Eighty-five pictures taken in Beijing by Australian photographer Hedda Morrison between 1934 and 1946 are now on show in the Chinese capital, giving a rare glimpse of the old city.

The pictures were selected from thousands taken by Morrison during her stay in what was Peking city. They record the Forbidden City, the now demolished city wall, street life, parks, customs and ordinary people's lives during the 1930s and 1940s.

Morrison's photographs are being exhibited at the Art Museum of the China Millennium Monument alongside 100 other pictures taken in Beijing by noted photographers from home and abroad in May 2000.

The exhibition, part of the Beijing 2002 international cultural festival marking the 30th anniversary of Sino-Australian diplomatic ties, is jointly sponsored by the Sydney Powerhouse Museum and the Art Museum of the China Millennium Monument.

(Xinhua News Agency May 18, 2002)