply and sewers, coastal wave protection dams and other municipal projects; built a number of political and political projects such as the Governor's Palace, the Governor's Mansion, Dehua Bank, telegraph office, telephone office, churches, hospitals, schools, villas, hotels and restaurants. , commercial and cultural facilities; a number of factories and enterprises such as the Naval Shipyard, Jiaoji Railway Sifang Factory, power plant and light textile industry have been built. After seventeen years of colonial construction and operation, Qingdao has become a modern industrial seaport that has begun to take shape. city. It is worth noting that Germany invested a total of more than 170 million marks in Qingdao, and the profit gained during the same period was 44.96 million marks. This is objective data
From the perspective of historical iconography, Some details in the photos in the album reveal important historical information, "Whether using images to prove history or using text to prove history, historians need to read between the lines and pay attention to the small but significant. details of meaning, including significant absences, and use them as clues to search for information that the image-makers did not know they knew, or for perceptions they did not know they held." (" "History of Image Evidence", translated by Yang Yu, Peking University Press , 2008, pp. 269-270) The attention to detail and interpretation can also be seen in this album. Regarding the Qingdao Sewerage, " Jiaoao Zhi" compiled by Chinese people said: "Before Jiaoao was opened, there was no construction of streets, that is, there was no such thing as ditches (referring to sewers). After the Germans leased the area, they relocated our aboriginal people to three locations in Dabao Island, Taitung, and Taixi Town, where they built semi-European-style houses to live together, thus changing the old look of the original village. Then plan the city streets and build sewers to prepare for future city street development and expansion plans. The scale is grand and the intentions are thoughtful. Li Jie then found more specific and detailed records about the design and construction of sewers in "Jiaoao Zhi". It clearly stated that the sewers at that time were culverts. In some areas, rainwater and sewage were separated, which was very concise and clear. The entire photo on page 109 of the album is the sewer project construction site in Qianhai. You can see the trenches being excavated, the sewer pipes to be installed, and the workers at work. The detail that the author particularly emphasizes is the crosswalk standing in the distance. The man in white is a German engineer. It can be said that this is a case of mutual support between pictures and history on sewer construction. Another example is the photo on page 75 of the street scene in the Chinese district of Dabao Island. “There are neat buildings and streets on the ground, and they are well distributed. There are tap water points (commonly known as faucets) and public toilets (commonly known as big huts); underground there is a sewer that separates rainwater and sewage (called Gully according to the German pronunciation Gully). Because burning firewood was not allowed, the Governor's Mansion provided cheap Boshan or Fangzi coal to the citizens. People in Qingdao have also led a new life that is completely different from before." (page 74) In another street scene photo (page 77), the author also noticed that "the carts of each house are concentrated. Parking, rickshaws waiting for customers are also very particular. All this shows that Chinese people will also abide by foreign rules and live a completely different life than before."(Page 76) On page 175 of the street view photo of Federi, the author mentioned that a three-story building with advertisements on the wall in the photo no longer exists. After consulting a relative and friend who works in Germany, I learned that the photo The content of the two advertisements above are advertisements for Iltis Mountain Mineral Water and Otto Rother Book Publishing. From mineral water to book publishing, these details in the photos have important historical value.
How to discover a piece of colonial history from the German photography of the Jiao'ao concession? These photos alone are still lacking. The important problem is the lack of corresponding historical documents and historical materials, as a "slice" of history. Photos tend to become fragmented. Therefore, we should look for historical narratives in colonial archives and documents of the same period that can correspond to and coincide with historical photos on a macro level. Here, German scholar Klaus Mühlhahn's "Domination and Resistance in the "Model Colony" Jiaozhou Bay: The Interaction between China and Germany, 1897-1914" (translated by Sun Lixin, Shandong University Press, 2005) can provide us with a lot of help. The author emphasizes the point of view in this work on the "interaction" between China and Germany in this period of colonial history. He believes that in colonial history, the subject of history is composed of colonial rulers and colonial people. Any unilateral Neither inspection nor research can do justice to Sino-German relations during the colonial period. The author points out that the German concession in Jiao'ao in China was the result of the interaction of competing forces such as colonial rule and resistance to aggression, cultural mission and national self-improvement. What may be incidentally mentioned here is that the "interaction" he is talking about should not be what Roswitha Reinbothe said in his paper (see "German Sinology: History, Development, People and Perspectives" edited by Ma Hanmao et al. ", Elephant Publishing House, 2005). It seems that Yu Kaisi did not respect Wilhelm and others as humane liberals and Germans in China. Opponents of colonial policy.
Therefore, historians must reconstruct a complex network of social, political and cultural relationships based on the rich historical data of the colonial development process, and must combine the textual research method of micro history with the macro perspective of historical narrative. Then, in the historical photos of Jiaoao taken by the colonists, we should regard the entire historical context in which those historical landscapes were produced as another important path for interpretation, rather than just relying on microscopic examination of the details of the images. In the more than 100-page "Appendix" section at the end of Yu Kaisi's work, I found some important documents that can be referenced. For example, those directly related to the image are: German Foreign Office Files, Part II, Commercial and Political Department - Picture File No. B3550, Jiaoao Protective Collar; Demling: "Jiaoao Colony", reworked by William Shan, in "Germany Overseas - An Introduction to German Colonies in Words and Pictures", Volume 1, Stuttgart, Berlin , Leipzig, 1911; Ferro/Horst Rostock: "Emperor Wilhelm II's Hun War: Imperialist Armed Intervention in China from 1900 to 1901 - Historical Picture Album 45", Berlin, 1987; Lu Baker, Robert: A Westphalian in China: Letters and Photographs 1895-1900. Relics of Robert Lübeck", Münster, 1982; Weisinger, Otto: "As a war volunteer in Qingdao - Pictures and experiences during the siege of Qingdao", Shanghai, 1915; Wilhelmich , Emile: China—State and People: A Historical Illustration of the Empire and Its Turmoils, Berlin, 1903. These graphic materials are undoubtedly of great value in interpreting this batch of Jiaoao photography.
In addition, from these archives and bibliographic catalogs, a document library written during the same period (1898-1914) can be compiled and compiled. They belong to the macro-decision-making and development review of the Jiao'ao leased area, military operations and management, economic development and Economic policy, economy and transportation, railway construction and management, ports and shipping, commerce and trade, urban planning and construction, administration and population management, justice, religious undertakings, foreign relations, medical and health, culture and education, tourism, women's issues , natural science research, humanities research, customs, diaries and memoirs and other categories. I believe that the importance of these historical documents lies mainly in providing a true and rich historical context for photo interpretation, and in thinking comprehensively and deeply about what is "Qingdao soaked in European style" (this is the "preface" to "Qingdao in the Past Life") topic) a solid platform. Referring again to a basic point put forward by W.C. Kirby, Fairbank's great disciple, in "Germany and the Republic of China" (translated by Chen Qianping et al., Jiangsu People's Publishing House, 2006), he believes that in the study of historical Sino-German bilateral relations should pay attention to the "more ambitious issue" of "China's modern internationalization". This is also the international perspective and path of studying China's modern history from Jiang Tingfu to Fairbank. He also talked more specifically about Germany's Jiao'ao lease period: "The Jiaozhou lease and the port of Qingdao became Germany's 'model' colony and a stage to display its maritime imperialism, but Germany also A high price was paid. ... The activities of municipal administration, education, public health and promotion of commerce that the German naval authorities devoted to their own areas were later regarded as meaningful contributions to local development." (Pg. Page 8) This can be seen as a research perspective on "European style infiltration".
It should also be pointed out that in the study of historical iconography, this batch of precious photographs from the German occupation of Jiao'ao can have a two-way activation significance: it can not only activate the imagination in the study of colonial history, but also activate the theory of early China. The narrative style of photography history and the imagination of image interpretation strategies. The former helps us imagine and construct an image of colonial history, while the latter allows us to further open up the perspective of "external history" in our early photography history research and maintain an open spirit in image interpretation. In any case, colonial historical research needs to construct an open and critical historical image narrative system with a realistic and truth-seeking academic spirit and legitimate value concerns.
Editor in charge: Huang Xiaofeng
