Street in northwest Beijing's Haidian district during autumn afternoon.
Day trippers climb the Western Hills (Xishan) northwest of Beijing.
Bas-relief of the Wuchang Uprising of 10 October 1911, which led to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty. The relief is one of eight revolutionary events depicted on the base of the Monument to the People's Heroes in tiananmen Square, completed 1958.
Lion statues flank the stairs to the Gate of Heavenly Purity (Qianqing men), entrance to the three rear, or inner, palaces of the Forbidden City situated to the north of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Imperial Palace.
The sun sets over Beijing's Western Hills, silhouetting the hills and towers of the Summer Palace.
Stacks of coal pucks lined up outside a Beijing residence on an autumn afternoon presage the arrival of winter. Coal burning as a fuel and heat source greatly contributed to Beijing's smoggy winter skies.
A public toilet outside the Summer Palace sports traditional round entryways and chains to shape the queue. Under an umbrella to the right attendants charge admission.
Colored bulbs and happy chefs proffering tasty dishes adorn the restaurant of a guest house for military personnel.
A worker paints over a billboard urging onlookers to build the socialist economy
A monk at Beijing's Yonghe Palace Lama Temple, behind which lie high-rise apartment buildings.
Two young boys playing in a Beijing street
A winding stone balustrade lines the Inner Golden River, which meanders through the courtyard separating Meridian Gate (Wu men), entrance to the Imperial Palace, from the Gate of Supreme Harmony leading to the main halls of the complex beyond.
A coiled dragon motif graces the white balustrading on the terraced steps to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in Beijing's Imperial Palace. This view is from the Hall's central terrace looking west.
A shiny new license plate marks a change in ownership for this rusty old bicycle.
Looking southeast from White Dagoba hill in Beijing's Beihai park, one sees the northwest corner of the Imperial Palace complex and the skyscrapers of modern Beijing in the distance.
Beijing University student studying a poster listing campus cafeteria hours.
Mountainside with small pavilion, seen from path ascending Mt. Tai in Shandong province.
Weiming "unnamed") Lake and Boya ("Erudition and Elegance") Tower, the landmarks of the Beijing University campus. The lake dates to the 18th century, predating the university by more than a century; the tower dates to 1924, built to supply water.
Designed in 1531 and renovated in 1751, the Hall of Prayer for a Prosperous Year is the Temple of Heaven's most famous structure. It was not, however, the site of the sacrifices to Heaven, the complex's most important ritual function.
View of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, foremost of the three central halls in the Imperial Palace complex, from the front courtyard where officials assembled for great court audiences.
Rows of bicycles line a Beijing University campus hall, while overhead a bright red banner reads "warmly welcome new classmates."
Row of bicycles parked on a Beijing street. In the 1980s, most commuters still used old-model bicycles to get to work.
