Beijing Pics: A Different Side to the Forbidden City

In Beijing Pics of the Week, our in-house photographer and lao Beijinger Uni You presents a selection of his photographs from around the capital over the last week.

Here's a statement that will surprise nobody: Beijing has changed in the last few decades. A lot.

After a very long absence, our in-house photographer and Beijinger Uni You recently revisited one of the city's most iconic destinations – the Forbidden City. He was struck by one thing in particular: "The Forbidden City used to be a quiet place but now it's full of people ... Beijing city was much quieter when I was a kid, there was more life." On the other hand, Gugong, as it is known colloquially, had always been an oasis of calm in the bustling capital. Capturing photos inside the site, and pointing his lens up, above the heads in the crowd towards the sky and beautifully decorated awnings, You says he is "trying to capture some quiet feelings."

The Beijing of today may bear little resemblance to Beijing of You's childhood, but the architectural beauty of the Forbidden City still remains. Or, as You puts it, "these buildings are always here, but the people change."
 

See more of You's pictures from around Beijing by clicking here.

Photos: Uni you