The Chinese are one of the world's oldest people and continuous civilizations. Their states and cultures date back far more than six millennia. They are a multinational entity extending over a very large area of East Asia.

Historically, China was ruled by Dynasties dating as far back as the Bronze Age. At the end of the Ming Dynasty in 1644, the Qing Dynasty was established and lasted until 1912. It was the last Dynasty to rule China. Although China engaged in imperialistic expansion into Central Asia, it also awoke to the significance of the West and opened up to foreign trade and missionary activity.

During the twentieth century, China experimented with new systems of social, political, and economic organization that would allow for the reintegration of the nation in the wake of dynastic collapse. It was during this time that photograph and postcard images were made.

There is a great diversity within the Chinese ethnic groups and most of the images are people whose status allowed the money for a photograph. Fortunately for us, this allows us to see many different aspects of Chinese life during the twentieth century.

Note: There are several pictures showing the disturbing practice of foot binding, a tradition that lasted for a thousand years. It wasn't until 1895 that the first anti-foot binding society was formed in Shanghai, whose daughters of the society members were guaranteed marriage partners, without the prerequisite of foot binding as a condition for marriage. However, it was not until 1911 that foot binding was outlawed. In 1915 the Chinese government declared the practice illegal and sent inspectors to issue monetary fines to those who continued to uphold the tradition.

Bibliography:
Great Events from History: The 19th Century 1801-1900, John Powell, 2006
Culture and Customs of China, Richard Gunde, 2002