The capital after 20 years of change. A family poses for a picture in front of a model of the Three Gorges Dam, the construction project that will provide the cities with power, but to the cost of destroying almost two million peoples’ homes. Tiananmen, Beijing.

After the demonstrations in 1989 the country has undergone significant economical reforms but the party rule, which the demonstrations were held against, still remain.

Deng Xiaoping’s dogma “To get rich is glorious” serves as an almost perferct description of modern China. Providing stability and opening up for the possible accumulation of capitalistic wealth, the state enjoys less political pressure from the people because simply, they are too busy getting rich.

While China’s coastal cities have experienced enormous economic development, the majority of the country’s population still live in rural areas providing China with a massive workforce, though simultaneously shutting them out from the development’s yield.

People flood the capital during the national day celebrations. Although political freedom might be restricted, people in general take great pride in China, its extraordinary change and political-economical strength it governs.

Traditionally described as Beijing’s heart and soul, old housing areas – Hutongs – have been demolished throughout Beijing in favour of more modern buildings, which according to the Party is more suitable for the type of international city they want Beijing to be.

The chinese character “Chai” marks the buildings that will be pulled down.

Unaware of the decision, the family gets eight weeks to move once the character have been painted on their walls. They receive new housing in the Beijing outskirts, but never the choice to stay.

According to UNESCO some 62 square kilometres of Hutongs have been torn down the past three years.

A patrol search through an area prior to demolition.

Some say the construction lacks co-ordination and that impressive projects gain too much priority compared to general city planning such as traffic flow and listening to what Beijing inhabitants actually want their city to be.

Some 680,000 people have so far been forced to move in favour of more suitable buildings.

Some say that along with the Hutongs, Beijing lost much of its soul while others claim the demolitions was a necessary step to make the city better reflect its new and ever changing metropolitan identity.