The Six

Following the Titanic sinking in 1912, the identities of the 700-odd survivors have been mostly claimed, except for those of six Chinese men – out ...

It’s hard to remember a time before the 1997 juggernaut that broke box office records The Titanic launched the careers of its two leads, and forever cemented the tragedy of the British passenger liner within public consciousness. Writer and director James Cameron’s fictional story about an ill-fated love affair captured the hearts of millions, yet perhaps the most historically accurate detail of the film is relegated to a deleted scene, in which a lifeboat trawls the wreckage to rescue a Chinese man clinging to a piece of debris. But who was he?

I was really glad that I managed to see this documentary at a cinema here in Oxford a few weeks ago.

It really is an impressive achievement and beautifully shot. I say that having tried to make a few documentaries myself in the past. I know how hard it is!

It is always good to see new information unearthed about some of the lesser-known passengers and crew; it was great to see Tom Fong talking about his father on screen, having first revealed his identity on this site in 2004 and I was glad to see Encyclopedia Titanica referenced.



The film has a few issues, however. I came out with the sense that having successfully pitched a great idea and obtained seemingly copious funds to tell a story, they didn't really have a particularly coherent story to tell. Scenes, reconstructions and interviews are of varying relevance, one interviewer even begins by claiming (accurately it appears) that he knows nothing! There is also that earnestness so typically found in 'man-on-a-mission' style historical documentaries, and where original material is in short supply we get cutaways of seagulls and cityscapes... and there are many.

However, the filmmakers managed to gather together an impressive international research team to investigate the enduring mystery of the Chinese seamen, but these passengers have always been a tough research nut to crack and it is perhaps not surprising that some of the findings remain inconclusive, in some cases basically confirming what we already know, i.e. not much!

Having meandered a while on its biographical quest, the film finds a sense of purpose when straying into political territory. It suggests that the treatment of these Chinese sailors was characteristic of general attitudes towards the Chinese and specifically American immigration policy at the time, most notably The Chinese Exclusion Act and the Geary Act; blatantly racist policies intended to curtail Chinese immigration into the United States.

It seems to be their assertion that the Chinese sailors—alone amongst the survivors—were prevented from leaving the Carpathia under the terms of this Act and were promptly transferred to another ship (the Annetta) bound for Cuba.

Perhaps others know better, but I was always under the impression that it had always been the Chinese sailors' intention to transfer to the Annetta and sail for Cuba, and it was the owners of the Annetta who had paid their passage on the Titanic. There has never been any suggestion that the Chinese sailors intended at the time to try and settle in America and that their experience on the Carpathia was a case of the Act being enforced.

These reservations aside I really welcome the efforts to which Arthur Jones, Steven Schwankert and their team have gone to try and shed more light on these fascinating passengers. They took on a major challenge and perhaps, having begun the journey not quite knowing where it might lead, it is unsurprising there were a few bumps in the road.

These are just a few of my thoughts on seeing The Six. I do urge everyone to try and see it, in the cinema if possible, and form your own view, I'd be very interested to know what you think.

BELOIT (WKOW) — A documentary telling the story of six Chinese Titanic survivors will play at the Beloit International Film Festival, featuring the story of a local restaurant owner's family.