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Peking and Its Surroundings

The austere beauty of the Great Wall of China's rugged mountain passes, in a travelogue tracing a caravan of camels' journey to Beijing.

Travelogue 1910 6 mins

Overview

This French-made travelogue captures the austere beauty of the rugged mountain passes around the Great Wall of China, tracing a caravan of camels' journey to Qing-dynasty Beijing. Scenes of the cargo-laden beasts snorting plumes of hot breath into the mountain air evoke a centuries-old way of life on the Silk Road. In Beijing: a riot's grisly aftermath, and contrasting funerals of rich and poor.

The production company, PathΓ©, was one of several European and American companies working in China during the late Qing dynasty (before 1912). Their films capture the lost life and landscape of this ancient country.