Chinese Embassy receives gift from retired US Foreign Service officer that is treasure trove of a bygone era

The Chinese Embassy in Washington received a special gift from a retired US Foreign Service officer on Feb 19.

It was a set of 24 photos taken in China in the 1930s, presented to Wu Xi, deputy chief of mission of the Chinese Embassy, by Richard Garrison of Arlington, Virginia.

The photos, which depict street life and scenes in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao, were remnants left by his mother, Stella Garrison, who passed away more than 10 years ago.

Each photo carries a description about 300 words long. A photo of a then-modern street in Canton (now called Guangzhou) describes the city's population and how automobiles were introduced into the city.

The other, a stunning view of the Great Wall, tells the history of the wall, including how it was used to defend against "barbarians" and then became useless and fell into decay.