Three decades of documenting China

Although living in Beijing for many years opportunities still arise to discover more of China including Dongbei, Shanxi, Anhui, Guizhou, Jiangsu, Shandong, Chongqing, Chengdu and Xi’an with each place worthy of lengthy features! Indeed Shandong’s Yantai proved so delightful I went there three times in 2017! Tianjin, only 30 minutes from Beijing by train but with fascinating historic and contemporary diversity, has increasingly attracted my attention, leading to several photographic exhibitions on the city.

My preferred way to travel has always been by train, an excellent vantage point to view a country. China’s railways from the earlier days of steam have not only transported me across this vast land but let me observe how railway engineering has greatly helped open up geographically difficult regions. I experienced through the late 1990s/early 2000s as conventional trains were speeded up, shortening intercity travel times. However the most fundamental changes were from 2008 following the initial launch of the high-speed services between Beijing and Tianjin. Back in the early 2000s then travelling around 160 km/hr the concept of 350 km/hr was simply unimaginable, but it has happened! While the network has extended nationwide, China’s modern stations are also unrecognizable compared to even a few years ago. So much has gone digital, of course, helped by the advent of smartphone technology.

I look forward over the coming year to sharing many more personal features on China, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. It has been an incredible journey!