In addition to Song Zhenzhong's exhibition in Dongcheng district, many other events have been held across Beijing to mark the 40th anniversary of reform and opening-up.

The policy has transformed the country's economic landscape and raised living standards in the past four decades.

Bi Xiuyan, Party secretary of Panzhuang community in the capital's Haidian district, has been one of the driving forces behind many of the exhibitions in her community.

She has witnessed all 40 years of reform and opening-up, which was adopted in 1978, two years after she was born.

"My major takeaway from all these events has been the huge changes that have taken place in people's lives. The moment I saw the objects donated by the local people, and the progress made from, for example, point-and-shoot cameras to digital cameras, I viewed those developments in terms of decades passing by," she said.

Bi's exhibitions featured about 600 household items provided by local residents, including vintage coupons, travel tickets, a range of certificates, and redundant devices such as old cameras and pagers. In addition, Party members in the community volunteered to tell the stories behind the exhibits to interested residents and groups of school students.

"The seniors were suddenly reminded of things they had forgotten, items they once used at home regularly but have now disappeared from their lives, while the children were fascinated by the strange objects they had never seen before," she said.