Fascinated by Beijing's history, photographer Simon Song set out on a mission last year to teach his fellow citizens a history lesson.. albeit an aesthetically pleasing one.
Beijing's old city gates, which have existed since the 15th century, used to guard the city against invaders coming from around the country. But after the fall of the Qing dynasty and the establishment of the Chinese Republic in 1911, officials stopped maintaining the defense mechanisms. Gradually, authorities demolished the walls one by one, and many of them have now been replaced with new roads, buildings and subway stations, the outlet added.
Song, who works for the South China Morning Post, superimposed images of Beijing's old city gates onto those of the modern-day skyline to show where the monuments would have been had they not been demolished. He took the photos over three days last December and used the iPhone app Hipstamatic to create the final products.
"I want to show the beauty of the old Chinese architectures, and show readers that if these old city gates were still there, Beijing would look more beautiful," the photographer said.
Take a look at the images below.
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Simon Song/South China Morning Post
An image of Xuanwumen Gate Tower, which was demolished in 1965, is superimposed on one of Xuanwumen area, now home to many office buildings.
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Simon Song/South China Morning Post
An image of the original Deshengmen Gate Tower, which was demolished in 1921, is superimposed on an image of an existing embrasure of the watch tower. The remains of the Deshengmen watch tower, along with those of the Zhengyangmen watch tower, are the only two embrasured watchtowers that still exist in the country.
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Simon Song/South China Morning Post
The Zhengyangmen gate tower is superimposed on an image of the embrasured Zhengyangmen gate tower, located at the southern end of Tiananmen Square.
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Simon Song/South China Morning Post
Dongzhimen Gate Tower, which was demolished in 1965, is superimposed on a photo of Dongzhimen area, now a popular shopping district.
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Simon Song/South China Morning Post
An image of the Chaoyangmen Gate Tower, demolished in 1953, is projected above one of Chaoyangmen district, where many office towers and major roads can be found.
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Simon Song/South China Morning Post
The Andingmen Gate Tower and embrasured watch tower are superimposed on a photo of a road in Andingmen neighborhood. The structures were demolished in 1969, when Beijing's No. 2 loop line subway was built.
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Simon Song/South China Morning Post
Chongwenmen Gate Tower, which was demolished in 1968, is superimposed on an image of Chongwenmen area, which now has many shops, restaurants and apartment blocks.
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Simon Song/South China Morning Post
The image of the demolished Xizhimen Gate Tower, which was destroyed in 1969, is superimposed on one of Xizhimen area, a popular transportation hub.
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