Amoy (Xiamen), Fukien province, China: two young men and a young woman. Photograph by John Thomson, 1871.

Two young men and a girl standing in the doorway of a brick building. Large baulks of wood on the left hand side

Within the Qing empire, Amoy men were known to be rebels or 'southern rascals', who frequently caused problems for the authorities. Although the Manchu had finally conquered the region, many local people continued to maintain a separate identity. Not only did they speak a different dialect, they dressed in a unique style. Here two men wear turbans, which hide the queues ("pigtails") imposed on them by the Manchu. According to Thomson, both men were local coolies. At this time many such men left to work in America or in plantations in Southeast Asia.

1871.

1 photograph : glass photonegative, wet collodion : stereograph

Natives of Amoy 1871, Swatow natives, China Bears Thomson's negative number: "743"

This is one of a collection of original glass negatives made by John Thomson. The negatives, made between 1868 and 1872, were purchased from Thomson by Sir Henry Wellcome in 1921

John Thomson, Illustrations of China and its people, London, 1873-4, vol II pl. XIV fig. 40 "Amoy Men"

China through the lens of John Thomson, 1868-1872, Beijing: Beijing World Art Museum, 2009, p. 113 (reproduced)

Wellcome Collection 19744i