History of Ceylon Tea

Featured Youtube Videos on Ceylon (Sri Lanka)

• Charming Ceylon 1931

  A tour of the island of Ceylon in the 1930s. Footage from this film is available for licensing from www.globalimageworks.com

• Tropical Ceylon 1932

  A tour of Ceylon (Sri Lanka)in 1932. Map of Indian Ocean, tropical road with wagon, coconut palm trees, coconuts being processed, man sorting coconut shells, houses made of coconut palms, roof being thatched, native house, woman buying a broom, woman holding child, baby crying and crawling, children boys playing wearing loin cloths, man showing long hairdo, water buffalo pulling art, washing water buffalo in river, baby elephant rubbing tree, boy riding baby elephant, large elephant dragging tree, boats on canal. Footage from this film is available for licensing from www.globalimageworks.com

• Peaceful Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1948

  An old German educational film showing the interior of the island as it looked like after WW2. Subjects: rubber, tea and cinnamon plantations, rice paddies, various industries and finally the market.
  See my other 1000 clips by searching YouTube with 'michael rogge'
  Website 'Man and the Unknown' https://wichm.home.xs4all.nl/

• Ceylon and Southeast Asia, 1927

  Home movies of a trip to Ceylon, Burma, Sumatra, Java, Siam and Borneo in the late 1920's.To purchase a clean DVD or digital download of this film for personal home use or educational use contact us at questions@archivefarms.com. To license footage from this film for commercial use visit: www.travelfilmarchive.com

• Song of Ceylon (1934) by Basil Wright

  Ambitious documentary chronicling the cultural life and religious customs of the Sinhalese and the effects of advanced industrialism on such customs.
  
  Reviews:
  www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/442428/
  www.filmreference.com/Films-So-St/Song-of-Ceylon.html

• Gripsholm Cruise 1940 #2

  Edited travelogue
  with narrative titles
  Locations:
  Continuation - Gripsholm Cruise 1940
  Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
  Seychelles; Praslin Island
  Sumatra
  Bali
  
  Producer: Mrs. J. Shipley Dixon
  Audio/Visual: silent, color
  
  All rights are reserved by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum). Any use of the footage in productions is forbidden unless rights have been secured by contacting the Penn Museum Archives at 215-898-8304, or email photos@museum.upenn.edu.
  
  This film and all of the films in the Penn Museum collection are copyrighted by the Penn Museum, and are not in the public domain.

• The Queen of Ceylon opens parliament

  The Queen Elizabeth II of Ceylon opens parliament , monarchy crown throne speech

• Queen in Kandy two

  Queen Elizabeth II in Kandy Ceylon part two in colour . monarchy crown

• Queen in Kandy

  Queen Elizabeth II in Kandy Ceylon . monarchy crown

• Java-Ceylon 1955 Reel 6 of 24

  1955: Reel 6: Java-Ceylon. July 9-17. Semarang. Ceylon [Sri Lanka]. Colombo. Galle. Ratnapura. Negorna.
  
  Street scene, Semarang.
  Boys fishing in canal.
  Laundry in canal.
  Tied up crabs, note: hat.
  Wooden milk cans(?).
  Carpenter's shop.
  Shore scenes from pier.
  Large umbrella-shaped net for fish.
  Portuguese man-of-war, propelling itself (cu)
  Squid net.
  Water scenes.
  Dentist's chair.
  Water jar. [mws]
  Market and street scenes.
  Street signs.
  Funeral procession.
  Private toilets along canal.
  Preparing food.
  Scenes on rubber plantation: collecting rubber sap, latex [over-exposed]
  Making reed mat.
  Latex milk.
  High chicken coop with rope ladder.
  Collection small oysters along shore.
  Weaving machine.
  A boat "caulked" with fiber at seams, [mws and cu]
  Water wagon.
  Street scene.
  Coconut drying.
  Woman weaving palm leaves into mat.
  Chicken coop between two trees and ladder [mws]
  Beating coconut fiber.
  Rope making; several scenes, [all women]
  Shoeing a bullock.
  Two monks in yellow robes.
  Water scenes.
  Rope-making.
  Cord burning.
  Two elephants along road.
  Ferry boat. Market.
  Gem pits at Ratnapura.
  Earth dug up, put in baskets and washed in stream.
  Stones or gems counted on bank by "owner", (note: weaving in basket bottom)
  Worker.[ws]
  Gems in hand.
  Polishing gems, using lathe.[mws and cu]
  Animal along road (alligator?).
  Bread fruit- -Negoma.
  Bundle of flowers.
  Revolving oil press (with a rotating roof).
  Meat market.
  Liquor store.
  Pottery making using paddle and stone.
  Boat scenes at fishing village.

• Ceylon 1955 Reel 7 of 24

  1955: Reel 7: Ceylon. July 17-23. Negoma. Colombo. Chilaw.
  
  Food cart.
  Outrigger boats (many details; note: width of boat at top).
  Nets drying.
  Boat under heavy sail.
  A captive snake and charmer. [cu--hooded cobra]
  Rope making, (note holes in board for strands; as they go through, forms a single rope from several strands.)
  House with wood carving, [mws]
  Thatch store.
  Boats along canal or river.
  Hindu [Tamil] celebration in Colombo (note skin punctures and needles, possibly for Thaipusam, rituals of flesh mortification)
  Ritual assistant
  Woman dressed as the goddess Kali.
  Metal pieces dangling from skin of chest [cu]
  Shrine [cu]
  Buddhist temple.
  Offerings, monks.
  Chicken in cage on bicycle.
  Large pulley-driven lathe.
  Husking coconuts, (in Chilaw)
  Coil operations.
  Load of straw.
  A well with derrick.
  Scenes on coconut plantation.
  Note: rope connection trees on which man walks, (coconut plantation)
  Fishing in rice paddy, using inverted baskets.
  Road scenes.
  Coconut factory.
  Wheel pottery, hand powered.
  Boats coming in at shore.
  Man dragging fish from boats to shore, [mws]
  Hindu Temple in Colombo: details.
  Tile making.
  Thatch-covered kiln.
  Salamander.
  Launching a boat the hard way.
  Boats.
  Landing a boat.
  Boat; laundry being washed.
  Woman with ear and nose rings, [cu]
  Monk.
  Embroidery.
  Zoo. [dark]
  Baboon (?) with red "fanny".
  Elephants.
  Metal working.
  Elephants.
  Musical instruments.

• Ceylon 1955 Reel 8 of 24

  1955: Reel 8: Ceylon [Sri Lanka]. July 23-25. Kandy. Botanical Garden. Road to Ratnapura.
  
  Sensitive plant; see how petals close when touched.
  Royal palm avenue.
  Base of royal palms --bottle shaped.
  Parasite tree (Fincus) around oil palm.
  Top view; palms emerging from parasite tree; palm does not die.
  Wormia, yellow-white conical center.
  Cottage Rim Avenue.
  Cattleya Adendie-Brazil-dark pink.
  Butterfly orchid.
  Rendrobium- May Queen purple.
  Star Orchid-Ceylon- Pink white, yellow center.
  Lady Slipper. Yellow. Two stamens, red at base.
  Poison creeper. Gloria ossia.
  Spider orchid-red, 5 petals. Center yellow with two dark spots which makes it look like a spider.
  Light purple, dark pink lower tongue, yellow center. Miss Joaquin.
  Scorpion orchid, yellow and red.
  Green orchid, 18".
  Rendrobium Moschantum. Yellow cup center, dark red inside.
  Ground orchid, 5 petals, yellow with dark specks.
  Bamboo orchid, leaves like bamboo, deep purple, lower lip, touch of yellow.
  Dragon orchid, 5 petals, brown and yellow.
  Light yellow, 5 petals, slightly tangential striped red center, no common name: Odontandenia speciosai --South America.
  Ground orchid, pink, five petals.
  Balsam orchid, clump, long needles, pink.
  Balsam orchid--distant view.
  Donkey head. Long green leaf.
  Velvet-leaf, white streaks, green.
  General view of walk.
  Monkey tail.
  Hanging red flower. Queen of the flowers, Lady Amherst.
  General view; Christmas tree and general picture. (Note: in Botanical Garden from 8:40-12:45)
  Elephants carrying logs.
  Elephants bathing and getting scrubbed.
  Trimming nails .(Note: end of trunk, just projection above water level. )
  Scenes on way to Anuradhapura, (Note: framework of building, two other houses, termite hill. )
  Digging a well. (Note: shade protection above crank operator,)
  Flowers.

• Ceylon 1955 Reel 9 of 24

  1955: Reel 9: Ceylon. July 26-29
  
  On way to Anuradhapura, Minital,Polonnaruwa.
  Crawling bug.
  Rock.
  Elephant skull. [cu]
  Monoliths of a Palace (1600 stone pillars 12' high in 40 parallel rows).
  A dagoba.
  Other dagobas.
  Splitting rock,[cu].
  Third century B.C. dagobas.
  Tank (water?.
  Circular hole in rock.
  Inscribed slab giving rules and regulations for priests of monastery.
  Stone foot bath.
  Grindstone used for medicinal herbs.
  Grooved stone.
  A stone medicine boat.
  Stairway.
  Dagoba.
  Stone carving and cow.
  Statue of Buddha.
  Shot of most famous moonstone in Sri Lanka(4th century A.D.).
  Moonstone is a semicircular slab peculiar to Sinhalese architecture .
  Guard-stone (7th century A. D ) monkeys.
  Urinal Western monastery.
  Another view of monastery ruins.
  Views of Tissa Wewa, 3rd century B.C.
  View of rock temple.(Isurumuniya Temple) Carved in rock with large seated Buddha inside.
  Views of tank, (water?)
  Monkeys--long tails. [ws]
  Stone carvings.
  Lotus bath,(the petals feed underground from tank.
  Parasite tree.
  Monkeys.
  Buddha,carved out of living rock.
  Reclining Buddha (46' long)[mws]
  Rock temple, distant view.
  Kiri Vehera dagoba (Polonnaruwa).
  Buildings.
  Pounding dung.
  Buddha and carving in temple of the tooth.
  Urinal and lavatory.
  Place where they displayed sacred tooth.
  Stone for washing feet.
  Fitted stone covering brick work on part of tooth
  Stone book weighs 20 tons (Transported 60 miles, using wooden rollers and elephants).
  The Queens' bath.(restored)[mws] -
  Outlet from tank.
  Stone bathing pool constructed by King Para-Kiama-baku ( ?) [int. dark]
  Water buffalo, hobbled by hoof-ties.
  Colored statue in building.
  Elephants removing timber from forest. (Note: how elephant manipulates log.)
  Sigirya Palace built c.477 A D.(42 steps, 3 acres); a granite protruding rock 400 feet high.
  Base of rock.(Sigirya Palace)
  Steps cut in rock; several views of Sigirya Palace.
  People climbing to top of rock via modern steps.
  Various views of Sigirya Palace.
  View of plain from top; forest and tanks. (Sigirya Palace )
  Frescoes (see Mr. Kintner's note)
  Departing view of Sigirya.
  Bullocks in tank.
  A "scarecrow". [mws]
  Lime kiln.
  Man carrying breadfruit on head.
  Another lime kiln.
  Woman breaking limestone.
  Shelter, (thatched)
  Loading kiln.
  Rice paddies--terraced.
  Bullock working in paddy,
  Tea plantation and tea country.
  Row of tea workers in road.
  Several water falls. (Note: one that runs down side of mountain in straight line.
  Tea country.

• Ceylon 1955 Reel 10 of 24

  1955: Reel 10: Ceylon, July 29-August 2. Nuwara Eliya (tea country). Kandy.
  
  Picking tea leaves; several views.
  Tea factory.
  Roadside scene, clouds drifting in.
  Distant view of landscape.
  Garden and flowers at Nuwara Eliya.
  More tea country.
  Street scene. (Kandy)
  Elephants and cars. (Note: baby elephant)
  Fragile aqueduct.
  Cornfield. Street scene.
  Jeweler at work, [xcu]
  Jeweler holding tube with foot, [cu]
  Jeweler.
  Statue over door.
  More tea country. (Note: old woman with nose piece and tattoo. )
  Several other tea pickers. (Note: rings on toes of one. )
  More tea country.
  Donkeys carrying burden.
  A water jug. [mws]
  River.
  Men digging sand from bottom.
  More elephants, [mws]
  Drummers, decorated elephants.
  Dancers.
  Candy for sale.
  Ornamental gilded lion. [mws]
  Ladies spinning dishes, possibly Buddhists, a fakir or street performer.
  More elephants.
  Roasting peanuts in sand and using sieve to retrieve them.
  Fireplace.
  A store.
  Electroplating.
  Sign of headmen of village.
  Ladies.
  Rubber plantation.
  Collection the "milk" from rubber trees.
  Cacao.
  Rubber sheets, people in road.
  A plant-covered shrine, [ws]
  Several pictures of digging a well. (passing dirt in baskets)
  Perahera people, several views, (near Minipe)
  Tribal people at Minipe (Perahera)
  A building using ropes to hold thatch in place.
  Brick kiln.
  Landscape.
  Terrace and contour farming.
  Two priests on road.

• 1955: Reel 11: Ceylon. August 3-4. Kandy.

  Elephant with lamps; Tooth Temple area; torch poles, (in Perahera.)
  Temple scenes and shrines.
  Crowd waiting for Perahera.
  Decorated elephant with covered seat, [mws]
  Decorated elephants.
  People assembling and getting trappings at Tooth Temple.
  Chief getting into his auto.
  Group with bull whips.
  Perahera procession.
  Elephants, (in Perahera procession)
  Chieftain, (in Perahera procession)
  Drummers, (in Perahera procession)
  Dancers, (in Perahera procession)
  Palanquins, (all Perahera)

• Crossing the Indian Ocean by Dutch freighter in 1961

  Another film by Kees Renard taken on Dutch steamer 'Straat Johore' fifty years ago. The port of call is Colombo, Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

• Calling on Colombo, Ceylon, in 1961

  The Dutch freighter ss Johore called on Colombo,Ceylon/Sri Lanka more than fifty years ago. The time that container shipment was still unknown and there was far more Dutch executive crew on board. One of them has shore leave and enjoys the oriental city of Colombo. Marine engineer Kees Renard took this film.

• Sri Lanka Jewel of the Orient in 1973

  An introduction to the crafts industries of this beautiful island. Precious gems, rubies, saphires, amathysts are sifted from river soil. Artifacts are made from shells. Masks used in dances to exorcise devils.

• Exotic Sri Lanka in 1973

  A fascinating look into the crafts and culture of the country in this old film. Cinnamon, pole fishing, textile industry, firewalking and piercing in Buddhist and Hindu festvals.