Tong Bingxue 仝冰雪
@tongbingxue
Visuals of Greater China. Curated by Tong Bingxue仝冰雪, Collector & Historian, Author: History of Photo Studios in China, A Life in Portraits. DM open.
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The Plague Fighters in Northeast China, 1911
Led by Dr. Wu Lien-teh (伍连德), the campaign against the Manchurian plague imposed strict quarantines, travel restrictions and body cremation.
It also promoted the widespread use of protective face masks—measures that helped bring the epidemic under control within months.
The outbreak killed an estimated 60,000 people.
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Railroad Tunnel & Wall, Chongwen Gate, Peking, 1918-19.
By Sidney D. Gamble.
Autumn today in Beijing's outskirts, a hundred acres of Maple.
Could anyone help identify this German ornamental signature? I am currently researching inscriptions on a photograph and would be grateful for any leads.
Thank you!
（Photo taken in 1913 in Peking）
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Chiang Kai-shek, 1912.
He had returned from Japan in 1911.
He assisted Chen Qimei, then military governor of the Shanghai, planning the Jiangsu-Zhejiang uprising, mobilized the New Army, served as commander of the vanguard, and took part in the recovery of Hangzhou, the formation of the Shanghai Army’s Fifth Regiment, and the capture of Nanjing.
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Scissors hand 1,300 years ago:✌️
In 2019, archaeologists found the Tang Dynasty tomb of Guo Xing in Taiyuan, Shanxi.
Inside the murals, several figures are clearly throwing the exact “scissors hand” we use in photos today: At least four of the eight “figures under trees” painted on the coffin platform strike the pose.
But here’s the twist: experts say it probably did NOT mean “victory” or “peace.” That modern meaning came much later—the victory sign only became famous in WWII, and the peace sign took off in the 1960s.
Archaeologist Pei Jingrong says some scholars think the Tang gesture was a blessing, but there’s still no agreed explanation.
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For the first time ever — 7'5" standing next to 7'5". 🏀
Yao Ming — Houston Rockets legend, Hall of Famer, the original "Moving Great Wall."
Zhang Ziyu — 19, rising star of China's women's national team, already nicknamed "the female Yao."
Same listed height. So no, Yao didn't shrink — the Great Wall just got a new centerpiece, and she's a woman.
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An elderly waste picker with aphasia in Yushi Village, Xiuyan (Anshan, Liaoning) has spent years collecting discarded items like electric fans, plush toys, and lanterns.
After meticulously washing every piece, he creatively assembled them with his own hands to build a vibrant, multi-colored "art castle."
Once shared online, netizens dubbed it the real-life Howl’s Moving Castle.
Nowadays, many people take the initiative to bring food to the old man and give him financial help, which has greatly improved his living conditions.
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Dounan斗南, Asia’s largest flower market, Kunming, China.
50 years ago tonight (Oct 6, 1976), four senior CPC leaders during the Cultural Revolution—Jiang Qing（Madame Mao）, Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen, and Zhang Chunqiao—were placed under isolation and investigation.
They were later permanently expelled from the Party and designated an anti-Party clique. This marked the end of the decade-long turmoil of the Cultural Revolution and laid the political groundwork for later reform and opening up.
The photo is the only group image of the four, at their trial on Jan 25, 1981, taken by Sun Yifu.
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The street-side breakfast in my hometown, Wuji County, Hebei Province:
silken tofu pudding with chicken-broth gravy, and a clay-oven-baked sesame flatbread stuffed with egg.
RMB 7, or $1 each.
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Day 5 of the 7-day National Day holiday: Visiting Shang’an Village 上安村
A nearly 1,000-year-old ancient village in Taigu County太谷, Shanxi.
In its Qing Dynasty heyday, it had over 1,000 households and 5,000+ residents.
The village was built in a fortified-city layout, with three defensive gates on its north side.
It still preserves over 10 ancient structures, including an old theater stage and Zongbing Courtyard (General’s Residence)—a precious heritage site where Shanxi merchant culture and folk culture coexist.
Sadly, most young people have left to work in the city, and only the elderly remain, holding on to the village.
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A four-year-old boy accidentally bumped into the woman's hip while running through the dining area at a restaurant in Changsha, the woman then pulled the boy, causing minor injury.
She demanded the family record a video apology for "harassment," while the parents insisted she should first apologize for hurting their son.
Neither side would back down. Now it's all over Chinese social media.
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Taoism in Africa 🌊☯️
The first representative meeting of the African Taoist Federation just took place in Mauritius.
Local opera performances, 1920s, NW China's Gansu Province, by Father Leo Van Dyke.
Heartbreaking!
A relentless torrential downpour nearly destroyed a thousand-year-old ancient village in Putian, Fujian.
Founded during the Tang Dynasty, Xiagao Village 莆田霞皋村preserved numerous historic structures from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.
Tragically, many of these ancient buildings suffered severe damage in the storm.
We hold onto hope for their future restoration and rebuilding. 🌸
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Café in a cave, SW China’s Guiyang.
A glimpse of Shanghai, 1991 — from the film My American Grandson (aka Shanghai Holiday上海假期), directed by Ann Hui许鞍华.
HRH Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand during her visit to the Forbidden City in 2001.
The two individuals kneeling on the ground are accompanying Thai staff members—a Royal Thai etiquette tradition that continues to this day.
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The Chinese Labour Corps, recruited by the British during World War I, serving in Egypt in 1918. From Albert Kahn's Archives of the Planet.
