Beijing Then and Now: James and Emily Hutchison and Dominic Johnson-Hill

For our October Issue, we invited local personalities to recreate photographs that inspired fond memories. Here are the stories behind those snapshots and those Beijingers, in their own words.

Dominic Johnson-Hill, James and Emily Hutchison, Nanluogu Xiang, 2004

Dominic Johnson-Hill and James Hutchison, Nanluogu Xiang, 2011

THEN

What year was it? June, 2004.

Where's the original location? Nanluogu Xiang, across the street from a Xiao Mai Bu, and the entrance to the courtyard we were living in, now Plastered T-shirts. There were no shops on Nanluogu Xiang at that time - it was a quiet hutong (only place that existed at that time was Pass By).

Who is in the photo? Dominic Johnson-Hill, James Hutchison, Emily Hutchison.

What were you doing there? Not much ... drinking beer ... watching the rare person go by on a bicycle. It was the day before Dominic's wedding and family was arriving from UK/Canada.

What were you doing in Beijing? Dominic was working an office job at the time, James was a student in Canada, visiting for the wedding, as was Emily.

NOW

Who is in the photo? Dominic Johnson-Hill and James Hutchison (Emily is in Canada).

What are you now doing in Beijing? Dominic is owner of Plastered T-shirts, now opposite from where they are seated. James is an editor in Beijing. Emily is back in Beijing.

What has changed for you? Dominic: Married, four kids, own Plastered T-shirts. James: Returned to Beijing soon after the wedding and settled here, learning Chinese and now working full time as an editor.

What has changed in the city? Beijing is always changing but this particular alleyway, Nanluogu Xiang, has gone from a quiet residential hutong to a bustling retail street. The wall behind us was covered in concrete, about a year after this photo the concrete was taken down and they discovered old doors that were over 100 years old and a cultural revolution slogan.

Click here to see the October issue of the Beijinger in full.