'The Island Pagoda', China, c 1871.

Pagoda on an island in the River Min near Fuzhou, China, taken by John Thomson (1837-1921) in about 1871, published in 1873 in the book 'Foochow and the River Min'. This pagoda near Fuzhou was known at the time as Lo-Sing, Pagoda Island. Fujian province was noted at the time for its many beauty spots, the River Min itself winding through spectacular tree-lined valleys and gorges. Thomson travelled extensively in Fujian province, formerly Fukien, south east China, from late 1870 to early 1871. The book records his journey up the River Min by boat from Fuzhou to Nanping, a distance of about 160 miles. Thomson was one of the most significant travel photographer-explorers of the nineteenth century.