HOME MOVIES: 1946 FLOODING IN SHANGHAI CHINA

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1946

Format: 16mm

Description: Shot by an unknown American, this silent home movie footage was shot in and around Shanghai, China in 1946-1948 time period. It is part of a group of 16mm movies shot by an unknown American who was working for the OMEA, or Officer's Moral Endeavor Association, a sort of non-governmental, YMCA type group operating in post-WWII China. This film captures the storm flooding in Shanghai, which was a frequent occurrence before the installation of the storm drains and rain sewers in mid-1980s. The Waibaidu Bridge, Suzhou River and the Shanghai Post Office, seen in related films, are seen again here, along with a part of the 1945-1948 U.S. Navy "Yellow River Flotilla" out of which you can distinguish the outlines of 2 heavy cruisers (including USS Los Angeles) and a group of destroyers, anchored in the Huang Pu (Yellow River) in the midst of Shanghai. 0:07 Mass gathering of people, a kind of a procession with flags, probably filmed from the Broadway Mansions building, by the Waibaidu bridge and the Suzhou river 0:45-3:38 Scenes of the Chinese riverboat men life by the Waibaidu Bridge 1:41 Pan up to the Wusong (Suzhou river) the tributary of the Huangpu (Yellow rRiver) in Shanghai. Building in the middle with a tower is the Shanghai Post Office, Zhapu Road Bridge closest and North Sichuan Road bridge in the distance. 3:38 View over the Waibaidu bridge, towards the Bund (from the Broadway Mansions) on the plots which are now occupied by the Peninsula Shanghai Hotel 3:54 Zoomed-in view down towards the boatmen again, the cameraman was trying his new zoom, probably. 3:58 Zoomed-in view towards the Zhongshan East 1st Road busy with traffic – and the Bund, pan down towards the Waibaidu Bridge. 4:22 Zoomed-in view of a power station across the river in Pudong, port and US Navy ships anchored in the river at 4:30-4:36 4:50 Suzhou river, Post Office and mansions again 5:19 Workers loading something heavy and fragile onto the truck, perhaps mirrors. 5:48-6:23 More scenes of longshoremen moving goods onto the sampans. 6:30-8:07 Scenes of rural life in the Pudong District of Shanghai – reaping buckwheat and various bushes. 7:01 5-level pagoda, now demolished 8:07-end of the video Flooded streets of Shanghai, again – probably because of rain. This problem wasn't solved until the building of rainwater sewers and stormdrains in mid-1980ies. Cars, people and trams wade and advance slowly through the waterlogged street along the Suzhou river. 9:20 "No parking" sign 9:36 A utility vehicle ploughs through the water, while, in the background a shop "Harding & Co" remains open with a small wooden board serving as dam at the entrance. Based on some research, this shop appears to have been located on Peking Road. 10:40 In the rare open shops, people are getting their goods through the door., most everything is closed.

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