First World War victory celebration, Shanghai
Collection
Identifier
Kn01-144
Notes
University of Bristol - Historical Photographs of China reference number: Kn01-144. This photograph is of a paper or canvas tower put up at Shanghai Racecourse, for a bonfire to celebrate the end of the First World War. Painted on the tower: HOUSE OF HOHENZOLLERN, the Hohenzollern coat of arms and Chinese characters. The 'Iron Cross medal' hanging on the tower is inscribed: NOT FOR VALOUR, FOR RAPE LIES MURDER THEFT. The 'House of Hohenzollern' was the German/Prussian imperial royal dynasty. Caricatures of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, and a dachshund (as a symbol of 'Kultur') and others were hanged from the gibbets. The edifice was set alight by the Belgian Consul General after a torchlight parade on 23 November 1918. An 'immense crowd' had gathered to watch, including many Germans ('North China Daily News', 25 November 1918, p. 8).
Location
Date
Monday 25 November 1918
Material
Paper
Media
Black and white photograph
