Kukan (1941) - Color Documentary of 1940s China

From the National Archives
Produced in 1941 by Rey Scott and Li Ling-Ai, the documentary “Kukan” looks at the situation in China after years of war with Japan. Unusual for its time, the footage was shot by Scott using color film instead of black and white, making this a very historically significant documentary, especially for those studying Chinese history. The version seen here is freely accessible through the National Archives but is unfortunately, missing around 30 minutes of footage.

[@zacharyzink2245]

Awesome find! Do you plan on making a video discussing the equipment and organization of the Chinese Expeditionary Force during WW2 in the future?

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks for watching! I do plan on making videos of X and Y Force in the future. I’m currently putting together a set of X-Force uniform and webbing. Once that’s completed, I’ll probably make a video on that. If you have any specific questions, I’d be happy to answer them for you here as well! Thanks again for watching!

[@Ground0-dn1cv]

Wow, nice find👍 As always great and interesting content.

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks for watching! Color footage like this is quite rare so I thought people would enjoy seeing this.

[@tosoledo]

great historical documentary, keep them coming.

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks! I’m glad you enjoy these documentary videos. I’ll try to post more in the future!

[@G-nb6mb]

Just finished your video on uniforms. Still a bit confused.
Also, I’m curious about the various, seemingly political pins worn in photos (usually featuring Cheng Kai-Shek, or some form of written character)
In addition, I’m curious what large groups of men would have looked like, in regards to how varied the uniforms would be across such large sections of men; and if there was differing uniformity based on company or divisional… well, divisions.
I’m also curious as to how often the Nationalist and Communist forces would be seen together; and how they would be coordinated.

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks for watching! I’d be glad to answer your questions. The pins worn above the left chest pocket are often unit pin, much like the unit patch worn on the left sleeve. Different units would use different characters and/or designs. As for what large groups of men, it really depends on the unit. A well equipped central army unit might have relatively uniform looks while a provincial/local unit might have obvious differences even within a squad or section. Nationalist and Communist units didn’t really work together very often. There were some early examples such as the battle of Pingxingguan, but similar examples are rare. Even though communist forces were in theory under the leadership of the nationalists, they often just followed their own leadership. Later on, there were even cases of Nationalist and Communist units fighting against each other instead of alongside. Such is the case with the New 4th Army incident, where nationalist troops were ordered to attack communist troops for refusing to obey their orders. Hope this helps!

[@steelhelmetstan7305]

Looks like im being edited out of the comments.....i left you a long one , but anyhow great video showing the country in that period of timev😊😊😊😊

[@resistanceremembered]

Looks like the RUclips bugs are at it again. It used to happen to me as well, and quite often. Nowadays, every once in a while, one of my comments might appear on a completely different ‘Shorts’ video for some reason. Anyways, thanks for watching Stan and I really appreciate your comments!

[@steelhelmetstan7305]

@@resistanceremembered cheers I was just trying to sat how Ch#na had evolved/transformed itself from a very rural economy as it seemed to be in 1941 and in 2024 it is the 'workshop of the world '.....Britain was once not anymore.....just an observation 🙂🙃🙂

[@resistanceremembered]

@@steelhelmetstan7305 yeah, I completely agree! The amount of progress the country has made in the last few decades both technologically and economically is extremely impressive!

[@steelhelmetstan7305]

@@resistanceremembered yes indeed, I remember watching a youtuber who's channel was about classic cars...anyway he did a bit of a world tour and was in China...the train he went on made the British rail network look like what it is....a joke....I like living in the UK but in many ways it is slipping into a 3rd world nation....very sad🤔

[@tosoledo]

will you upload the second part?

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks for watching! Unfortunately, the copy in the National Archives is incomplete and is missing around 30 minutes worth of footage.

[@brionethan]

还有下半部分吗

[@resistanceremembered]

很遗憾，美国的国家档案馆里的这份只有前半部分，缺了大约三十分钟的影像 😭

[@stormeaglegaming5395]

Cool , seeing this for the first time .

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the documentary!

[@ethanchen9611]

👍🇹🇼

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks for watching!

[@capoislamort100]

China 🇨🇳: over 5000 years of unbroken history.

[@resistanceremembered]

Yeah, it’s a nation that’s extremely rocky in history! Thanks for watching!

[@s1lv3rzz]

好好好好好 谢谢分享

[@resistanceremembered]

感谢观看！

[@chsgrate5362]

Кукан

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks for watching!

[@89volvowithlazers]

sounds like Ukraine today dont it

[@resistanceremembered]

Thanks for watching!