Greek photographer's love story with a Chinese

Editor’s note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up, and huge changes have been made in Beijing, capital of China, over the past 40 years. We have invited 40 foreign experts to participate in a series of interviews named “New Era, New Insight” jointly hosted by GMW.cn（The official website of Guangming Daily） and the Information Office of Beijing Municipality and share their “Beijing Stories”. The following is a part of the interview with Greek photographer George Doupas.

George Doupas and her wife (Photo provided to Guangming Online)

My wife is a Chinese. She is a Beijingren. With my wife was through Internet. As we met in some website, we start have E-mail exchange.I started to learn some Chinese. She was learning English. So it was a good match.

But for about a year, we didn’t see each other. We never knew who we were. Until the day when I came to Beijing, that was the first time we actually met.

She became my, I can say something like, a guide in Beijing. In this huge metropolis, I had her. She was my guide, she showed me the city. She showed me mostly the historical part of Beijing. And I was truly amazed by what this city has to offer. Later I came again and again, until the day we married. It happened very fast.

We met in 2005. At first, we became friends, and she was showing me Beijing. Every day she was with me, every day after her work, we met and we went different part of Beijing. And it came again and again, we became closer to each other. And in 2009, I and her, we married. Since then we lived together in Beijing.

Her job is a historian. So she knows pretty much about Chinese history and Chinese culture. She taught me a lot, and she showed me a lot. It was a great match for us.

Beijing has its unique blend of the old and the new. It’s really wonderful match and mix how the past of Beijing is blending with the new modern architecture.

For example, if you ever visited Zhihua Temple, which is one of the oldest temples in Beijing, You can see behind the temple the new glamorous Galaxy SOHO.

These two buildings, two different kinds of architectures perfectly blend together. And places like are many in Beijing, not just Zhihua Temple.

Or in the Qianmen area which is one of the oldest historical places in Beijing. Now, one can visit the new compound called Beijing Fun, which is the modern structure of buildings, right in the middle of the very old Beijing.

And I found it blends very nice with the surrounding hutongs. Worth a visit, for a walk, or for coffee, or just visit a bookstore. Many people go there for a visit. For a cultural event, there is a perfect example of how Beijing culture blends with modern Beijing.

Here, two costumes of Peking Opera blending perfectly with modern architecture of Phoenix TV. This is just one of examples you can see in Beijing.