Interior and Arches of the Temple of Heaven Where the Emperor Sacrifices Once a Year, in the Chinese City of Pekin, October 1860

Felice Beato captured this photograph of the Interior and Arches of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing in October 1860, using the wet collodion process, a popular method at the time. Beato's presence in China was directly linked to the Second Opium War. As a war photographer, his images served to document and, in many ways, legitimize Western imperial expansion. This photograph freezes a moment laden with the complexities of cultural exchange and power dynamics. The Temple of Heaven, a sacred space for imperial rituals, is viewed through the lens of a foreign power. The image is drained of color, flattening any sense of the human or the spiritual. Consider how the photograph captures a specific point in time, a moment of intrusion and observation that speaks volumes about the relationship between the West and China during the 19th century. The photograph is a testament to both the beauty of Chinese architecture and the complex legacy of colonialism.