Trading Places: A Photographic Journey Through China's Former Treaty Ports

Trading Places: A Photographic Journey Through China's Former Treaty Ports
ISBN-10
9887963925
ISBN-13
9789887963929
Series
Trading Places
Pages
400
Language
English
Published
2020-12
Author
Nicholas Kitto

Description

China's treaty port era extended from the 1840s to 1943, during which time foreigners had a significant presence. This book contains more than 700 photographs of many buildings from this period, most of them commissioned by non-Chinese people and companies. Many argue that they should never have been built, let alone still be standing. But this book is not concerned with the rights and wrongs of how these buildings came to be. It simply celebrates their existence. A significant number are innately beautiful and all of them embody a history that has clear and present links to our own time and thus remain relevant.This book was driven by the author's interest in the history of China's treaty port era, in which several generations of his family played a part. It is a tribute to the buildings that remain as a reminder of the past, and a guide to where to find them.