On January 8, the "Construction and Development: Photo Exhibition of Beijing Municipal Administrative Center" opened in Beijing Grand Canal Museum (the east hall of the Capital Museum) hall 1. More than 100 pictures, together with videos and interactive devices, lead the audience to see the gorgeous construction and development of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center through the comparison of images in the same place in the past 10 years.

Walking into the exhibition hall is just like entering a time machine. The exhibition unfolds slowly four units: National Events, Vital Development, Sustainable City, and Outlook. On the banks of the Grand Canal, the site of Dongfang Chemical Factory became the Central Green Forest Park, and three major cultural buildings opened to guests. On the North Canal, the Qianhexielu Bridge opened, attracting citizens to visit it. On both sides of the canal, new landmarks such as Universal Beijing Resort, Zhangjiawan Design Town, and Taihu Performing Arts Town have sprung up. Among 1,800 pictures collected, the exhibition selected more than 100 pictures for the exhibition, which tells the ever-changing development story of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center.

The exhibition not only presents landmark projects such as modern schools, hospitals, and houses but also shows the figures of the city builders and the changes in residents' lives.

In the exhibition, a photo presents the beautiful scenery of ancient and modern times: between high-rising buildings, the North Canal converges with the Tonghui River, Wenyu River, Xiaozhong River, and Yunchaojian River, and the Randeng Pagoda is also located here. According to the author's interpretation, in the past, the low houses around the Randeng Pagoda were densely packed, and the messy environment was inconsistent with the cultural protection status of the ancient pagoda. In recent years, the Randeng Pagoda and its surrounding ancient buildings have been upgraded, cultural relics and historic sites have been repaired, landscape design has been optimized, and the Beijing (Tongzhou) Grand Canal Culture Tourism Area has been built. Today, the Randeng Pagoda is still one of the most beautiful sceneries in the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center.

In the exhibition hall, there are a series of interesting interactive devices waiting for the audience to explore. Digital restoration works such as "Tongzhou Ancient City" are displayed in the exhibition, restoring the style of ancient Tongzhou with three-dimensional panoramic technology. The restored elements such as canals, boats, docks, shops, and houses together present the busy scene on the Grand Canal thousands of years ago. In addition to the exhibition, the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center will also launch some thematic publicity activities.

Translator: WEN Min 

Reviewer: TANG Yuxin