Beijing Central Axis in Travel Notes of the Republic of China

Beijing Daily Client | Author Yin Yueyang

Impression of Beijing Central Axis Coherent Axis in Travel Notes of the Republic of China

The Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City, Jingshan, Bell and Drum Tower, these cultural relics and historical and cultural blocks distributed on and around the central axis of Beijing, left different impressions on tourists during the Republic of China. Between the lines, the author of travel notes expressed his love for the heritage sites along the central axis and its surrounding historical and cultural blocks, and affirmed its historical and cultural connotation.

Symmetrical layout of left group and right neighbor. Ode to the Old Capital describes the symmetrical layout of the ancestral temple and the Zuo Zu You She in the social altar: "They are buildings with even left and right sides, one on the left and the other on the right of Tiananmen Square, and they are in the shape of' founding the Zuo Zu You She'." "Ten-day Tour of Dust in the Old Capital" describes: "Around Tiananmen Square, there used to be a social altar on the right and a ancestral hall on the left. The two places have a wide range, beautiful layout and live in the city center. "

Linear characteristics from Zhengyangmen to Yongdingmen. Some travel writers boarded the Zhengyangmen Tower and looked south during the tour, and observed the continuous linear characteristics from Zhengyangmen to Yongdingmen. For example, the author uses "a straight line" to describe: "For example, if we climb the tower of Zhengyangmen and look south, then Zhengyangmen Street is a straight line leading to Yongdingmen in the outer city."

Linear characteristics from Zhengyangmen to the inner hall of the Forbidden City. The author of "Ten-day Tour of Dust in the Old Capital" describes that from the front door to the north, we can see: "A more magnificent' Zhengyangmen' stands in the middle, and from Zhengyangmen to the inside, a straight line passes through Zhonghua Gate, Tiananmen Gate, Duanmen Gate, Wumen Gate and Taiji Gate, and goes straight to the Imperial Palace. In addition, the two travel notes "The Map of the Old Capital" and "Travel Notes of the Places of Interest in the Old Capital" describe the coherent straight-line layout from Zhengyangmen to the Hall of Supreme Harmony with "the layout represents the parallel art of China" and "both in a straight line" respectively.

The connection between Jingshan and the Forbidden City. Many travel notes, such as Journey to the North, Travels of Places of Interest in the Old Capital and Journey to the Old Capital, describe the author's experience of climbing the top of Jingshan Mountain and looking south at the Forbidden City. This kind of overlooking action also constitutes the spatial connection of the building. In the process of bird's-eye view and bird's-eye view, linear perspective plays an invisible connection role, connecting Jingshan and the Forbidden City, and connecting Jingshan and the buildings of the Forbidden City in series.

Linear characteristics from Jingshan to Bell and Drum Tower. Some travel writers boarded Wanshun Pavilion in Jingshan and looked north to observe the vertical morphological characteristics from Jingshan to Bell and Drum Tower. The author of Dengjingshan described the wide road at the back door of Jingshan as a plain belt, which dragged to the end of the Drum Tower and Bell Tower. Comparing the central axis to "a plain belt" and using the verb "straight drag" at the same time, this paper describes the straight and smooth direction of the central axis and vividly describes the morphological characteristics of this section of the central axis. The vivid use of the word "belt" makes us more impressed by this section of the central axis in Beijing during the Republic of China.

During the Republic of China, although tourists did not know the complete axis from Yongdingmen to Bell and Drum Tower in 7.8 kilometers, a considerable number of tourists observed the cultural relics along the central axis of Beijing from a linear perspective during the tour, and recorded the linear coherence and axisymmetric characteristics of the central axis of Beijing in their travel notes. This local series connection of some sites on the central axis is an important impression of Beijing's central axis during the Republic of China.

In the 1920s, Gulou Square opened up a "mass market".

On the role of Beijing's central axis in the Republic of China from the perspective of travel notes

Some scholars have suggested that the central axes of important cities at home and abroad can be roughly divided into several basic types according to their functions: traffic axis, memorial axis and landscape axis. According to the classification of this functional type, it can be said that the central axis of Beijing played multiple functions in urban life during the Republic of China, such as landscape axis and memorial axis, and showed profound cultural connotation.

Recall the past and inspire patriotic enthusiasm. The Forbidden City, Zhongshan Park and other places are important places to recall the past, pursue the present and inspire people's patriotic enthusiasm. Two travel notes, Travel Notes of Beiping and Ruins of the Old Capital, refer to the experience of tourists visiting the bronze statue of the martyrs of the Revolution of 1911 in Zhongshan Park. The Ten-Day Tour of Dust in the Old Capital describes the author's experience of visiting cultural relics and historical sites in the Forbidden City and expressing patriotic feelings under the background of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.

Rely on historical sites to enhance cultural self-confidence. The Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City and other places were places where tourists visited historical sites and enhanced their cultural self-confidence during the Republic of China. As a cultural relic along the central axis of Beijing, the Temple of Heaven has outstanding cultural value. Many articles such as "Eulogize the Old Capital" and "Journey to the North" describe the grandeur of the Temple of Heaven. "The Temple of Heaven in Beiping" describes the author's analysis of its cultural connotation after visiting the architectural monuments of the Temple of Heaven, and realizes that the Temple of Heaven embodies the idea of "zhong" as a whole, and the digital symbol "nine" used in architecture is the core of China culture and a symbol of noble authority. When the author visited the Forbidden City, he analyzed its architectural art: the Forbidden City was monotonous and lacked fluctuation, but the joint reward was like five musts and seven musts in pairs, with forty characters and five laws and eight sentences and seven laws.

Public education places. Sun Yat-sen Park, Forbidden City and other places are good places to carry out public education during the Republic of China. Travel Notes of Beiping points out that Zhongshan Park has a revolutionary library and a health exhibition hall, and the Forbidden City has a library. The establishment of this learning place reflects the educational function of the heritage sites along the central axis of Beijing to the public. It is pointed out in Tomb of the Old Capital that illustrations of the Forbidden City are sold in the Forbidden City. Visitors can start their own tour according to the map when they get this book. The Forbidden City allows visitors to bring diaries and pencils, but cameras and other items are not allowed. Many details reveal the subtle education of the Forbidden City to the public.

Urban leisure and entertainment space. Beihai, Zhongshan Park, Shichahai and other places were important spaces for urban leisure and entertainment during the Republic of China. Many travel notes, such as "The Old Capital Map" and "Tour to the North Sea in Tuancheng", describe the leisure and entertainment activities of Beihai citizens in detail. During the Republic of China, the scenic spots and entertainment experience items of Beihai tourists were consistent with the leisure items of contemporary urban life, such as enjoying the shade of spring in Qiongdao, visiting the group city in Jiulongbi, drinking tea in the promenade, boating in summer and skating in winter. Travels such as Notes on the Old Capital (Continued) and Four Diaries of the Old Capital describe the infrastructure and natural scenery of Zhongshan Park in detail. Gu Song Cuibai, rockery and hills, winding paths and pavilions in Zhongshan Park. In addition, it also has an ice rink and golf course for citizens' entertainment, a teahouse and soft grass for tourists, a book reading room for tourists, historical relics for tourists to enjoy, and a complete infrastructure construction, which gives full play to the leisure and entertainment functions. Shichahai also has certain leisure and entertainment functions. "Recalling the Old Capital of Lake Haisheng" records the opening of the skating rink in Shichahai for tourists to skate and play with ice carts.

Aerial view of the shaft. Zhengyangmen, Jingshan and other places were the commanding heights of the eye-catching view of Beijing's central axis during the Republic of China, and played an important role in the landscape corridor connecting Beijing's central axis in series. The author of Miscellanies of the Old Capital boarded Zhengyangmen Tower and looked at Yongdingmen in the south, which enriched the impression of the central axis from Yongdingmen to Zhengyangmen in the Republic of China. Travelers such as "Journey to the North" climbed to the top of Jingshan Mountain and looked at the Forbidden City in the south, overlooking the arrangement of the Forbidden City buildings and the shining yellow tiles, connecting Jingshan Mountain and the Forbidden City buildings in series. The author of Dengjingshan climbed to the top of Jingshan Mountain and looked at the Bell and Drum Tower in the north, which enriched the impression of the central axis from Jingshan Mountain to the northern section of the Bell and Drum Tower in the Republic of China.

A bustling business district. Qianmen area, as a historical and cultural block around the central axis of Beijing, is a block with very dense commercial activities. According to the travel notes such as Miscellaneous Notes on the Old Capital-Resort and Temple Fair, and Journey to the Old Capital in Late Autumn, Qianmen Street is the most lively area in Beiping, where people shop and buy daily necessities. Qianmen Street brings together hundreds of merchants, people come and go, and it is a bustling scene, which fully demonstrates its important commercial functions and values.

(Author: Department of History and Culture, School of Applied Arts and Sciences, Beijing Union University. This paper is a phased research achievement of the key project of Beijing Social Science Fund Planning "Research on Historical Documents of Beijing Central Axis"