In Photos: The Quiet Moments of a Capital in Quarantine
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When Alicia Lin returned to China after an 11-year break, she couldn't have imagined that the country, and later the world, was on the cusp of a major virus outbreak. The Tianjin-born photographer and architect, eager to reacquaint herself with the city, took the opportunity to explore, documenting the empty streets and the few people who remained outside, wandering alone out of boredom or for work.
"I started my new job just after Chinese New Year, during the coronavirus outbreak in Beijing. It was a very intense time and the whole city was in a kind of paranoid mode," explains Lin. "I started to take pictures on the way back and forth to work. I live in the hutongs around Lama Temple but work in the hutongs of Dashilar near Qianmen, so every day I cycle past the Forbidden City and the surrounding hutongs."
Because she hasn't left throughout, Lin has been granted more freedom than those who have recently returned, moving through the city while others nearby are held to the city's strict quarantine standards. "The guy living below my flat came back from Hubei and the neighborhood committee decided to place a camera plus two guards outside of his door 24/7 to check that he completed his 14-day quarantine, even though he already tested negative for the coronavirus. The camera beeps every time I walk past."
Below, Lin shares some of her photographs, spanning the snowy beginnings of Chinese New Year until now, as the city as it slowly comes back to life. "During my weekend trips to the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth, I see that people have started hanging out in the parks on sunny days."A taxi driver cleans off his lights in the snow near Wudaoying Hutong
Signs of life near Andingmen's center for service workers
Pizza is still an option throughout Chinese New Year
Individuals stroll through the streets padded with snow
A street worker cleans a drain in -5 degrees Centigrade
Another eats his lunch outside
Cushions take the place of customers
A banner tells people to avoid going outside
The National Center of Performing Arts sits quietly in wait for audiences
Beijing's empty streets make for perfect night rides
A single guard stands observing the empty roads by Tiananmen
A guard sleeps while on duty watching Lin's recently returned neighbor from Hubei
Meanwhile, all is quiet inside
A city worker cleans the streets for the few pedestrians that remain
A couple enjoy their alone time in the park
Two masked children play
A selfie in the Temple of Heaven
The sunshine brings people out of hibernation
You can see more of Lin's photos via her Instagram (alicialin.photo)
READ: Time Travel Through Beijing's Past With This Vast Photographic Archive
Photos courtesy of Alicia Lu Lin
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