Chaozhou, Kwangtung province, China: Phoenix pagoda. Photograph by John Thomson, 1870.

Neglected pagoda on an outcrop of rock, by a river (?), with a few trees behind. People at the left of the pagoda. Not the same building shown in Thomson's negative number 285. Blue crayon lines marking border at top and left sides

In southern China the photographer John Thomson came across a great many pagodas, and for him the Phoenix pagoda in Chaozhou was the best example of this type of architecture. Constructed in the 16th century, Phoenix pagoda is a seven-storey stone building with exquisite carvings. Although, wrote Thomson, this type of pagoda is generally regarded as a Buddhist monument, they are rarely seen in Cambodia or Vietnam. Thus he believed they were really intended to serve as watch-towers

1870

1 photograph : glass photonegative, wet collodion ; glass approximately 25.5 x 30.5 cm (10 x 12 in.)

Chouchowfu pagoda Kwangtung Bears Thomson's negative number: "286"

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

China through the lens of John Thomson, 1868-1872, Beijing: Beijing World Art Museum, 2009, p. 146 (reproduced)

Wellcome Collection 18834i