Free
Beijing - Northern Capital
Beijing's ancient streets and palaces come alive in a collection of fascinating and often beautiful travelogues and home movies shot between 1908 and 1939.
Beijing has been at the heart of China's political and cultural life for almost a thousand years. Though much of its ancient fabric is preserved, swathes of the city were lost in decades of urban regeneration projects. So these films from the first half of the 20th century open a window on to the city's lost past. Chinese filmmakers weren't active when the earliest films of Beijing (then known as Peking) were made, so these British and European films are among the only moving images of that time. Thanks to these pioneering cameramen, we can witness everyday life in the last years of the Qing dynasty, make our way from the European quarter of the city to the magnificent Forbidden Palace and the bustling Grand Canal, or roam the streets around the Qianmen gate. These often amateur cinematographers offer us a fresh look at a majestic and complex city, from the palaces and pagodas of Beihai Park, a trek around the Great Wall with intrepid honeymooners, to a cruise down the Grand Canal to Shanghai. This may be a Beijing seen through western eyes, but they are the eyes of a rapt enthusiast, not a jaded tour guide.
Modern China Modern China
Non-Fiction 1910 8 mins Silent Location: Beijing
Extraordinary and exquisite views of life and landscape in Beijing during the late Qing dynasty.
Peking and Its Surroundings Peking and Its Surroundings
Travelogue 1910 6 mins Location: Qinglongqiao
The austere beauty of the Great Wall of China's rugged mountain passes, in a travelogue tracing a caravan of camels' journey to Beijing.
Beijing - Coal Hill Street Scenes and the Forbidden City Beijing - Coal Hill Street Scenes and the Forbidden City
Amateur film 1938 15 mins Silent Location: Beijing
This delightful colour film features Beijing's Forbidden City, the Summer and Winter palaces as well as parks, processions, a drama school and a Chinese picnic.
Visit to Beijing and the Forbidden City Visit to Beijing and the Forbidden City
Amateur film 1929 2 mins Silent Location: Beijing
Beijing's Forbidden City is the star attraction in this film from the late 1920s, featuring historic buildings, the Lion's Gate and an early panorama across the city.
My Oriental Friends, From Penang to Peking My Oriental Friends, From Penang to Peking
Amateur film 1933 16 mins Silent Location: Hong Kong
This unique and beautiful tour of Southeast Asia and China is a treasure trove of picturesque views of Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.
Summer Palace Beijing and Tsientsin Summer Palace Beijing and Tsientsin
Amateur film 1929 3 mins Silent Location: Beijing
Dancing bears and camels feature in views of Beijing's Summer Palace in the late 1920s filmed by an expat couple who are later seen enjoying a traditional Chinese meal.
Wanderings in Peking Wanderings in Peking
Amateur film 1939 11 mins Silent Location: Taimiao (Imperial Ancestral Temple)
These wanderings of an amateur filmmaker take in city streets, markets and Chinese acrobats in lively 1930s Beijing.
This Is China This Is China
Documentary 1946 9 mins
Mesmerising snapshot of a China full of extreme contrasts: Nationalists versus Communists, urban versus rural, advanced versus primitive.
Wedding Procession - China c.1932/33 Wedding Procession - China c.1932/33
Amateur film 1932 4 mins Silent
A sumptuous city wedding, captured on film by a retired British teacher and amateur filmmaker, during a trip to China.
Visit to China Visit to China
Amateur film 1938 30 mins Silent Location: Forbidden City
This stunning colour film features the only known pre-war footage of Seoul as well as Beijing, the Great Wall, the Marco Polo Bridge and many other famous landmarks.
Beijing - Palaces and Temples Beijing - Palaces and Temples
Amateur film 1938 5 mins Silent Location: Beijing
Gates, palaces and temples all feature in this rare colour film from 1938 filmed mainly in the seemingly empty grounds of Beijing's Forbidden City.
Forbidden City Forbidden City
Amateur film 1933 4 mins Silent Location: Forbidden City
Take a tour around the gates of Beijing’s sprawling Forbidden City during its transition from Imperial home to World Heritage Site.
Street Scenes - Peking and Shanghai Street Scenes - Peking and Shanghai
Amateur film 1933 5 mins Silent Location: Beijing
Join the hustle and bustle of Peking and Shanghai city life with this richly detailed 1930s home movie.
Peking March/April 1937 Peking March/April 1937
Amateur film 1937 14 mins Silent Location: Tiantan (Temple of Heaven)
Indulge in a spot of time-travel with this 1930s sightseeing tour of ancient Chinese monuments.
Chinese Funeral c.1927 Chinese Funeral c.1927
Amateur film 1927 6 mins Silent
Engrossing home movie images of an extravagant funeral procession on the streets of a Chinese city.
China (1928) China (1928)
Amateur film 1928 12 mins Silent Location: Forbidden City
A pair of honeymooners take in Beijing on their way to the Great Wall of China in this intrepid and intimate adventure.
China Today China Today
Travelogue 1936 58 mins Silent Location: Guangzhou
An epic amateur travelogue of eastern China on the cusp of Japanese invasion, filmed by British writer Lady Dorothea Hosie.
Tientsin Street Scenes 1 (1929) Tientsin Street Scenes 1 (1929)
Amateur film 1929 4 mins Silent Location: Tianjin
Fascinating snapshots of life in Tianjin, northern China's largest coastal city.
Tientsin Street Scenes 2 (1929) Tientsin Street Scenes 2 (1929)
Amateur film 1929 4 mins Silent Location: Tianjin
Revealing amateur snapshots of Chinese and European communities in Tianjin, northern China's largest coastal city.
John Mills Collection Film 37 - China/Hayley-Bells John Mills Collection Film 37 - China/Hayley-Bells
Amateur film 1929 10 mins Silent
An amateur film of rural China in the early 1930s shot by the actor John Mills’ father-in-law, showing farming and transport methods in Tianjin.
City Streets; Funeral; Rural Scenes - China, C1932/33 City Streets; Funeral; Rural Scenes - China, C1932/33
Amateur film 1933 4 mins Silent
The buzz of Chinese city street life is contrasted with an elaborate funeral procession and brief rural scenes in this absorbing amateur film.
Street Scenes in China Street Scenes in China
Amateur film 1925 49 mins Silent Location: Beijing
Scenes of bustling city life in east Beijing and the funeral procession of Sun Yat-Sen, founder of the Republic of China.
In China - A Trip on the Imperial Canal In China - A Trip on the Imperial Canal
Documentary 1908 9 mins Location: Shanghai
Take a cruise through imperial China on the world's longest man-made waterway, the Grand Canal.
Beijing / Shantou c.1932 Beijing / Shantou c.1932
Amateur film 1932 2 mins Silent Location: Beijing
Home movie snapshots take in a visit to a rock-face, a Beijing temple and skilled Shantou seamstresses hard at work in Guangdong Province, South China.
Beijing c.1932 Beijing c.1932
Amateur film 1932 11 mins Silent Location: Beihai Park
This home movie from the Eng family's collection includes scenes of Beihai Park and Forbidden City.
Beijing Extract 1 c.1932 Beijing Extract 1 c.1932
Amateur film 1932 2 mins Silent Location: Beijing
This amateur film from the Eng family's collection includes views of the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven.