PolarBear
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An 1895 member of the French Foreign Legion in front of a photograph of Haiphong Harbor, Tonkin China. After the Sino-French War (1884-1885) the French assumed colonial authority over all of Indochina, dividing it into three territories: Tonkin (in the north), Annam (in the center) and Cochinchina (in the south). Here began the history of Vietnam's attempt to free itself from France and reunite these three arbitrary territories. This eventually lead to the wars that would follow in the 20th Century. For fans of the Broadway musical South Pacific (Rodgers & Hammerstein), two of its characters are from Tonkin China: Bloody Mary and her daughter Liat. The musical is set on an island in the New Hebrides during World War II. A number of Tonkinese had been sent there by the French to work on the plantations as indentured laborers.
Figure by Beau Geste (from set BG101)
Figure by Beau Geste (from set BG101)
