China, circa 1917
by Byron Thomas Prideaux

For thousands of years, manual labor has been used in China to tow Junks upstream. This image, taken by the amateur photographer Byron Thomas Prideaux, shows a group of men (who were organized into guilds) pulling the Junks upriver using a system of thick bamboo ropes attached to a capstan on each ship. A Tow Master (not visible in this image) oversaw the entire process by beating a loud drum to regulate the pace of the workers.