the old city wall is giving way to the encroaching appartment buildings
Panda Hall in the Beijing Zoo
an outdoor market in 2004
a typical Hutong in 1991
also in 2004 there are a lot of people waiting in front of the Station
he takes a well earned nap
entrance arch to the Yonghe Temple
you have a large choice from second hand pottery
Since the
Ming Dynasty the city of Beijing was carefully planned with an Inner City and Outer City around the Forbidden
City. A huge wall protected the town against hostile invaders.
Most of the old alleys, called
Hutongs, run west to
east, with the houses facing south to capture most of the sunlight.
After the collapse of the
Qing dynasty this strict
planning faded and many Hutongs disappered in favor of wide streets with dull multi-level appartment buildings.
Today a
forest of fancy and shining sky scrapers dominate Beijing's skyline with only few hutongs remaining in the area of the
Drum and
Bell Tower.
For tourists a visit to the Panda Hall in
Beijing Zoo is a must, other interesting objects are the always busy Cental
Station, the buddhist
Yonghe temple and the restored remnants of the old
city wall.
We visited Beijing City in
May 1991 and followed it up in May 2004.
A view of the Bell Tower and Hutong in 1991
In 1991 we had this view of the Beijing Railway Station. It dates from 1959
in 2004 there are definitely more cars, and probably also dogs
munching away on the bamboo
but this man in one of the underpasses still has to earn his diner
at a few places the wall has been restored
