The press conference for "Imperial City Impression: The Exhibition of Old Peking Images in Western Prints" on Thursday, November 13, 2009 in Beijing.[Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

An exhibition of "Old Peking Images in Western Prints" started on Thursday at the Beijing World Art Museum.

This exhibition emphasizes historical reviews and cultural exchanges between the East and the West. It consists of four parts: Old Maps, City Scenes, Imperial Life and Folk Customs. The exhibit includes more than 150 prints and maps and more than 10 volumes of western publications about China from the 17th to the 19th centuries which has left a rich legacy of the old capital with its civilization and folk customs.

Before the birth of photography, paintings and prints represented the most important method of recording images. They serve as proof of cultural exchanges as well as precious documents.

Today, these images offer people particular insight as to what old Beijing was like. In them, scenes of this historical city and its local customs blend with the perspective and imagination of westerners. Though taken by westerners, the photos allow the Chinese to recall their own experiences or look back on their predecessors through these old images of Beijing.

All the prints are from the private collections of Susan Li, a Chinese print collector. The exhibition was jointly organized by the Beijing World Art Museum (BWAM) and China Beijing International Innovation Industry Exhibition Committee (CBIIIEC). The museum will also organize two public lectures on Old Beijing.

The exhibition will end on December 13 and move to Hong Kong and other cities.