CHINA 1908
Sidney D. Gamble
& Brother Clarence Discover China
In these spectacular photos, taken by sociologist Sidney Gamble, one sees life in early twentieth-century China in all its vivid and authentic dimensions.
—Charles O. Wu
Professor Emeritus in Chinese and Humanities,
Reed College, Portland, OR
Available on Amazon
From the Sidney D. Gamble Duke University and Clarence James Gamble Harvard University Archives
9 May 1908. After four weeks in Japan, the Gambles continued their Orient Tour and disembarked in Shanghai, China. They hired a houseboat, the “Sunshine,” and took the one-day and overnight trip on the Grand Canal to (Hang Chou) Hangzhou. In Hangzhou, their host was long-time Chinese resident RobertF.Fitch, who had invited the Gambles to see for themselves the site selected for the future Hangchow Christian College campus. The Gamble family saw the campus site and more, and as they travelled and toured, Sidney and Clarence took many fine photographs of the people and the country, photographs that we cherish today for their glimpse into this lost place in time.
What Our Readers Say
Dr. Miriam Reed’s beautiful book “Japan 1908: The Adventure of Fourteen-Year-Old Clarence James Gamble” published in 2013, describes the month long journey of 14-year-old Clarence Gamble and his family in Japan. I’m very happy to know that she has recently finished another book about their adventures in China. This time Sidney Gamble, the older brother, is brought back to life. Sidney Gamble later became a well-known China scholar, and came to China three more times and stayed for a total of 9 year. There are many publications on his later sojourns and his works in China, but few have given detailed account of his first trip to China with his younger brother and parents. Dr. Reed’s detailed description of the first trip will helps us understand his later fascination and dedication to China. Accompanied with beautiful photographs, I’m sure that this book will be enjoyable for a lot of readers.
‚—Luo Zhou, Chinese Studies Librarian, Duke University Libraries, Durham. NC
In these spectacular photos, taken by sociologist Sidney Gamble, one sees life in early twentieth century China in all its vivid and authentic dimensions. Here it’s the genuine people, both poor and rich, more than the romanticized scenery or exoticized objects, assume the predominant subjectivity of photographic art. The verbal introduction, narrated by contemporary editor-author Ms. Reed, strings together these optical masterpieces with a broad sweep of historical background into a kaleidoscope of cultural heritage.
—Charles O. Wu, Professor Emeritus in Chinese and Humanities, Reed College, Portland, OR
