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This newsreel item was filmed on 7 April 1927, two days before Chiang
Kai-shek declared martial law in Shanghai, and five days before the Shanghai
Massacre, a large-scale purge of Communists from the Kuomintang (KMT) that
included arrests and executions.
The violence followed an uneasy alliance between the National Party and the
Communists, in which they sought to remove the warlords from China. Power
struggles and political differences meant relationships between the two parties
broke down, and after Communist-leaning union workers occupied urban Shanghai
(except for the British-American International Settlement) on March 3 and began
demanding the removal of foreigners from Shanghai, the KMT and western powers
became concerned the Communists had too much influence. The KMT voted on 2 April
to purge Communists from their party, and violence began.
Unlike the other Topical Budget items filmed in Shanghai in 1927, this film
focuses on the Chinese reaction to the climate surrounding the Shanghai Massacre
and shows ordinary people fleeing the conflict, often carrying large bundles of
possessions and furniture. The streets are crowded, and glimpses of Western
military uniforms and barbed wire barricades can be seen. In an interesting shot
towards the end of the film, a man is seen carrying a traditional shoulder yoke,
with one basket full of belongings and the other holding a small child.
Lucy Smee
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Complete item (0:49)
