A centuries-old example of Chinese urban planning and architecture has won global recognition.
At the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, India, it was announced on Saturday that the Beijing Central Axis - "an ensemble of buildings exhibiting the ideal order of the Chinese capital" - has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, making it China's 59th world heritage site.
The Central Axis in Beijing is an ensemble of palaces, public buildings and gardens that defines the overall layout of the old city of the Chinese capital.
Stretching 7.8 kilometres from north to south through the heart of Beijing, the newly inscribed World Heritage Site comprises 15 components. At the northern end of the axis are the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower. It then runs south through the Wanning Bridge, Jingshan Hill, the Forbidden City, the Upright Gate, the Tian'anmen Gate, the Outer Jinshui Bridges, the Tian'anmen Square Complex, the Zhengyangmen Gate, the Southern Section Road Archaeological Sites, before ending at the Yongdingmen Gate at the southern end, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Altar of Land and Grain. The Temple of Heaven and the Altar of the God of Agriculture are located on the east and west sides of the axis.
The complex includes imperial palaces and gardens, imperial sacrificial buildings, ancient city management facilities, national ceremonial and public buildings, and remains of the original central axis roads.
The World Heritage Committee has recognized that the Central Axis in Beijing fulfills World Heritage selection criteria Nos. 3 and 4: It bears unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilisation, living or extinct, and is an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape that illustrates a significant stage or stages in the history of mankind.
Speaking at a ceremony in New Delhi later on Saturday, Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Culture said, "Beijing's intricate urban planning is inspired by Confucian philosophy, which has a history spanning thousands of years and continues to flourish today.The preservation and design of urban heritage is not only about protecting the past, but also about building a better future," he added.
According to the National Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Central Axis in Beijing provides exceptional material evidence of the philosophy of "neutrality and harmony" cherished in Chinese tradition. It is an outstanding example of the mature stage of the urban central axis of Chinese capitals, and also the best preserved capital central axis in China.
"(The Beijing Central Axis) is the product of some of the best urban planning in history," said Christa Reicher, a professor at RWTH Aachen University in Germany and UNESCO Chair of Cultural Heritage and Urbanism.
"The inscription marks a new starting point. China will adhere to the World Heritage Convention and continue to make efforts to protect and restore cultural relics, mitigate the impact of natural disasters, encourage public participation, strategically guide tourism development and improve the ability to interpret and present properties," Li, of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, vowed at the meeting in New Delhi on Saturday.
"China will continue to coordinate the management and protection of World Heritage sites, strengthen exchanges and cooperation with international organisations and other signatory countries... and contribute to promoting cultural exchanges and mutual learning, and building a community with a shared future for mankind," he added.
Various activities were held across Beijing over the weekend to celebrate the inscription of the Central Axis on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Chinese started the Beijing Axis as a World Heritage project in 2012, which took 12 years and finally won recognition.
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