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Filmed on 21 March 1927, this newsreel item shows newly-arrived British
troops marching through Shanghai's mainly British-controlled International
Settlement.
Earlier that year, the British handed their concession in Hankou back to the
Chinese after it was occupied by insurgents, and on 3 March, Communist-leaning
union workers had occupied urban Shanghai, leading to fears that the
International Settlement in Shanghai would also be attacked. Various
nationalities lived in the International Settlement, but it was mostly
British-controlled, and on top of worries that British subjects were in danger,
British economic interests were also seen to be under threat.
America, France and Japan also sent troops to Shanghai during this period of
conflict; the international military had a large presence from 1927 until the
following year, then gradually diminished in size until the outbreak of
WWII.
In the film, ex-pats are seen crowding the streets in and around the very
European-style architecture of the Bund, watching the procession of troops and
waving their hats to cheer them on. A few Chinese workers are seen near the
beginning, the only visual clue - save for the shopfronts in one brief shot - that this is all happening in
China.
Lucy Smee
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Complete item (1:03)
