Auguste François

Auguste François, (born 1857 - died 1935) was a French consul in southern China between 1896 and 1904, first in Longzhou in Guizhou province and Kunming (then known as "Yunnan-fu") in Yunnan.

He spent several years in Kunming and elsewhere in Yunnan working on obtaining a concession from the local government to build the rail line from Vietnam to Kunming, which was then known as Yunnan-fu (云南府).

He also undertook several exploration trips on major rivers and in eastern Tibet. He extensively photographed places and people, from officials to labourers and actors. About an hour of movie footage has also survived.

In retirement, he wrote texts elucidating his images. François's work has been an invaluable means of documenting China's state palaces in the last decade of the empire. His photography is the earliest, largest and most extensive and complete collection of photographs documenting Chinese society at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Armed with what was then state-of-the-art photographic and cinematic equipment, François traveled extensively throughout southern China and eventually followed the Yangtze from Yunnan to its terminus in Shanghai. His photographs are some of the earliest and most thorough photographic records of China and the motion pictures he took are thought to be the earliest motion pictures taken in China.

His archive is held by the Association Auguste François in France.

References

* [http://www.gokunming.com/en/blog/item/595/auguste_franois_yin_xiaojun_and_kunming_at_the_end_of_the_qing_dynasty Auguste François, Yin Xiaojun and Kunming at the end of the Qing Dynasty]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/auguste-fran-ois Photography Encyclopedia: Auguste François] — Régine Thiriez