Dima Gavrysh is a New York based photographer specializing in documentary and travel photography. 

China's facelift

China's facelift

Walking down Beijing's wide modern streets lined with glittering buildings in the city center, one might forget that it is actually an ancient city.

Since Beijing won the bid in 2001 to host the Olympics, the authorities undertook a vast makeover of the city. Ancient "hutong" neighborhoods were torn down and replaced with towering office, hotel and retail centers virtually around the clock.

Myriads of construction workers came to the city from the surrounding provinces. Most lived in temporary barracks, while working on such landmarks as the Bird's Nest, Water Cube, Olympic Park, and the new CCTV building.

Taxi drivers had to learn at least a few English phrases in order to communicate with the city's multitude of guests, and tour guides were getting ready to share China's legendary cultural heritage with an unprecedented number of tourists.

However, the demons that China currently has to fight are far from mythological. Its image has been tarnished by numerous human right violations, repressions of free speech, and multiple scandals involving product recalls.

The Olympics provided China with a much awaited opportunity to improve its image and to show that Beijing is fit to be the Chinese capital for the 21st century.