Volume 39 - Number 5 - June 2008

Detail of a mural on the north wall, Juanqinzhai, Forbidden City, Beijing Qianlong period (1736-95) Pigment on silk With Beijing expecting an `Olympic' influx of visitors this summer, our editorial team decided to embark on its own exploration of this historic city and its changing visuality. Together with our contributors, we discovered an `Old Peking-New Beijing' that was startling in its contrasts. While regular associations are made with the ever-growing urban sprawl, Zhao Chao offers us the perspective of the city as an archaeological site. Nancy Berliner's and Robert Thorp's articles show why its palaces and temples are a source of continuing fascination. Raymond Lum's discussion offers a look at Beijing between 1933 and 1946 through the eyes of Hedda Morrison, while the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center demonstrates how big shifts in thinking can be effected through small changes in conserving hutong. Yao An explains how the Capital Museum is a repository for `living culture' and Thomas Campanella reveals why Beijing's new architecture sustains its status as a national capital. Julie Segraves's visit to non-profits in the flourishing art districts shows how sustainable creating and collecting can still prosper in a market-driven field. We also feature reports on the recent auctions in New York and Hong Kong, and a letter written by a former director of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm in response to our March commentary on the staff cuts there. Our commentary this month was sparked by the recent colloquium on transnational museum cooperation in Shanghai.