Kashgar 1926: Actors and Soldiers

Rare scenes of outdoor theatre, traditional dress and military pomp in China’s westernmost city.

Scenes of actors donning makeup and traditional costume contrast with a military parade in this rare glimpse of China’s westernmost city. Home to the Chinese Muslim Uyghur minority, Kashgar has for centuries been a site of political conflict. Intrepid plant hunter Major George Sherriff shot several films there while Vice Consul; local children are seen riding a donkey in the Consulate garden.

Major Sherriff (1898-1967) later filmed several expeditions to Bhutan, Nepal, northern India and Tibet, where he ran the British Mission at Lhasa in the 1940s. His celebrated Himalayan garden at Ascreavie in Scotland was created using plants collected on his travels.