This film is part of Free
A City of Chaos
Scenes of panic on the streets of Shanghai as Chinese citizens seek protection from Communist and Kuomintang violence behind Allied barricades.
Overview
This poignant newsreel item captures the panic on the streets of Shanghai as Chinese citizens seek protection from Communist and Kuomintang violence behind Allied barricades. Within days of its release Chiang Kai-shek would declare martial law in the city and his Kuomintang would initiate the Shanghai Massacre, a brutal purge of Communists, including mass arrests and executions.
Unlike some other British newsreel items filmed in Shanghai at the time, this film focuses on the Chinese reaction to the grim events and shows ordinary people fleeing the conflict, often struggling with large bundles of possessions and furniture. The streets are swollen with refugees, and glimpses of Western military uniforms and barbed wire barricades are also on view. Towards the end of the film, a man is seen carrying a traditional shoulder yoke, with one basket full of belongings and the other holding a small child.
Related
Refugee Today and Tomorrow Refugee Today and Tomorrow
Documentary 1938 17 mins
A fierce denunciation of anti-Semitic policies in Nazi Germany seen in the context of the global refugee crisis of 1938.
Return to Life Return to Life
Documentary 1960 29 mins
John Krish’s deeply compassionate documentary on the resettlement of refugees in Britain; made to mark World Refugee Year 1959.
Refuge England Refuge England
Drama 1959 25 mins Location: London
A Hungarian refugee attempts to navigate 1950s London with no English, little money and only an address on a postcard for guidance.
Basque Refugees at Stoneham and a Holiday to Lands End Basque Refugees at Stoneham and a Holiday to Lands End
Amateur film 1937 13 mins Silent
There's something reminiscent in this home movie from the 1930s – with refugees escaping from a distant civil war to find safety in England
Vietnamese Children Refugees Vietnamese Children Refugees
Non-Fiction 1978 5 mins Location: Birmingham
6,000 miles from home, after a perilous voyage to escape terror and oppression, five child refugees from Vietnam experience the magic of a British Christmas.
Refugees in Shanghai: Their Life and Their Education Refugees in Shanghai: Their Life and Their Education
War 1945 28 mins Silent Location: Shanghai
Fascinating, sometimes harrowing record of life in camps run by international aid agencies following the bombing of Shanghai by the Japanese.
21 Days in China - a British teacher's impressions 21 Days in China - a British teacher's impressions
Non-Fiction 1972 6 mins Location: Shanghai
"Education must be combined with productive labour", so says a Chinese slogan. Western cameras are special guests to capture 70s school days - eastern style!
Shanghai c.1932 Shanghai c.1932
Amateur film 1932 46 mins Silent Location: Shanghai
Join the Eng family on the long journey by ship from Europe to Shanghai, China
A Visit to Fuzhou with the Bradford Dyers Association and Shanghai Views A Visit to Fuzhou with the Bradford Dyers Association and Shanghai Views
Amateur film 1929 4 mins Silent Location: Shanghai
The bustling waterways of rural Fouzhou contrast sharply with the frenetic pace of life in Shanghai, as seen in this atmospheric film from the late 1920s.
Parades and air-raids in Shanghai Parades and air-raids in Shanghai
Amateur film 1937 17 mins Silent Location: Shanghai
While the bombs fall on Shanghai its foreign expats continue to play, as this unique film shows. But it's only the lull before the storm - because the Japanese are on their way.
Life in Shanghai Life in Shanghai
Amateur film 1933 17 mins Silent Location: Shanghai
A Dragon procession, a Japanese beer festival, two duck shoots and a day at the races all feature in this remarkable film from 1930s Shanghai.
Outward Bound through the Suez Canal and on to Shanghai Outward Bound through the Suez Canal and on to Shanghai
Amateur film 1938 10 mins Silent Location: Shanghai
Travel in luxury on the 'slow boat to China' in this remarkable film from 1938, passing through the Suez Canal to Hong Kong, Shanghai and beyond.
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.