Modern Peiping: Navy 1935

This 1935 travelogue, Modern Peiping, filmed in black-and-white 16mm with a stereotypical “Chinese music” track, possibly by the U.S. Navy, follows bluejackets touring Beijing (then Peiping) and its outskirts. Good shots capture gambling dens, bustling street scenes, ancient temples, and statues, with Navy men waving atop a giant elephant sculpture. The Forbidden City and palaces loom grandly, blending exoticism with military leisure. A pre-war American gaze on China, it reflects 1930s naval presence and curiosity, tinged with cultural clichés of the era.