We went to the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke this past weekend (and I wore a UNC shirt) to see the Picasso exhibit. That was pretty neat, but we also discovered another interesting exhibit. The small theater inside the museum was showing a short documentary film of late 1920s China made by sociologist and China scholar Sidney D. Gamble. The 15-minute film consisted of footage documenting pilgrims’ trek to Miao Feng Shan (Marvelous Peak Mountain), which is located on the western outskirts of Beijing. Here’s the video, courtesy of Duke University Libraries. It’s worth a look if you’re interested in Chinese culture and history.

Along with the video, Duke University Libraries also have a nice collection of documentary photographs taken by Gamble during his time in China. When we were at the museum, there was a projector on the wall outside the theater cycling through these pictures. I’m not sure how long these and the film are on display, but if you’re going to the Nasher to check out the Picasso exhibit any time soon, be sure to also take a peek at this exhibit. Yes, you can see the YouTube video here, but it’s just a different experience watching it on a huge screen in total darkness. I found myself wondering about the stories behind the faces of the people I was seeing on the screen, wondering how they survived (or if they survived) the traumatic turmoil that was on the horizons, wondering if they had any inkling about what was coming, and wondering where their descendants are now and what they are doing.

The other half of the theater (entrance on the opposite side of the one showing the Gamble film) is showing a collection of old home video footage of various locations around the world, including Russia, China, Thailand, Japan, and the United States.