At least until recently, Beijing was the city in China that I visited most. I first visited Beijing in 1987, then spent several months there in 1990. After a long hiatus, I began visiting more regularly in 1999. The city has been transformed completely in the time since I first visited, yet I still find it the most interesting and enjoyable place in China.

I really like the people of Beijing. They like to talk. Complete strangers are happy to share their opinions on international relations, Michael Jackson, the Lakers, American politics, history, or practically any other subject as soon as they realize I can understand Chinese. I don't get this anywhere else in China.

The slideshow is displaying my favorite pictures from Beijing. I have a number of collections of galleries of Beijing photos, organized by location. These include Peking University (北京大学）, Wudaokou (五道口), Zhongguancun, some of the hutong (胡同)　neighborhoods, especially Houhai (后海)　and Nanluoguxiang　(南锣鼓巷). I also have a collection of galleries for Factory 798, the Military Museum, and some other miscellaneous but interesting places. For good measure I have a collection of galleries of photos from various sites on the Great Wall.

You can also view selections of my favorites from the hutong neighborhoods Houhai and Nanluoguxiang, Wudaokou, Zhongguancun, the Great Wall, and Peking University.

One of my regrets is that during my initial visits to Beijing way back when, I didn't really take many photographs. The city that existed then is now gone, and I don't have anything except my memories. I make a point of spending my free evenings taking pictures in various neighborhoods to preserve some feeling of the city as it is right now, on the assumption that it will change again soon. Be sure to check out my blog entries tagged Beijing