Palace Museum through a photographer's eye
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Palace Museum through a photographer's eye
A photo of the Hall of Supreme Harmony ( Taihedian ) Square in the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in June, 2016. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
Over the past six years, Su Tangshi has taken more than 30,000 photos of the Palace Museum.
The 44-year-old photographer is a police officer from Yucheng county, Central China's Henan province, spending his spare time visiting the Palace Museum, capturing various images in different seasons during multiple trips to the popular tourist site. Su first became interested in photography when he was a young boy.
"Almost every young boy has the dream to be a hero of some kind, and I'm not an exception," he said. "Therefore, I chose to enter the police force after graduation from senior high school."
Su Tangshi takes photos in the Palace Museum. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
In the police academy, he was excited to find a criminal technology course that included learning photography and printing, which provided him a strong foundation.
In 1994, one year after he became a police officer in the county's police bureau, he spent 900 yuan to buy a camera.
"It was the total sum of almost seven months' salary for me," he said. "With the camera, I recorded lots of precious and important moments of our daily work, such as investigating cases, providing public service, training and studying."
A photo of the Palace of Heavenly Purity ( Qianqinggong) in the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in March, 2018. [Photo by Su Tangshi for chinadaily.com.cn]
Gradually, Su's photos became famous among his colleagues and the local media.
To relieve pressure from work, he began to take photos of natural scenery, portraits and architecture in his spare time from 2006.
"Photography can make me feel happy and relaxed," he said. "In 2014, a photo of mine won third prize in an ancient architecture photography competition, which made me even more interested in photographing ancient architecture."
In order to effectively present the broad and profound culture of Chinese ancient architecture in his photos, Su spent a lot of time researching in libraries across the country.
A photo of the Palace Museum in autumn taken by Su Tangshi in March, 2018. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
Over the years, Su has received dozens of awards in different ancient architecture photography competitions in China.
To capture images of the Palace Museum covered with snow, Su always pays close attention to Beijing's weather forecast when winter comes.
"Once when I got the news that it would be snowy in Beijing soon, I decided to set off immediately," he said. "It was during the Spring Festival travel rush and I tried all I could to get a standing-room-only ticket."
After standing in a crowded train carriage for more than five hours, he arrived in Beijing and took satisfactory photos.
"Every corner in the Palace Museum is unique and extremely beautiful," he said. "I hope I can bring this beauty to others with my photos."
A photo of the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in June, 2016. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
A photo of the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in July, 2018. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
A photo of the Imperial Garden in the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in Feb, 2019. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
A photo of the Palace of Longevity and Heath ( Shoukanggong) in the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in March, 2017. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
A spring photo of the Imperial Garden in the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in Sept, 2019. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
A photo of the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in Feb, 2019. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
A photo of the snow-capped turret in the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in Feb, 2019. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
A photo of the Palace of Celestial Favor ( Chengqiangong) in the Palace Museum taken by Su Tangshi in Jan, 2019. [Photo by Su Tangshi/for chinadaily.com.cn]
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I admire the skill and style of the photographer, Su Tangshi.
Touring the Palace Museum, more commonly known to westerners as The Forbidden City, is an unforgettable experience. I was there during Christmas of 2006. I wonder if any other members of NT have ever been there.
The photos are simply amazing...I loved every one of them.
I found it interesting that he studies the weather before heading out to take photos...
Sadly I never did make it to the ''Forbidden City''....