An interesting one, Photo shows sailors who accompanied Rear Admiral Chin Pih Kwang of the Imperial Chinese Navy to Grant's Tomb in New York City on September 18 1911. They are off the Chinese Cruiser Hai Chi, British built in 1897, she took a trip around the world in 1911, Hai Chi was part of the festivities at King George V Coronation, June 22 1911, and then headed west across the Atlantic taking the time for a courtesy call in New York etc etc  due to an uprising in Mexico towards Chinese immigrants, she headed south but dropped anchor in Cuba not going to Mexico after all, and we guess headed home, maybe south through the Straits of Magellan and out into the Pacific .

What was interesting was that when they left it was the Qing Dynasty and by the time they got back to China around May of 1912, the Republic of China government was formed. They had cut off their cue. I just found out they actually had it, but the captain ordered the crew to cut it off for the King George V coronation ceremony. 

 

Here is a picture of me recreating a sailor's uniform. It took me almost eight hours just to ID that mag pouch in your above picture. Very hard to find pouch, but I found a guy in the Czech Republic who was making it. I have also updated the hat since I took the picture. 

 

Also below, I visited the Grant Mausoleum and that building is huge. I recreated one of the photos. I obviously photoshopped the rifle from the original as I don't think people would be happy to see me walking around with one lol. 

 

Neat photoshop work!  

An outstanding posting in every category Hsin C.

Thanks all.   

Here's the original photo. 

Interesting, unusual, and some haunting photos.

 

Well done posts. 

 

Mikie

One more, i wonder how long they stayed in NYC, and if they were allowed liberty, if so my good guess is many went to Chinatown for a bit.

Oh yes, I was going to mention earlier, they had to waive the Chinese Exclusion Act on the sailors or they wouldn't have been allowed on shore. I think I read it from the original newspaper article or some site. 

I like the snake buckles. Are they Chinese in origin?

Very well done.

Chinese Cruiser Hai Chi in New York Harbor, I think in a period painting, though the Ensign seems wrong.

 

It's Wiki

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cruiser_Hai_Chi

the sailors probably spoke Mandarin , the chinatown was probably mostly Cantonese at the time.

Rear Admiral Chin Pih Kwang  with the then New York City Mayor, William Jay Gaynor, at Grant's Tomb, got a old timer CW Vet standing in the back there.

On 8/26/2024 at 12:18 AM, patches said:

Rear Admiral Chin Pih Kwang  with the then New York City Mayor, William Jay Gaynor, at Grant's Tomb, got a old timer CW Vet standing in the back there.

Do beleve that decoration the Admiral is wearing is the Order of the Double Dragon.