With vivid descriptions and abundant illustrations,this book compares Beijing city and its people a hundred years ago with those of the present era of the modernization drive. The history of a city reflects the history of a nation.The great changes seen in the past 100-odd years in Beijing and its future plans are the epitome of China's long-standing history and bright prospects. It is easy to have a auick look at China's past and present, but it takes time to gain a panoramic knowledge of China. The "Pan oramic China" series is meant to assist readers, especially those overseas, in this respect. Each volume in the series focuses on a province, municipality or autono mous region, describing, with illustrations, the outstanding char acteristics of each area from dif ferent perspectives.