Old photos of Xianfeng period in the late Qing Dynasty: Did the Governor become a puppet in Guangzhou under the occupation of British and French allied forces?

A street view in Guangzhou. During the Second Opium War, British photographer Pierre? Rosier followed the British and French allied forces to China and filmed Guangzhou under the allied occupation (1858- 1859). These old photos, including portraits and city scenery, have great historical value. Rosier was the first professional photographer to come to China, and his works brought him considerable profits after being sold in the West. ?

Street view of Guangzhou. There are many shops on the street, but few pedestrians, and people's normal life is affected by the war.

Standing at the west gate of Guangzhou, look out. 1856,5438+00 June, the British army captured Guangzhou and quickly retreated after looting. 1857 65438+In February, more than 5,700 British and French troops captured Guangzhou for the second time,13,000 Yu Qing troops almost collapsed without fighting. In these two siege wars, the weakness and backwardness of the Qing army were exposed, especially the weapons and tactics were far behind the times.

Guangdong Governor Bai Gui and British Consul Parkes. The British and French Coalition forces were established? Alliance Committee? Long-term occupation and colonial rule of Guangzhou. The Committee is located in the Guangdong Governor's Office and is controlled by British Consul Parkes, British Colonel Harrower and French Colonel Hugh Lai. They fostered Bai Gui, the governor of Guangdong who surrendered first, as a puppet and carried out their will through Bai Gui.

General Fengtian in Guangzhou sits like a bronze statue. In the face of the allied attack, the local officials in Guangzhou behaved disgracefully. Ye, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, passively prepared for war, and as a result, he became a prisoner, was transported by the British army to Calcutta, India, and died there. Bai Gui, Governor of Guangdong Province, and General Fengtian of Guangzhou put up a white flag and surrendered.

A scene of Guangdong governor's yamen. In the Governor's Office, Bai Gui has no freedom. Both inside and outside the yamen are guarded by British and French soldiers, and Bai Gui has no right to decide who he can and cannot see. The announcement document issued by him must be approved by Parkes and others, and the imperial edict of Xianfeng was intercepted by Parkes and others. In fact, the Guangdong Governor's yamen headed by Bai Gui became the first local puppet regime in modern China history.