A large group of urban sketchers has spent their weekends drawing Beijing for 10 years, with their brushes documenting the city's rapid changes and its vanishing old charms stroke by stroke.
Founded in 2015, Urban Sketchers Beijing has seen its members gather almost every weekend over the past decade, totaling nearly 300 times, to capture Beijing's evolving seasons and landscapes. Together, they have explored various parts of the city and practiced their on-location drawing skills.
Andy Song, one of the founders, said the group has now grown to more than 5,000 members.
"This is about treating art and offline drawing as a lifestyle and sticking with it. Over the past 10 years, we have made sketching and recording daily life a regular habit," he said.
With China's rapid development, the capital city has undergone massive changes, and the sketching group has come to realize that they are playing a role in recording history.
our motto is 'record the city's changes with our brushes.' Sometimes, a hutong (alleyway) we sketched one year would be gone the next, but it remains in our drawings. Many members have recorded the transformation of areas like the West City through their sketches," Song said.
Li Xiaohong, a retired teacher and a member of Urban Sketchers Beijing, finds peace in completing a sketch every weekend. She noted the importance of preserving the city's historic spots through art before they vanish.
"Actually, we're less interested in sketching places that are too new or modern. Instead, we prefer the older, more distinctive spots -- those with history, culture, and a sense of age. They're like pieces of art that have aged beautifully, and we feel it's important to protect and record them before they disappear," Li said.
The paintings of another member, Robin Liu, who is also a singer from Taiwan, come to life with unconventional materials such as shoe polish and facial clay, showcasing his remarkable creativity and imagination.
"I love the contrast of the trees and also the yellow color. It doesn't really matter because sunlight is not actually yellow, but who cares? But I just brought my drawing material and whenever I see something that inspires me, I'll just find some time to do a sketch," Liu said, describing one of his sketches.
Kang Ghee Keong, a member of Urban Sketchers Singapore, the sketching group in his home country, has discovered a unique way to experience and connect with Beijing during a family trip through drawing. "I think it's about the feeling, it's just not the same. For example, if I come here with my wife, take a quick photo, and leave, I won't really remember the place. But if I sit here for an hour or two and sketch it -- no matter how good or bad the drawing is -- when I look at that sketch later, I remember everything: the mood, the memory, even the weather," Kang said.
Sketching hobbyists in Beijing capture urban evolution with brushes over decade
