The two trains pictured:
More info about (and photos of) the driver, Han Junjia:
this post was submitted on 27 May 2026
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I wish the "old" picture didn't look like it was from the 1940s instead of literally the year 2000.
Funny thing: tech in China was actually behind by 10+ years compared to western standards. Look at an episode from the 1985 edition of Journey to the West, the special effects look like a Doctor Who episode from the Tom Baker Era.
I still remember getting our first color TV in 2002, and that involved moving our old BW TV to the Master Bedroom. Dial-up Internet was also being used in 2007. Both of these examples were in metro Shanghai, which was the hub of development during these times.
A picture from 1940s would most likely be BW (as is the case with 60s era pictures of my great grandparents). While what you see is considered "90s-2000s" era for China.
Seems like the photo was taken with a really crappy camera. Or someone just put a yellow filter over it.