"I suddenly realized that I am not only taking photos but recording history because some buildings in the hutong would disappear forever," he said.

"I also felt a sense of loss as seniors who lived in hutong for decades had passed away one by one. I needed to hurry up and take more photos of people there."

In 2010, Jia held his first photo exhibition at a gallery on Dashilan West Street, titled "Goodbye,Hutong". The gallery lasted one month.

His most recent exhibition, titled "A slice of the memory of South Peking", was held in 2019 in a photo equipment mall in Beijing. Jia said he is planning more exhibitions of this kind.

"As I grow older and travel to more places, I become more nostalgic. When I see old items used by the generation of my father and grandfather, I feel a sense of history," he said.

"I can't change the appearance of a city or stop it from being changed.But at least I have the ability to record scenes that will represent its history."

lihongyang@chinadaily.com.cn