Aurélien Chen's photographs capture Beijing before the 2008 Olympics

Architect and photographer Aurélien Chen revisits his 2008 photographs of Beijing during the construction of Olympic sites, contrasting the city's pre-Games excitement with the subdued atmosphere of the 2022 Winter Olympics amid the pandemic and geopolitical tensions. His three series—'On the Olympic Site Construction,' 'From the Other Side of the Barricades,' and 'Iconic Buildings of Beijing'—document the emergence of landmarks like OMA's CCTV Tower and Paul Andreu's National Centre for the Performing Arts, capturing a moment when traditional urban life coexisted with rapid modernization. Chen notes that while Beijing became the first city to host both Summer and Winter Games, the 2022 edition lacks the frenzy and hope of 2008, with the Olympic slogan shifting from 'One World, One Dream' to 'Together for a Shared Future.' The photographs, rediscovered in 2019, evoke nostalgia for a bygone era of optimism.