Looking back at 2020, looking forward to 2021 - Memories of a troubled year, hopes for a new dawn

I mentioned in a recent article about starting to rediscover Beijing again, partly promoted by physically being in Beijing and realizing there is so much so close to where I live. An opportunity to share moments of my experiences was an invitation to cooperate in a video production, this month, in December, with CRI (China Radio International). Focusing on photography of Beijing over the past 33 years, it proved a fulfilling chance to relive many aspects of the city. From walking slowly around historic hutong alleys or staring upwards at a skyline now rising to 530 meters in height, there was just so much to talk about.

Only a few days ago, I was strolling alone around Xihai, the west lake of the Shichahai area. Lying southwest of the massive Ming Dynasty Deshengmen Gate, this had been one of my earliest areas to explore. Looking at that gate, I thought back to December 1995 first photographing its magnificence. Then, traffic around its base was relatively light, while buses were diesel-powered and I could remember them passing me, the smell of their exhaust fumes. At that time, winter skies over Beijing were often an orangey yellow shade, a reflection of the considerable amounts of coal used for electricity generation, central heating and of course for use in the many little stoves utilized for cooking in the homes and restaurants crammed into a maze of hutong alleys just south of where I was standing. Twenty-five years later, standing at that same spot, the sky above was blue, buses were electric, and coal stoves no longer were a feature of hutong life.

Increasingly I have noticed what we now call "Beijing Blue", the sky today often presenting an amazing sharpness of visibility, atmospheric clarity the norm. Beijing has shaken off earlier shackles of being associated with poor air quality. I have personally witnessed and photographed the changes which people now often comment on. Indeed, as I walked around the city recently I have noticed the considerable environmental work underway to improve quality of life. It does feel today that the construction and redevelopment frenzy witnessed in the mid-2000's and later has faded away. The city's skyline is no longer a forest of tall cranes.

My environmental observations continued as I reached the Xihai lake. Going back to the Yuan Dynasty, this was a crucial junction point between waterways ultimately connecting with the Grand Canal and the manmade lake system leading down to the Forbidden City. Then the waters were crammed full of small wooden sailing vessels bringing their cargoes from east central China. When I first came upon that lake it had become a quiet tree-lined backwater, neglected. Gone were the days when it was at the center of Beijing's commerce. What a change today, as another example of the city's push for a much better environment. A wooden lakeside boardwalk allows for a traffic-free experience, walking or leisurely sitting at one of the new wooden pavilions. The lake itself has partly become a wetland, a habitat for ducks and migratory birds. Also, the waters are clear, something I have noticed now throughout all of the Shichahai lakes. In my earlier days, it was impossible to see the lake bed. What a change!

I sat for a while by the Xihai, thinking back to 1995 or earlier. I also reflected on the difficulties, the unexpected traumas that 2020 brought for us, starting 11 months ago. Then, there was considerable uncertainty and anxiety. However, looking back, so much has been learned in tackling any outbreaks of the virus, of the very rapid and effective response we now see across China. There is also the increasing possibility of mass vaccination. Hopefully 2021 will not be dogged down but will be a restart for all and a return to global normality.

For me, 2020 has been another learning experience, and another chapter in my personal China story. My travel ambitions remain strong but in the meantime the New Year will start with continuing to rediscover Beijing and to photograph the many incredible changes I am coming across in this city. Photography under a blue sky is the norm today and hopefully that will help bring in a new dawn for 2021.