The secret of Beijing

The central axis of Beijing refers to the central axis of Beijing in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Beijing's urban planning is characterized by symmetry around Miyagi, and many buildings are built on the axis of symmetry, which is called the central axis. The central axis of Beijing starts from Yongdingmen in the south and reaches the Bell and Drum Tower in the north, with a straight line distance of about 7.8 kilometers.

From the bell tower to Yongdingmen, the 7.8-kilometer-long central axis is the central symbol of the ancient capital Beijing and the longest existing urban central axis in the world. Now, in Beijing's new planning blueprint, this amazing urban landscape once again extends to the north and south sides, connecting the vast areas outside the Olympic Park in the north and the Fifth Ring Road in the south, becoming a new axis reflecting the protection of ancient capitals and urban development.

In the latest urban planning, the central axis of Beijing includes three parts from north to south: the axis of the times, the axis of history and the axis of the future. The northern end of the central axis (the axis of the times) will be centered on the Olympic Park under construction, forming an open sports and leisure cultural area. The traditional central axis (historical axis) includes the Bell and Drum Tower, Shichahai, Imperial City, Tiananmen Square and the rebuilt Yongdingmen Gate Tower, which will form a "retro area" centered on the folk exhibition hall, cultural memorial center, folk grand view garden, royal sacrificial culture and folk art museum. The south central axis (the future axis) will reflect more business and pastoral atmosphere. To the south of Yongdingmen, a well-equipped business district will be planned, and Liangshuihe area will be planned as a gathering place and cultural park for museums, art galleries, libraries, concert halls and other cultural buildings. Nanyuan area is planned as a grid structure, forming a space where the three functions of exhibition, popular science and residence penetrate each other. A landscape control area with a width of about 1 1,000 m will be built on both sides of the extension line of the central axis south of the Fifth Ring Road, which is dominated by greening, indicating that the rich charm of the axis will extend indefinitely.

The extension of the central axis road will ease the traffic pressure between the north and south of Beijing, promote balanced development, and be beneficial to modern urban planning.