front is the Danish travel writer Aage Krarup Nielsen, the man in black on the left is and the man in white are respectively an American and British colleague. The three covered the civil war between the nationalist party, Guomindang, and its various enemies. From Aage Krarup Nielsen: Dragen vaagner. C. A. Reitzels Forlag 1927.
2. A postcard from 1927 showing one of the feared Sikh officers patrolling the British-American International Settlement. The Sikh officers were known for their brutality, especially towards the Chinese.
3. Stateless Russian dancers in one of Shanghai's innumberable cabarets. Shanghai was both famous and infamous for its nightlife which included widespread prostitution. Most women in the entertainment sector was Chinese. Because of their low status, refugees from tsarist Russia were frequently forced into it as well.
4. Chinese coolies in Shanghai. Coolie was the name for unskilled laborers, usually hired to carry heavy loads. This type of work was reserved for the Chinese. From Mette Koustrup and Sten Lange: Shanghai. Hverdag i Kina. Før og nu. Gyldendal 1980, p19.
5. Rickshaw runners were a subset of coolies. They supported themselves by transporting passengers in light, two-wheeled carriages. Despite poor pay, becoming a rickshaw runner was sought after because it was a mostly stable source of income – As long as your health permitted and customers didn't complain. From Lynn Pan: Shanghai A Century of Change in Photographs 1843-1949, Tenth Edition. Hong Kong: Peace Book Co., Ltd. 2009, p. 99.