Towing Junks Upstream - China, circa 1917 Photographer:
Byron Thomas Prideaux Ref:
SK01189-44
For thousands of years, manual labor has been used in China to tow Junks upstream. This image, taken by the amateur photographer Byron Thomas Prideaux, shows a group of men (who were organized into guilds) pulling the Junks against the current using a system of thick bamboo ropes attached to a capstan on each ship. A Tow Master (not visible in this image) oversaw the entire process by beating a loud drum to regulate the pace of the workers.
