Capturing images of Beijing over the last 30 years

Living in that hutong near Beixinqiao, it was almost immediately obvious to me that Beijing had so much to offer. Simply walking out the door of my hotel would open up a miniature world of incredible diversity and contrasts. The rapid modernization drive of the last 15 years had not begun, as many people still traveled by bicycle. I could sit for hours in an alley observing the constant flow of bicycles, carts loaded with everyday household goods, children heading off to school, even of monks in their gray, yellow or crimson robes from nearby temples. It was a world so different to what I had left behind in Scotland. I was captivated and of course, tempted to keep shooting off more rolls of film, but that was not a good idea in the predigital days. My backpack increased in weight with additional film bought as I traveled.

However, Beijing extended well beyond my local hutong. A regular morning walk would lead to the beauty of Shichahai. My dream was to spend my life living by the banks of its lakes. Indeed cafes adjacent to the Silver Ingot Bridge, where the waters of Houhai flow gently into Qianhai, were regular summer evening spots. Again, I would sit for hours watching cyclists cross the bridge with a backdrop of many little courtyard homes leading up to the iconic Bell and Drum Towers of Zhonggulou.

Watching how the waters moved in a southerly direction convinced me that Beijing is not flat, as there is a gentle slope from the north. It was this aspect of geography that led to Yuan Dynasty hydrological engineers such as Guo Shoujing harnessing such gravitational flow. This created a waterway system facilitating navigation for boats from outliers of the Grand Canal right down to the Forbidden City. Consequently, delivery of vegetables and other produce from Central China could go straight to the Imperial Palace. With my camera and local maps in hand, I would carefully follow the route from Jishuitan, at the northern end of Shichahai’s lakes, down to beautiful Beihai Park. From there waters passed toward the Middle and South Lakes directly west of the awesome palace walls.