Photographer snaps quiet Beijing battle

Editor's note: In this new series, we share stories and experiences showing how expats are dealing with the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak.

Tranquility arguably ranks among Beijingers' most sought-after luxuries as the metropolis always buzzes with energy and cacophony.

But the novel coronavirus pneumonia outbreak has temporarily put a halt to normal, bustling city life. Silence now marks the Chinese capital as millions cloister themselves in cocoons of comfort but also boredom and anxiety in their homes to block potential infections.

Few really have the chance to see the quiet side of the big city.

Pierre Alivon, a photographer from Paris, France, is among the few who are escaping cabin fever by setting out to capture Beijing's street scenes in a fresh light.

Armed with protective gear including a mask, the photographer sticks to a daily routine: carrying his camera to shoot in the streets, hoping to "make a daily report of life in Beijing", a project he's been working on since September 2015, one month after he moved to China.

"These days with this silence, very few people are circulating in the streets. It's as if the Beijing dragon fell asleep," Alivon said.

In one of Alivon's recent photos, Sanlitun, one of the capital's most dazzling fashion and nightlife quarters, has also temporally shed its hustle and bustle. Shoppers are few and far between, with towering glass and steel department stores standing eerily silent.

Aside from the currently bleak street scenes, Alivon also captures those working to keep the city on track.

Through his lens, delivery workers brave the snow with their electric scooters to make sure those under self-quarantine get their meals, sanitation workers toil away on the roads to keep things tidy and medical workers walk hastily back and forth to hospitals.

"I'm impressed with all the Chinese who are taking risks for the community－those who continue to work in public transportation, food supply and especially those who work in the hospital environment－so that people can live properly in their cities," the photographer said.

The Parisian said his photographic work, though personal, "depicts a social reality, testifies to the times".

On a recent visit home to Paris, Alivon said there is a climate of fear now in Europe toward the Chinese people who live there.

"I feel very sad about that. In this difficult time, I am proud to love China," he said.