Photography Demolition of the Front Gate
A black-and-white photograph showing the official start of the demolition of the Zhengyang Gate (Zhengyangmen 正陽門), better known as the Front Gate (Qianmen 前門), in 1915. The gate was the main gateway between the Outer City (Waicheng 外城) and the Inner City (Neicheng 内城) of Beijing. The Minister of Trade symbolically removes a brick.
The photograph is the 437th of 449 photographs of Beijing and its surroundings in the album of Ivan Skušek Jr., purchased during his stay in Beijing (1914–1920). In the handwritten inventory of the album, the photograph is referred to as Demolieren des Tsien-Men: Der Handelsminister bei Ziegel aus?busch?en. (DZ, MV)
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