Scores of photos taken by a French traveler were exhibited Tuesday in Beijing, showing people a foreigner's perspective of the Chinese capital 100 years ago.

Among the 81 photos on show in central Beijing, some 53 are black-and-white stereographs which visitors can view through special glasses.

Hand-picked from the collection of the France-based Albert Kahn Museum, these pictures offer a broad look at Beijing's past including the structure of the ancient city proper, people's style of dress, temple fairs, means of transportation, peddlers, streets and stores.

Researcher Sun Wuyi from the Capital Museum said the photo were taken by Albert Kahn, a French financier, during his travel in China between 1909 and 1912.

His more than 2,000 photos recorded Chinese people's life not only in Beijing, but also in Harbin, Shenyang, Shanghai, Qingdao and many other regions, Sun said.

( People's Daily Decmber 26, 2001)