Uniting the old and the new in Beijing

ks. Its easy to get lost in these small pockets of history, but the modern world is never too far away, and I soon became fascinated with how the city has achieved the feat of striking such a visual balance between two vastly different eras

This fusion of styles is strikingly prevalent at Zhihua temple, built in 1444 during the rule of emperor Zhengtong, Zhihua was the family temple for the emperors favourite eunuch, Wang Zhen. Though much smaller now compared to at its peak of 20,000 square meters, the temple is a somewhat hidden gem, nestled amongst a maze of hutong, 5 kilometres east of the Forbidden City.

The temple museum offers a remarkable collection of relics and statues, not to mention daily musical performances, and due to its relative obscurity its easy to get lost in the secluded courtyards and temple buildings. You might even forget you’re in the 21st century, if not for the sleek curves of the Galaxy Soho building rising up behind the mythical crouching beasts perched on the ridges of the temple roofs.

Yet despite their immensely different eras, appearances and purpose, they are both equally representative of this city and seeing the two together epitomises the idea of how respecting our history, while still embracing the future can create a truly unique cityscape.

The remarkable development of this city, which is designed to protect the past while embracing the future, means there is always something new to discover here, and I could be photographing Beijing for the next 50 years and still not have scratched the surface, and that is part of the beauty of it.

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