It is not rare to see books about the strong presence of China at the 60th founding anniversary, but it is unusual to experience the changes in China through the eyes of an ordinary local resident in Beijing.
Sixty Years of Life in Beijing: A Collection of Drawings from an Ordinary Beijing Resident, published by Foreign Languages Press, is a personal reminiscence by Beijing architect Guan Geng.
He grew up in a big family living in a Siheyuan, a traditional Chinese courtyard. Guan carefully observed and recorded everyday life around him and vividly describes his childhood, schooling, love and companionship.
His memoir reveals the shifting attitudes and changing customs in the capital since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. The author vividly captures the changes in scenery and architecture from an architect's point of view, but also from the viewpoint of an ordinary Beijinger.
"As a locally born and bred Beijing resident, I have witnessed the gradual changes in Beijing throughout the years," Guan writes in the preface of the book, "I am reminiscent of the past but more excited about the present and the future."
Time passes, but many beautiful memories in life will be kept forever in the book, the author added.
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