[Photo provided to China Daily/Keystone View Company]

The Chinese embassy in Washington received a special gift from a retired US Foreign Service officer on Feb 19.

It was a set of 24 photos taken in 1930s China and given by Richard Garrison of Arlington, Virginia to Wu Xi, deputy chief of mission of the Chinese embassy.

The photos, which cover street life and scenes in major Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao, were left by his mother, Stella Garrison, who passed away more than 10 years ago.