On the Heels of the 'Reds'

Troops of infamous warlord General Tsung Chang occupy strategic points in Jiangsu Province on the eve of the Chinese Civil War.

British cinemagoers were transported to China several times by the Topical Budget newsreel as the country's slide towards civil war became global news in the late 1920s. Here, anti-Communist troops mass in Jiangsu (Kiangsu) Province in early 1927, under the command of the infamous General Tsung Chang (Zhang Zongchang), warlord of neighbouring Shandong Province.

The immense power of China's warlords was challenged during this period; while some joined forces loyal to the Nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) against the Communist Party of China (CCP), warlords were themselves a key target of the KMT. The Chinese Civil War officially began in August 1927 following a brutal purge of Communists.