PLA troops entered Beijing late January 1949, after the Nationalist troops had left. The entry is shown here not as a grandiose, heroic event, as in later representations. The scene is a modest shopping street, with clear traces of the fighting. The troops are welcomed in a calm and friendly manner by Beijing residents. Some offer the soldiers water, fruit or something to smoke. Emphasis is on the soldiers' orderly behavior. They follow the "Disciplinary Rules for Entering the City" (入城紀律守則) - see the text in the top left corner.

On the red flag: "Northeast People's Liberation Army" (东北人民解放军).
On the right, a soldier on a ladder is painting slogans on the city gate: "Attack Nanjing! Capture Chiang [Kai-shek] Alive!" (打到南京去 ! 活捉蒋介 [石]).
It is not clear if the image represents a precise existing location.