Tongliang, Chongqing, Sichuan in 1917, recreates the true scene of the "Land of Abundance" more than a hundred years ago

In 1916, American photographer Gamble came to China for the second time. Together with his partners, he set out from Zhejiang and traveled along the Yangtze River. In 1917, he made an in-depth inspection of Sichuan Province.

This group of pictures records what Gambo saw along the way to Tongliang County (now Tongliang District, Chongqing) and in the city that summer, vividly reproducing the true image of the Land of Abundance more than 100 years ago.

The members of the expedition team were riding in sedan chairs on their way to Tongliang. At this time, a file of sedan bearers and porters were crossing a small mound in the wilderness.

In an inn on the roadside, the employees accompanying the team were sitting in front of the door to rest. The close-up view shows some of the suitcases belonging to the inspection team. They are large in size and heavy in weight. These men had to carry them all the way with their iron shoulders.

This bridge is called "Knightsbridge" by Gamble. It has a unique shape and looks like it is composed of several "crosses". The picture shows the porters of the expedition team crossing the bridge. The queue stretches for a long time, showing that there are many people.

Four bearers were carrying a Westerner across a simple-shaped single-hole stone bridge. On the bridge hole, there was a dragon head with its head tilted upward, which was carved with a unique shape.

"The road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to the sky." The picture shows several bearers carrying a foreigner across the stream. It takes seven bearers to carry a sliding pole, which shows that the mountains and rivers in the area are high and the road is difficult and dangerous.

The weather was hot and everyone had to stop frequently to take a nap. Here is a bridge at the foot of the mountain. The farmer is using the strong bridge deck to dry grain, and his wife is standing aside with her child in her arms. In a teahouse not far away, employees were hiding under the eaves to drink tea and rest.

Several young porters were sitting on the roadside to rest. Next to them there is a small stone tower with "Word Library" written on it. This is a pagoda specially used to burn calligraphy paper. In the old days, small towers like this could be seen in many places. When people found calligraphy papers on the ground, they would consciously collect them and burn them here to show respect for Chinese square calligraphy and culture.

After trekking through mountains and rivers, we finally saw the gate of Tongliang City. Tongliang has a long history. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the concubine of King Wei of Chu was granted the title "Tongliang Marquis" here.

Tongliang is located in the northwest of today's Chongqing City, and its name comes from the "Little Tongliang Mountain" in the territory. There are many cultural relics in its territory. The stone lion in the picture has a beautiful shape and smooth lines. It is unknown how many years it has been in existence.

In the ancient streets, stone roads and stone steps, a man was walking through an ox carrying goods. Next to him, there was the back of a young woman passing by in a hurry.

At the annual City God Festival, the narrow streets were overcrowded. Among the parade, there were dragon and lion dancers, as well as big-headed puppets wearing masks. Drummers followed the parade, playing, playing and singing along the way, making it very lively.

Photographer Gan Bo captured this photo accurately. There are old people, middle-aged people, young people and children in the photo, which vividly presents the image of the four generations of people in Tongliang area at that time.

An old man with a white beard is sitting on a bamboo chair on the street, holding a long cigarette pole in his hand. The old man wore glasses, had a bare upper body and a pair of straw sandals. He lived almost all his life in the darkest period of the late Qing Dynasty.

In a horseshoeing workshop in the city, a big horse wearing a bit was fastened to a crossbar. A group of local people stood nearby, not watching the big horse, but looking at the photography Teacher, there are only two children who are not interested in foreigners and just play by themselves.

In a rice processing workshop, two workers are promoting rice hulling and processing. The shape of the rice huller is similar to that of a mill. Rice is put into it and the husk of the rice can be removed by rolling it. Next to the rice huller is a device called a fan wheel, which uses wind power to separate the white rice from the chaff.

Under a big tree, a young mother was sitting on a bench holding her child, with exposed roots of the ancient tree behind her. I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of years old it is.