Taken in 1912, the first photo shows the Jiaozhou Governor’s Hall, the former colonial government mansion during the German concession period from 1898 to 1914, in Qingdao at the Shandong peninsula.

The mansion was built in Diethrich Mountain (now Xinhao Mountain) from 1904 to 1906 and was designed by the German architect Mahlke.

After 120 years, the Qingdao River in the old photo has long since disappeared, leaving only the old stone bridge to show how time can make a significant difference to the world.

By Chen Zhilin and Clark Cahill