The Grandeur of the Gorges 雄伟的峡谷

The Grandeur of the Gorges 雄伟的峡谷
By Donald Mennie 
1926 
A.S. Watson & Company/Kelly & Walsh Limited, Shanghai 
Courtesy of the James G. Endicott Family 

No. 165 of a limited edition of 1000 copies. 50 photographic plates (incl. 12 original hand-coloured gelatine silver prints). Folio. Original decorative silk binding. 

Donald Mennie was a Scottish businessman and amateur photographer based in China in the early 20th century. His work often featured landscapes and historical themes that evoked a romantic image of Chinese antiquity. Preserved along with the book are James G. Endicott’s handwritten notes, providing firsthand accounts and personal anecdotes of the young couple’s experience navigating life on the Yangtze River as members of the West China mission. In the background of the photograph are visible cracks in the cliff face left by the bamboo ropes of trackers who dragged the boats upstream when weather conditions would not permit travel by sail.  

The note that accompanies this plate reads “This is exactly like the junk we took from Chungchow (Zhongzhou) to Fowchow (Fuzhou) this winter. We lived under the centre covering. Note the pilot standing on a high platform behind it.”   

限量发行1000册中的第165号，内含50幅摄影版画（包括12张手工着色的原始明胶银版印刷照片）。大开本设计，配有原装装饰丝绸封面。 

Donald Mennie是20世纪初驻中国的苏格兰商人兼业余摄影师。他的作品多以风景和历史题材为主，描绘了中国那个时代浪漫而迷人的景象。随本书一起保存的，还有文幼章的手写笔记，详细记录了这对年轻夫妻作为中国西部传教士在长江生活的第一手经历和个人轶事。 

在照片的背景中，可以清晰看到悬崖上的裂缝，那是纤夫用竹索拉船上游时留下的痕迹。当天气条件不适合扬帆时，纤夫便用这种艰辛的方式在险峻的江面上拖拽船只逆流而上附在这幅版画上的说明文字写道：“这正是我们去年冬天从忠州（现在的忠县）到涪州（现在的涪陵）时所乘的帆船。我们居住在船体中央的覆盖物下。请特别留意站在船尾高平台上的领航员。”