The Kyoto University Museum in Japan has exhibited a number of color postcards that surprisingly depict the city of Beijing during the Japanese occupation. Each picture has a short Japanese introduction, which makes people feel as if they have traveled back in time and witnessed the style of Beijing in that special era.

These postcards are not only a record of history, but also a microcosm of a humiliating memory in China's modern history. In the picture, the city of Beijing, with its streets crisscrossed and buildings towering, is brightly colored, but it cannot hide the heaviness behind that period of history.

Judging from the photos, the city of Beijing is very different from what it is now. That magnificent city tower is the Zhengyangmen Arrow Tower, which was first built in the fourth year of Ming orthodoxy (1901 years), burned down when the Eight-Nation Coalition captured Beijing, and became the highest arrow tower in Beijing after 0 years of reconstruction. There is a train parked in front of the arrow tower, revealing the blend of China and the West in that era, and also hinting at the pace of aggression of the great powers.

The picture of the drum tower is also emotional, this ancient building was built in the ninth year of the Yuan Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty (1272 years), witnessing countless changes in the city of Beijing. The street in front of the Drum Tower is very lively, there are many shops, and the life of old Beijing is strong. As the time center of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the Drum Tower is not only a witness of time, but also a precipitation of history.

The picture of Tiananmen Square is still majestic, and this building, which was built in the fifteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1417 years), has always stood tall in the changes of time. In the photo, the Tiananmen Tower, with its heavy eaves on the top of the mountain, shows the royal style, while the Jinshui Bridge, Huabiao and other buildings in front of it are the symbols of the ancient capital of Beijing. Today, Tiananmen Square is the largest city square in the world, but the red-walled and gold-tiled building still bears the weight of history.

The noon gate of the Forbidden City, as the main gate of the Forbidden City, also appears in this batch of postcards. The Wumen Gate was built in the eighteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1420 years), which was not only the entrance to the imperial complex, but also the place where the emperor held important ceremonies. The royal road in front of the noon gate is wide and straight, as if you can still hear the sound of the honor guard marching back then.

Another iconic building, the Shenwu Gate, has also left its mark on the postcard. This north gate, which was built in the eighteenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, later became the entrance to the Palace Museum. The official establishment of the Palace Museum in 1925 means that the Forbidden City has changed from a forbidden place for the emperor to a historical and cultural treasure house open to the public.

Important buildings such as the Taihe Gate, the Taihe Palace, and the Corner Tower in the Forbidden City are also recorded in these postcards. As the largest existing wooden palace in China, the Taihe Hall has been a symbol of imperial power since it was built in the 18th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty. The architectural style of Taihe Gate is magnificent, and the Zhaode Gate and Zhendu Gate on both sides make the whole palace complex more magnificent.

Outside of the Forbidden City, other landmarks in Beijing are also included in these postcards. For example, the White Pagoda of Qionghua Island in Beihai Park, a Tibetan-style lama pagoda built in the eighth year of the reign of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty, is one of Beijing's iconic landscapes. The lake water is clear, reflecting the figure of the White Pagoda, showing the tranquility and solemnity of the royal garden.

The picture of Dongjiaomin Lane has a hint of exoticism. This street used to be a foreign embassy area, and most of the sides are European-style buildings, and there are even signs with the words "slow walking" on the side of the street. These buildings bear witness to the humiliating history of modern Chinese diplomacy, and are also reminiscent of the scene of cultural collision in and around Beijing at that time.

In addition, buildings such as the West Fourth Archway, the National Peiping Library, the Seventeen-Hole Bridge in the Summer Palace, the Renshou Palace, and the Temple of Heaven have also been faithfully recorded in these postcards. Each of them carries different historical backgrounds, but they all have witnessed the rise and fall of Beijing.

The most touching picture is a camel caravan outside the city walls of Beijing. In the past, camels were the main means of transportation and transportation in the north, and the sound of camel bells echoed outside the walls of the ancient capital, telling the customs of Beijing in the old days. At that time, Beijing still had a strong market atmosphere, and life inside and outside the city walls was completely different.

These old photos are not only a testimony to history, but also a reminder that we can remember the past and cherish the present. Every street and every building in Beijing carries a profound cultural heritage. Today, when we stroll through Tiananmen Square, visit the Forbidden City, and enjoy the lakes and mountains of Beihai, it is hard to imagine what it was like a hundred years ago. But it is these postcards that allow us to re-examine that history through the window of time.

Today, Beijing has been renovated, with high-rise buildings, technology and modernity, but those old buildings are still the soul of the city. They not only record the glory and humiliation of history, but also remind us to remember the past, cherish the present, and protect this ancient capital with a thousand-year-old culture.

Every photograph is a story, and every landscape is an echo of history. Perhaps, when we stand in front of these buildings again and gaze at their mottled walls, we can truly feel the temperature of history and cherish the hard-won peace and prosperity today.