Memories of the city

Kitties, August 2006. Three cats hang out together but have zero interaction. One peeks over the cover of the wooden threshold. On each side of the threshold, a cat relaxes on carved stone.[Photo by Bai Hao/For chinadaily.com.cn]

At a library in a Beijing hutong (small alley), Bai Hao is seen talking to children from the nearby neighborhood in Xicheng district.

"Do you know why the area is called so? Do you know what it looked like before?" he asks them.

Apparently, the smiling children don't know the answers.

Bai, a 54-year-old Beijing native and photographer, seems to be always ready to tell people about the past. Not always in words though－he prefers pictures.

The library is hosting a show of Bai's works. The 40 exhibits offer glimpses of modern history, parts of which may have been forgotten by many people living in the capital.