Exhibition: The Central Axis of Beijing 1890-1960

[Michael Wong]

For the benefit of those BPH members interested in old China photography, there is an interesting exhibition focussing on architecture in the city situated either directly upon or alongside what is known as the Axis of Beijing eg, the Temple of Heaven, the Imperial Palace and the Qianmen gate.

The Central Axis of Beijing was laid out in 1403 and can be traced even further back to the Mongol capital Dadu. This 7.8km-long stretch is therefore as old as the city itself. At "The Central Axis of Beijing – a photo exhibition", Beijing Postcards put pictures taken along the Axis on display. The pictures cover the period from 1890 to 1960, with the bulk of the pictures taken in the 1930s.

Apart from this, a side exhibition also tells the history of photography in China.

Details of the exhibition can be found here and here, and a video here.