Question regarding 35mm negative still film in 1950s China

<p>Can anyone supply conclusive information about the type of 35mm film that was used (by individuals or government entities) in 1950s mainland China (not Hong Kong)? I have a friend who is working on a design project related to 1950s China and would like to know what type of edge markings exist on Chinese film from the time period.<br>

I tend to think that Russian film was likely used since Russian 35mm cameras were being manufactured in the early 50s, and I assume that Russia was also producing film. Another possibility is black-market or smuggled American/European/Japanese film or even Chinese-produced film (although I doubt that in 1950 this would have occured). Anyone with information that could be helpful, or even better, possess film from 1950s China?</p>

<p>I must say that is one question I have never thought of. Looks like I have a project for a few days... This could be fun.</p>

<p>I simply don't know the answer to your question.<br>

Until somebody comes along who does, I know that Hong Kong was by no means a barrier between West and East, so probably European films from both East and West were widely available to those who were authorized as photographers and journalists. Just as Rodchenko in the pre-war Soviet Union had a Leica camera, I would strongly suspect that persons authorized to do so had what they needed. Ordinary Chinese amateur photographers? That's another matter. I don't know when the Chinese plants making film and cameras actually got into production.</p>

<p>In the 60s, much of the Second World used East German Agfa film, later renamed ORWO. Soviet films like Tso were rarer as I understand (mind you, from a DDR perspective).</p>

<p>I wasn't aware of Agfa being split into pieces, leading to ORWO. Any idea when a Soviet 35mm still film was introduced?<br /> Good point about Hong Kong not being a barrier between East and West. Kodak and Fuji film may have been easier to acquire than I thought.<br /> If anyone has ideas, I'd appreciate it. My friend would like use the proper edge markings for a film that may have been used in China in 1950. If it ends up that Agfa/Kodak/Fuji film were likely used, that's fine. If Soviet film were used, it would be interesting to find those edge markings.<br>

<br />Thanks for your help...</p>

<p>What about Era and Seagull? During the late 1960's Pop Photo tested some Chinese films against Verichrome Pan and I recall seeing both of those names. Possibly, Era and Seagull might have been around ten or so years earlier. </p>

<p>In 1978 china bought the last bit of Technicolor dye transfer equipment from a Technicolor lab in England so that they would be less dependent on foreign color film stocks and ran with it until 1993. I don't know if that means there were no Chinese manufactures at all but there's a lot of technology in a piece of color film and technology wasn't really a big thing in china in the 1950s so I suspect not. My bet would be that they were using Orwo or Agfa/Ansco.<br>

To help you in your search that edge is called the "rebate".</p>

<p>Growing up in HK in the 50's in a photographic family - I remember Seagull being the big PRC brand. It was mostly sold in the PRC department stores in HK. Kodak, Ilford and Agfa are the big names. Fuji was not onto the scene until later.</p>

<p>Thanks a lot for the information... I'm going to follow up on the suggestions given here.<br>

Does anyone have any exposed Seagull/Shanghai from the 50's? I'd love to get a scan.<br>

Danny, do you recall Seagull/Shanghai producing 35mm film or only 120? I know that Shanghai produced a 35mm film camera in 1958 and I'm still trying to determine if there was one made even earlier.</p>

<p>Seagull in the 50's were mostly 120 and 127. 35mm started taking off in the 1960's.<br>

Good luck sourcing processed Seagull from the 50's. Most serious and professional photogs in Hong Kong would not touch the stuff during that period.</p>

<p>Thanks, Danny.</p>

<p>Anyone know if Russian film was imported into China in the 50s and 60s?</p>

<p>My gut feeling is that color film was certainly a rarity outside of the West in the 1950s, unless it was transparency film. I may be wrong, but color film also assumes an infrastructure that is capable of supporting the development process, unlike b&w film. Hence, since b&w film was easily done at home or by a lab, it would have been the most commonly used type of emulsion anywhere at that time. Even then, chrome films were fairly limited, and of course Kodachrome was a different beast altogether. The color negative/print process --had several milestones -- from the timeline of photography:<br>

1940 - Ansco, Agfa, and Sakura Natural color films are introduced.<br>

1941 - Eastman Kodak introduces KODACOLOR negative film.<br>

1950 - Kodak introduces a new multilayered film stock in which emulsions sensitive to red, green, and blue are bonded together on a single roll. Patented as Eastmancolor<br>

1954 - Eastman Kodak introduces Tri-X film.<br>

<br />I would bet that there were no Chinese film producers in the 1950s - that country was still undergoing huge societal changes, and color film was very likely not on Mao's priority list.</p>

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