Saturday, June 14, 2008

Mystery Photo


Mystery Photo, originally uploaded by NellyMoser.

Can anyone translate the writing at the top of this picture?

It was found among Pearlie's papers and photographs. She hasn't a notion where it came from. Does anyone have an idea?

Are those European guys Catholic priests?

12 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:36 pm

    I have friends who speak both Japanese and Chinese, I shall get on the case.

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  2. This is one of the reasons that I love the internet.

    All insights shall be greatly appreciated.

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  3. Anonymous12:08 pm

    My boss is learning chinese & his girlfriend is chinese so I shall let them have a look & see what it says. Between us we will find out - I am curious to find out!
    Hope everyone is well.
    Mels. x x

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  4. If I had to bet, I'd say it was a gathering of Japanese Boy Scouts. Well, maybe Imperial Army and some Scouts.

    If you look on the right, there's a whole lot of young faces, and a lot of those Smokey Bear hats about midway back on the right, and in the far right there's a lot more. Also, the kids are wearing neckerchiefs.

    The little ribbons you see hanging off of left breast pockets are also a Japanese thing, used for praise or shame, depending on what you do.

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  5. Thanks for that Cap'n. But what's with the priests and what's the script mean?

    Perhaps the picture was here before Pearlie's time. Any thoughts on dates?

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  6. Alas, no parlez the Nipponese, so I can't help with the kanji.

    The priests? Don't they always appear at formal events in full frock? There *are* a whole lot of boys there...

    As for the date, it's pre-WWII. The style of uniform, the white gloves and Sam Browne belts, plus, there's Anglos that are not being beheaded, as happened with depressing frequency post-1939.

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  7. You know your stuff Cap'n - the dates would fit in with the photo being in the house prior to the arrival of Bert's family.

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  8. Anonymous10:24 am

    Hey Mary,

    I got a translation of this for you. It says something along the lines of 'A big celebratory meeting to remember Jiang Jieshi's 50th birthday'. It also refers to 'all types of people coming together'.

    Thanks to google.....Jiang Jieshi was a soldier and statesman, head of the Nationalist government in China from 1928 to 1949, and subsequently head of the Chinese Nationalist government in exile on Taiwan.

    He was head honcho before Chairman Mao.

    I have learned something about Chinese History today!

    Hope this helps.

    Love Mel.
    x x

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  9. Well done Mel - if it was his 50th birthday that would date the picture at 1937. Two years before WW2.

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  10. Anonymous10:51 am

    2 years before WW2 - what age would pearlie have been then?
    I laughed at the fruit story.
    Mel.x x

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  11. Pearlie would have been 15.

    BTW she got her strawberries.

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  12. Another Googler here :-)

    According to an article entitled The Literary Interpretation of the Bible in China [ http://www.inst.at/trans/16Nr/09_4/dong-sheng16.htm]


    1.4 The Period from 1919 to 1949

    In this period, China was characterized by multiple ideologies, none of which was dominating. Sun Zhong-shan, the leader of the 1911 Revolution was a Christian himself, and the Temporary President, Yuan Shi-kai, was interested in Christianity. The President of the Republic of China, Jiang Jie-shi, converted to the Roman Catholic Church in 1928, and became a diligent reader of the Bible.

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