text: These century-old photos offer a rare glimpse of some of Beijing’s most popular tourist attractions at a time when they barely had any foreign tourists and no one had ever heard of a selfie. They are some of the earliest holiday snaps of the Chinese capital – taken between 1900 and 1911 during the Qing dynasty – and they show landmarks almost devoid of visitors. The quiet scenes are a far cry from modern-day Beijing, which is one of the most populous cities in the world and visited by tens of millions of domestic and international tourists every year. Scroll down for video . Photos taken between 1900 and 1911 during the Qing dynasty show Beijing's famous landmarks with barely any visitors . A man casually poses for a photo while standing next to a large statue of a lion at Beijing's Yonghe Temple . A visitor stands alone at the Temple of Heaven, where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties held heaven worship ceremonies . This photo was taken at the pavilion outside the Church of the Saviour, which was established early in the 18th century . The extraordinary black and white photos show locals and foreigners posing at the Temple of Heaven, standing next to giant statues at the Western Qing Tombs and riding on boats at the Summer Palace. The origin of the photos is not known. Some show a member of the same family cheekily posing by stone statues of a lion, a camel and a horse. Long before the dawn of commercial aviation and industrialisation, there are no crowds to wade through, no selfie sticks and no smog in sight. A man poses next to a giant stone statue at the Western Qing Tombs, where more than 75 members of the royal family are buried . The Nine-Dragon Wall at Beihai Park was built in 1402 and features the legendary creatures on both sides . Guozijian, known as the National School or Beijing Imperial College, was the highest seat of learning during four Chinese dynasties . Today, these steps at the Temple of Heaven, a cluster of religious buildings in central Beijing, are crowded with visitors . Four emperors and their empresses are buried at the Western Qing Tombs, nearly 100 miles south-west of Beijing . A boy poses in between stone statues of animals at the Western Qing Tombs, which has four royal mausoleums . Some of the subjects in the photographs – taken mostly in Beijing – offer wide smiles, while others pose with blank expressions. It’s possible that some were wary of the camera’s lens, as there was once a belief by some in China that a photo could capture a person’s soul. The images offer an enchanting glimpse into China’s last imperial era, which ended in 1911. The Western Qing Tombs contain tombs for the Yongzheng Emperor, Jiaqing Emperor, Daoguang Emperor and Guangxu Emperor . Only some of the subjects in the photos offered a smile; there was once a belief that a photograph could capture a person's soul . The quiet scenes are a far cry from modern-day Beijing, which is one of the most populous cities in the world and visited by millions . This man is pictured in several of the century-old photographs; this snap was taken during a visit to the Western Qing Tombs . Long before the dawn of commercial aviation and industrialisation, there are no crowds to wade through and no smog in sight . Some of the Beijing-area attractions featured in these 100-year-old photos are now Unesco World Heritage Sites . A group of men pass under a bridge while navigating a stream at the Summer Palace, a Unesco World Heritage Site . A foreign tourist stands next to monuments at the foot of Beijing's Yuquan Mountain, with a horse and cart parked nearby . Beijing's Summer Palace is regarded as the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China, with a collection of gardens and lakes . Beijing has become such a popular destination for holidaymakers that the Forbidden City announced last year that it would limit the number of visitors. The former imperial palace in the heart of Beijing attracts more than 14 million visitors every year, according to Chinese state media. Some of the attractions featured in these 100-year-old photos are now Unesco World Heritage Sites, including the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven.
target: Black and white photos offer a rare glimpse of the Chinese capital's landmarks devoid of tourists .
  Pictures were taken between 1900 and 1911 during the Qing dynasty, the last imperial dynasty of China .
  Locals and foreigners pose at the Temple of Heaven, Western Qing Tombs and Summer Palace .
  Quiet scenes are a far cry from modern-day Beijing, one of the most populous cities in the world .