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China by the Golden Gate (1952)

1952 · Short film · 21 min

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Synopsis

This film from 1952 tours Chinatown in San Francisco, California, the largest Chinese settlement outside the orient. It displays how Chinese culture and heritage are preserved in a largely Chinese neighborhood in the United States of America while incorporating modern American capitalism elements, such as hospitals and banks. The film is a Standard oil company of California presentation, produced by Motion Picture Service Co., San Francisco, narrated by Dick Wynne, with the story by William Thorp, and is photographed and edited by Harold A. Zell. Chinese character being painted on a wall (00:10). “China By the Golden Gate” title banner (00:12). Credits (00:19). Views of San Francisco, California (00:29). Views of Chinatown in San Francisco (00:40). Views of Chinese residents working and living in Chinatown, San Francisco (01:08). Traditional Chinese craft ship (01:48). ‘The House of Ming’ store selling Chinese items, including ceramics, ivory, silk, and jade (a precious stone sacred in China) (01:57). A statue of the Chinese God of success (02:49). Views of buildings in Chinatown all resembling traditional Chinese architecture (02:53). Views of an American bank looking and functioning as a Chinese bank (03:16). A banker using an ancient Chinese abacus calculating tool (03:23). The banker hands a costumer dollars in cash (03:38). Chinese newspapers (03:47). The newspapers are handprinted using stamps of Chinese characters (03:57). An urban apothecary selling remedies used for…

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Details

Running time
21 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

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