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Pedicab drivers lingering on the north end of Tian'anmen Square await tourists. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
The Forbidden City, witness to the vicissitudes of China, is of deep symbolic significance for the development of Chinese society.
The pictures in photographer Li Jianhui's work, Business Wave Encircling the Forbidden City in 1993, make one feel like they are discovering ancient treasures in Chinese history.
Time has indeed brought a great change to the world and the images captured in black and white by Li more than 20 years ago have become unfamiliar to us.
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Foreign tourists visit Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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Tourists in 1993 had to pay to use public restrooms around the Forbidden City. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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Costume rental and photography services were very good business at the time. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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Souvenirs and other items are for sale on the streets near the Forbidden City. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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State-run shops sell souvenirs and other goods near Tian'anmen Square. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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Taxies and unlicensed cabs await customers outside the Forbidden City's Meridian Gate. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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Near noon, food vendors set up dining tables to serve tourists lunch. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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A mass of people crowd the morning market at the Donghua Gate along the Tongzi River, or the moat, at the southwest corner of the Forbidden City. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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A vendor at the morning market gives change to a customer. The morning market usually ended at 8 in the morning. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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With Spring Festival approaching, people at the morning market buy a talisman with the Chinese character "Fu" written on it, which is auspicious and will bring a good start to the new year. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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People often have their hair cut after the morning market. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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It's a rare sight now, but 20 years ago foreigners sometimes got a traditional Chinese haircut. [Photo by Li Jianhui/photoint.net] |
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