An audio and video documentary showcasing the scenes of Nanjing City 90 years ago has been being widely shared in many friend circles of WeChat, an Internet mobile multimedia messaging communication service developed by Tencent in China. The 7-minute-and-32-second documentary reveals the original scenes of Nanjing City in the period of the Republic of China (1912-1949), including the marketplace at Confucian Temple, the city walls and the city gate, being a valuable audio and video record of old Nanjing City.
The documentary, made in about 1930, was one of the earliest news films with sound, which was made by Fox Film Corporation of the U.S. based on its patented sound film-making technology for its news film series titled “Fox audio and video news”. After being donated by their owner a few years ago, these news film series began to be shared on the Internet, giving us a chance to enjoy the precious audio and video record of the old times.
