'Welcome to China' thirty four years ago remains true today

Talking recently with a Chinese friend in Beijing, I realized my first experience of her homeland was in 1987, before she was born. Looking over images on my iPad, she commented, "So unrecognizable to our lifestyles today!" That is certainly true where I live in Beijing, near vibrant Sanlitun. Many of those socializing there are too young to have known China during those pre-digital days.

Presently I am archiving images from Beijing and across China, many dating from the mid-1990s or earlier. They record vivid memories, capturing stages in development and a transition into the modern world.