Beijing's Central Axis: A Masterpiece of China's Ideal Capital Order
The Beijing Central Axis is located in the center of Beijing's old city, running from north to south. It consists of 15 heritage elements in five categories, including ancient royal palaces, ancient royal sacrificial buildings, ancient urban management facilities, national ceremonial and public buildings, and the remains of the central road. Together, they witness the historical transformation of Beijing from an imperial capital to a modern capital, and showcase China's urban planning tradition. Its site selection, layout, urban planning, roads and design, as a whole, demonstrate the ideal capital planning paradigm recorded in the ancient Chinese book "Kaogongji". This area, located between two parallel rivers, has a history of human settlement of about 3,000 years, and the Central Axis itself originated from the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), which established its capital in the north. Many ancient buildings on the Central Axis were built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and perfected in the Qing Dynasty (1635-1912).