Remunerative Railways for New Countries: With Some Account of the First Railway in China, Including 8 Original Woodbury Photographs of the First Chinese Railway (Woosung Railway), 1878 Richard Christopher Rapier, Photographs probably by William Saunders

25.3x19.5cm. Containing eight original Woodbury photographs of the Woosung Railway (Wusong Railway) - the first modern railway in China - this volume documents the earliest phase of railway construction and operation in the country. The photographs capture the arrival of China's first locomotive "Pioneer", the unloading of railway materials and construction workers along the Huangpu River, group portraits of Chinese and foreign participants at the opening ceremony, full views of the "Pioneer" locomotive and its carriages in operation, panoramic views of Woosung Station, and Western passengers posing on the train. These images represent the only surviving photographic record of the Woosung Railway, and scholars have suggested that they were probably taken by the renowned Shanghai photographer William Saunders. In addition to the photographs, the book includes a detailed written account of the construction and operation of the Woosung Railway, providing invaluable documentation for the study of the early history of railway development in China. The Woosung Railway, connecting Shanghai and Woosung, was the first passenger-carrying railway in China. Built in 1876 by British merchants without official approval, it operated for only sixteen months before being purchased by the Qing government for 285,000 taels of silver and subsequently dismantled. Covers slightly rubbed and soiled. Interior clean and well preserved, with a few pencil annotations.