Leadership Insights | Illustrated Lectures: The Central Axis of an Ancient Capital

The Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital, the Badain Jaran Desert – Towers of Sand and Lakes, and the Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of the Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase II) were inscribed on the World Heritage List. This is of significance for advancing Chinese modernization in which material and cultural-ethical advancements complement each other and humans and nature coexist in harmony, and making the garden of world civilizations more colorful.

On July 27, 2024, the Beijing Central Axis: A Masterpiece of China's Ideal Capital City Order was inscribed on the World Heritage List after passing the review of the World Heritage Committee, increasing the number of World Heritage sites in China to 59.

Emerging in the 13th century and formed in the 16th century, the Beijing Central Axis has gone through more than 500 years. As the world’s longest urban axis, it stretches for 7.8 kilometers and consists of 15 heritage elements, including the Bell and Drum Tower, Wanning Bridge, Jingshan Park, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and its building complex, Zhengyang Gate, and many more. These heritage elements connect majestic and solemn state ceremonial sites with bustling streets and markets, creating a dynamic landscape and magnificent order that features a symmetrical layout along the north-south axis. 

The Beijing Central Axis has served as the core of the capital of Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties as well as modern China. Its planning, construction and improvement reflected the pursuit and formation of an ideal order in the country, the city and the life of the Chinese people. It bears strong testimony of the cultural tradition of Chinese civilization pursuing the concepts of “middle” and “harmony”, which are manifested in the pursuit of a balanced and symmetrical layout that respects the center in urban planning and architectural design. 

As the core building complex of the capital, the Beijing Central Axis symbolizes and enhances the nobility of state power and the importance of ceremonial order through the selection of the central site and symmetrical layouts, closely linking physical buildings with the city as well as intangible concepts of heaven and earth and the stability of the country and society. Therefore, the Beijing Central Axis is not only a material witness of China’s unique architectural aesthetics, but also a concentrated expression of fine traditional Chinese culture and the spiritual pursuit of the Chinese nation.