My Beijing photographs: an introduction

This is the first in what I intend to be a set of entries introducing collections of my favorite photographs from specific places, or on specific subjects. I have been putting this sort of text in the gallery descriptions at my Smugmug site, but I find that isn't really the best place for displaying long blocks of text.

This entry is a companion to the collection of favorite photographs from Beijing at my Smugmug site.

Until about 2008, Beijing was the city in China that I visited most. I first visited Beijing in 1987, when I was an undergraduate and spent the summer at Peking University. I then spent several more months there in the first half of 1990. After a long hiatus, I began visiting regularly again in 1999. The city has been transformed completely in the time since I first visited, yet I still find it the most interesting and enjoyable place in China.

One of my regrets is that during my initial visits to Beijing, I didn't really take many photographs. The city that existed then is now gone, and I don't have anything except memories. Now when I am there, I make a point of spending my free evenings taking pictures in various neighborhoods to preserve some feeling of the city as it is right now, on the assumption that it will change again soon.

I really like the people of Beijing. They are garrulous, even loquacious, but rarely mendacious. Complete strangers are happy to share their opinions on international relations, Michael Jackson, the Lakers, American politics, history, or practically any other subject as soon as they realize I can understand Chinese. I don't get this anywhere else in China.

I have many galleries of Beijing photos, organized by location. These include Peking University (北京大学）, Wudaokou (五道口), Zhongguancun, some of the hutong (胡同)　neighborhoods, especially Houhai (后海)　and Nanluoguxiang　(南锣鼓巷). I also have a collection of galleries for Factory 798, the Military Museum, and some other miscellaneous but interesting places. For good measure I have a collection of galleries of photos from various sites on the Great Wall.

You can also view selections of my favorites from the hutong neighborhoods Houhai and Nanluoguxiang, Wudaokou, Zhongguancun, the Great Wall, and Peking University.

Be sure to check out all my other blog entries tagged Beijing