Through the Lens: 2024

These were the pictures featured in 2024’s editions of What’s Happening in China. All photos by

PC
.

January

Visitors to Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Visitors to Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
Snow-covered Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China.
Snow-covered Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China.
Couple with a toddler riding an electric bike in Beijing. For the second consecutive year in 2023, China witnessed a population decline, a notable shift for the once most populous country.
Couple with a toddler riding an electric bike in Beijing. For the second consecutive year in 2023, China witnessed a population decline, a notable shift for the once most populous country.
Temples on Longevity Hill overlooking the human-made Kunming Lake, key features of the Summer Palace in Beijing.
Temples on Longevity Hill overlooking the human-made Kunming Lake, key features of the Summer Palace in Beijing.

February

Passengers standing by the door of a crowded bus in downtown Beijing.
Passengers standing by the door of a crowded bus in downtown Beijing.
Kids playing in a hutong in Beijing.
Kids playing in a hutong in Beijing.
Migrant worker taking a break on a sidewalk in Beijing.
Migrant worker taking a break on a sidewalk in Beijing.

March

Beijing sunset with the illuminated Great Hall of the People in the distance.
Beijing sunset with the illuminated Great Hall of the People in the distance.
Security guard, Beijing.
Security guard, Beijing.
Beijing hutong life.
Beijing hutong life.
View of one of Beijing’s business districts, with vertical symmetry.
View of one of Beijing’s business districts, with vertical symmetry.
Mother and child, Beijing.
Mother and child, Beijing.

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April

Beijingers playing Chinese chess on the street.
Beijingers playing Chinese chess on the street.
Beijing drainage system maintenance team working at night.
Beijing drainage system maintenance team working at night.
Mother and child, Beijing.
Mother and child, Beijing.
Beijing street life.
Beijing street life.

May

A moment of rest in the streets of Beijing.
A moment of rest in the streets of Beijing.
Grandmother carrying her grandchild on her back, Beijing.
Grandmother carrying her grandchild on her back, Beijing.
Rooftop of an old building in Beijing.
Rooftop of an old building in Beijing.
A hidden corner of a Beijing hutong. The character 福 (fú), prominently pasted on the doors, signifies good luck, fortune, and blessings.
A hidden corner of a Beijing hutong. The character 福 (fú), prominently pasted on the doors, signifies good luck, fortune, and blessings.

June

View of Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the world, located in Yunnan, China.
View of Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest gorges in the world, located in Yunnan, China.
Barbershop in downtown Beijing.
Barbershop in downtown Beijing.
Bell Tower in Beijing.
Bell Tower in Beijing.
Window of an old hutong building in central Beijing.
Window of an old hutong building in central Beijing.
A complex of palaces, gardens, and lakes, the Summer Palace in Beijing served as a summer retreat for the Chinese imperial family.
A complex of palaces, gardens, and lakes, the Summer Palace in Beijing served as a summer retreat for the Chinese imperial family.

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July

Nighttime in a Beijing hutong.
Nighttime in a Beijing hutong.
Worker at a Beijing restaurant.
Worker at a Beijing restaurant.
PLA soldiers in Beijing.
PLA soldiers in Beijing.
Children peeking through the fencing around the then under-construction Water Cube in Beijing, also known as the National Aquatics Center, originally built to host the aquatics competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Children peeking through the fencing around the then under-construction Water Cube in Beijing, also known as the National Aquatics Center, originally built to host the aquatics competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

August

Shopping mall in Wangfujing, Beijing.
Shopping mall in Wangfujing, Beijing.
A three-wheeled electric vehicle parked in a Beijing hutong. Nicknamed Xiǎoshuǐdī 小水滴 (small water drop), this old model had enough room for two adults and a child.
A three-wheeled electric vehicle parked in a Beijing hutong. Nicknamed Xiǎoshuǐdī 小水滴 (small water drop), this old model had enough room for two adults and a child.
Construction workers transporting materials in a Beijing hutong.
Construction workers transporting materials in a Beijing hutong.
A familiar scene in central Beijing, where residents like to repurpose the city's historic hutongs into inviting spaces for outdoor gatherings.
A familiar scene in central Beijing, where residents like to repurpose the city's historic hutongs into inviting spaces for outdoor gatherings.
Hutong renovations are a constant work in progress in central Beijing.
Hutong renovations are a constant work in progress in central Beijing.

September

A woman rides an electric scooter with a child in the center of Beijing.
A woman rides an electric scooter with a child in the center of Beijing.
Ginkgo leaves scattered on a sidewalk in Chengdu.
Ginkgo leaves scattered on a sidewalk in Chengdu.
Sidecar driver on a road in Huairou District, northern Beijing.
Sidecar driver on a road in Huairou District, northern Beijing.
Mother and her children waiting to cross the road in Beijing.
Mother and her children waiting to cross the road in Beijing.

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October

At dawn, thousands gather in Beijing's Tiananmen Square for the flag-raising ceremony.
At dawn, thousands gather in Beijing's Tiananmen Square for the flag-raising ceremony.
Interior of a building in Beijing’s 798 Art District, a cluster of former military factories transformed into creative spaces and art galleries.
Interior of a building in Beijing’s 798 Art District, a cluster of former military factories transformed into creative spaces and art galleries.
CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, in Beijing’s CBD, is the city's tallest building and the world’s tallest with a rooftop helipad.
CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, in Beijing’s CBD, is the city's tallest building and the world’s tallest with a rooftop helipad.
Migrant workers transporting roof tiles in a Beijing hutong.
Migrant workers transporting roof tiles in a Beijing hutong.

November

Mother and child at Green Lake Park in Kunming, the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province.
Mother and child at Green Lake Park in Kunming, the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province.
Beijing hutong at night, with a thin layer of snow covering the pavement.
Beijing hutong at night, with a thin layer of snow covering the pavement.
An electric scooter parked atop a pile of rubble during hutong renovations in Beijing.
An electric scooter parked atop a pile of rubble during hutong renovations in Beijing.
Mother and child, Beijing.
Mother and child, Beijing.
Children playing in a Beijing hutong.
Children playing in a Beijing hutong.

December

Clothes hanging out to dry in Kunming, Yunnan Province.
Clothes hanging out to dry in Kunming, Yunnan Province.
Tourist taking a selfie on the steps leading to Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s mausoleum in Nanjing.
Tourist taking a selfie on the steps leading to Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s mausoleum in Nanjing.
The Yonghe Temple, or Lama Temple, in Beijing on a snowy day.
The Yonghe Temple, or Lama Temple, in Beijing on a snowy day.
Tourists taking pictures outside the Presidential Palace in Nanjing, now the China Modern History Museum. The palace served as the office of the president of the Republic of China from 1927 until the capital was moved to Taipei in 1949.
Tourists taking pictures outside the Presidential Palace in Nanjing, now the China Modern History Museum. The palace served as the office of the president of the Republic of China from 1927 until the capital was moved to Taipei in 1949.
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