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Photo collection turns Danish entrepreneur into an accidental Chinese historian

For many years Danish entrepreneur Lars Ulrik Thom has been collecting thousands of photos from a bygone era in China, making him an accidental historian, writes Beijing correspondent Huey Fern Tay.

The homes that line Beijing's old alleys are usually tiny, subdivided lots with clutter along the corridor.

A dusty broken bicycle lies against the wall of one hutong home.

It seems like the residents of this old quarter have gone out because the only sound I hear is the freezing blast of cold air whipping through the Chinese capital.

I walk out to check the number on the front door to make sure I'm at the right place - there is supposed to be a studio here, filled with photographs and maps of a China long gone.

An old lady emerges from inside to direct us to the unconventional office space where Lars Ulrik Thom conducts a business based on the vast collection of photos he amassed together with a fellow Dane.

These old photographs have been reprinted and presented as postcards and calendars.

They are a snapshot of an era long gone.

Most were taken between the 1920s and 40s by foreigners, diplomats and missionaries in the country at the time.

The oldest one inside this suitcase goes back a hundred years while the latest one is from the 1980s.

Companies and embassies engage Beijing Postcards to make the calendars and conduct walking tours through the city's ancient neighbourhoods.

History buffs and curious residents also sign up for these lively history lessons in spring and autumn when the city is cooling and arguably at its best.

Locals often lament these good times don't last long enough.

I wait inside the warm studio surrounded by images of Beijing from a time when donkeys and horse-drawn carts trundled the streets.

Nowadays the roads of the Chinese capital are clogged with more than five million cars.

Mr Thom shakes my hand apologetically when he arrives, seemingly unfazed by the cold.

He's had a love affair with this city since arriving as a language student in the mid 90s.

Beijing was in the swing of modern development at the time, tearing down some old neighbourhoods to line the skies with skyscrapers.

"Those were interesting times", Mr Thom says in between sips of coffee, as he reflects on the journey of his life over the past 18 years.

"I was more interested in Japanese history actually," he says. "It's just something that happened and I don't regret at all, my friend Simon is the one who had a call for China."

These two Danish entrepreneurs estimate they have collected thousands of old photographs and hundreds of maps over the years.

Mr Thom says some photographs are also given to them by locals who heard about their effort by way of word of mouth.

He becomes animated as he describes how one of his elderly neighbours stumbled into his studio one summer. "He could barely walk ... he came in and shouted 'RAH'"

"He wanted to talk to us because he wanted to tell his story. This is an experience we often have.

"People they really want to talk."

Such personal gifts and the age of most of the images means Mr Thom does not need to pay any copyright fees.

He doesn't know how much the photos are worth.

The dramatic gestures continue as Mr Thom goes on to describe the presentation of one of his walking tours.

His hands fly, eyes widen and his voice deepens when he switches between characters. The story is about the nightwatchmen who used to stand by the gates of Beijing.

Then his work beckons.

I have a slurp of coffee before heading off, my head filled with a vivid impression of this natural raconteur and what life may have been like in ye old Beijing.