[Leica] China 1976

[ricc at embarqmail.com (Ric Carter)]

fascinating record

excellent light handling

ric


On Mar 25, 2011, at 3:43 AM, H&ECummer wrote:

> Hi Luggers,
> I was a trade officer with the Canadian Embassy in Beijing in the mid 
> 1970's.
> My slides from that time have been in storage in Canada for the last 17 
> years and over the summer I scanned some of them.
> 
> Here are 8 pictures showing a visit to Harbin and the Taching oil fields 
> in February 1976. The film stock is Extachrome, ISO 160 (I think) and the 
> camera is a Pentax K2 with a 85mm F2.0 lens and a wider lens, now 
> forgotten, perhaps a 35 F2.0. The set is long gone - given away to a photo 
> student.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/China70s/_HeavyIndustw.jpg.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/4o7o4m7
> 
> The Harbin generator factory. I made a report on the visit with as much 
> info as possible and described the building as "industrial gothic"
> About 6 months later a report from the CIA crossed my desk, (we shared 
> industrial info in those days) describing the factory's capabilities and 
> describing it as "industrial gothic".
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/China70s/DecapodPanoW.jpg.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/4os9hkm
> 
> In those days steam engines were the main work horses on the railways. The 
> decapod is from an American design from the Baldwin locomotive works first 
> sold to Russian and then passed to the Chinese in the 1920's. When I took 
> this picture China was still producing decapods to the old "Russian" 
> design (Ye designation).
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/China70s/FixingLtBulbsW.jpg.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/4egt3n3
> 
> Self sufficiency was the word in China in 1976 - here a worker is 
> refitting fresh filaments into a burned out bulb. We were amazed to see 
> this being done, and the Chinese were equally amazed that as an advanced 
> country we didn't recycle our bulbs. I doubt very much of China still does 
> this.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/China70s/FixingLtBulbs2W.jpg.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/4vr9gne
> 
> Here is another view of the bulb repair assembly line.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/China70s/LeatherCutw.jpg.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/4lcxe63
> 
> Trying to be self sufficient in all things they also made leather goods - 
> shoes and bags and belts.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/China70s/NoodleMakerW.jpg.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/4kmks9l
> 
> And noodles from scratch.
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/China70s/Sewingw.jpg.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/4tl5lrh
> 
> And clothes for everyone - all in Mao blue
> 
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/Howard+Cummer/China70s/WingMakerW.jpg.html
> 
> http://tinyurl.com/4zbcdmc
> 
> And handicrafts to sell. Here the girls are making wings to add to 
> pictures of cranes made out of cork.
> 
> I haven't been back to Harbin and Taching since then but I would bet big 
> money that none of this piece work is being done now.
> Everyone is making export goods for Walmart.
> 
> C& C always welcome
> 
> Your old comrade Howard.
> 
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