Recently, I was invited to provide 80 images of Beijing for display within the public areas of the Edinburgh Whisky Hotel, a hotel under the management of Chen Li, a Beijinger and renowned entrepreneur within Scotland's tourism and hospitality sector, which sits in pleasant Murrayfield district.

The photography shows Beijing through the years from 1987 to 2026. An illustrated journey from the early days of reform and opening-up through to the high-tech city of today. Having been closely involved with Beijing over those 39 years, it has been quite an experience to have explored much of the city and to record its transformation through my lens, images that today have been regularly employed by media to illustrate Beijing 'yesterday, today, and tomorrow'.

In many ways, they are a testimony of my enduring passion for the city going back to 1987 when I was greeted with the words, "Welcome to Beijing".

A well-attended opening of the display earlier this month was attended by Chinese Consul General in Edinburgh Zhang Biao; Depute Lord Provost of Edinburgh Lezley Marion Cameron; members of Edinburgh's business community, along with individuals involved with China.

It is said that a photograph can be worth a thousand words, for it can recount a scene or an event without verbal explanations required. Looking back to those early days, I could never have appreciated that I was actually recording a period in Beijing's history for I was simply a traveler with no depth of knowledge about Beijing or even of China.

1987 was a period when the bicycle era was gradually ending, certainly a fascinating time to have visited the city. Over following years, getting to know Beijing felt in some ways like reading a lengthy book where each page revealed more and more about the city.

Beijing, I steadily appreciated, is a city of real beauty, of deep history combined with dynamic modernity.

In the 1990s, Beijing became a starting point for my lengthy railway journeys throughout China. I would stay in a hotel within a traditional hutong area at Beixinqiao, close to historic Yonghe Temple, also known as Lama Temple. An amazing opportunity to see and to record everyday life of local Beijingers, the laobaixing, in scenes that would inevitably gradually disappear.

In the early 2000's, I was contributing material for various Beijing-based media, writing and talking about the city. During that period, on July 13, 2001, the city was awarded the honor of hosting the 2008 summer Olympic Games. This proved to be a major catalyst for its development and transformation.

Fortuitously, I was in Beijing at the time, and over the following years I was able to record some of the incredible changes to its skyline and indeed how society was adapting to their city garnering worldwide attention. There was a growing feeling of pride in Beijing, which I also shared.

World-leading sports facilities were constructed in and around today's Olympic Park. In response to the games, the city's then small metro system embarked on a program of expansion and upgrading, resulting in today's ultra-modern network of 30 lines. China's first high-speed railway opened in 2008, connecting nearby Tianjin with the newly opened Beijing South Railway Station. Beijing Capital Airport saw completion of its vast T3 terminal, designed to handle the expected Olympic visitors.

Environmental programs resulted in considerable efforts toward air quality improvements, along with ongoing greening projects. All of this produced many photogenic opportunities, some featured in today's Edinburgh display.

A major plan that would enhance Beijing's international position came through the development of today's extensive Central Business District, which expanded from Chaoyang's earlier China World Trade Center at Guomao. Some of China's highest towers, such as the 528-meter-tall China Zun, have become icons of modern Beijing, just as the 15th century Temple of Heaven represents its historic legacy. All of this I have tried to document through the lens.

Similarly, with my background in historic geography, I have passionately recorded the city's Central Axis Line's restoration toward it being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 21, 2024.

Recent years have seen changing lifestyles for the city's aspiring younger generations. Dining, travel, consumer, and sporting opportunities today so different to the city I first experienced.

Although it has now been 39 years since I first set out to discover and photograph Beijing, the passion still remains within me. Walking in the city, there is always something fascinating to record through the lens. For example, the Silver Ingot Bridge (Yindingqiao), which I first saw in 1995, even today I am still capturing its stunning beauty.

Beijing, a city which I feel continues to give me so much. A city where the 2008 Olympics' 100 day countdown song, "Beijing huanying ni (Beijing welcomes you)" still applies today.

Presently, in Edinburgh's Whisky House Hotel, visitors have the opportunity to see something of Beijing recorded through those 39 years.

Bruce Connolly is a photographer and writer from Scotland who has lived in China for over 30 years.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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