23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Travel
The secret emperor’s passage.
This frame guards a secret. Instead of revealing the forbidden passage, it focuses on a digital proxy: a phone screen capturing the threshold of a restricted world. The rich reds and greens frame a dark path adorned with timber art, leaving the emperor's visage and the corridor's end to the viewer's imagination.
Photo Detail
| Date Taken: | 07.2023 |
| Date Uploaded: | 11.2025 |
| Photo Location: | Beijing, China |
| Camera: | Canon EOS R6 |
| Copyright: | © Anton El Haddad |