{"id":14480,"date":"2018-08-15T10:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-08-15T14:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=14480"},"modified":"2018-08-03T15:48:16","modified_gmt":"2018-08-03T19:48:16","slug":"exploring-the-central-axis-of-beijing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/exploring-the-central-axis-of-beijing\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring the Central Axis of Beijing"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know that Beijing has a long history going back thousands of years, but just how did they design this city? Perhaps the most important element in the layout and design of Beijing is the city’s Central Axis<\/strong> (\u4e2d\u8f74\u7ebf – zh\u014dng zh\u00f3u xi\u00e0n). Most of the essential buildings in the city were constructed along this 7.8 km axis. In this post we’ll learn a bit about the Central Axis and see which famous landmarks can be found there.<\/p>\n

A Brief History<\/h2>\n

Construction of the old city of Beijing began during the Yuan Dynasty. It expanded greatly during the subsequent Ming and Qing Dynasties. According to UNESCO, the Central Axis “demonstrates the ingenious urban planning in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as the People’s Republic of China.”<\/p>\n

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The Central Axis of Beijing<\/p><\/div>\n

Traditional Chinese culture places great value on the center, and it’s believed that this north-south axis coincides with Earth’s meridian. The emperors of ancient China truly believed they were at the center of the world, so they had their palaces, temples, and more built on this Central Axis. In ancient times, it was referred to as the “dragon’s vein.”<\/p>\n

Landmarks Along the Central Axis<\/h2>\n

If you’re visiting Beijing, you can cross off most of the landmarks in the city by simply traveling along the Central Axis from south to north. Here’s a quick guide to the many sights along the way, with links to more detailed posts where possible and a few of my videos as well.<\/p>\n

Yongdingmen and Temple of Heaven<\/h3>\n

Once upon a time, Yongdingmen<\/strong> ( \u6c38\u5b9a\u95e8 – y\u01d2ng d\u00ecng m\u00e9n) was the front gate of the outer city on Beijing’s old City Wall. It was originally built back in 1553, but was then torn down during the 1950s to make way for new roads. Perhaps realizing the error in tearing down important historical buildings, the government rebuilt the gate in 2005.<\/p>\n

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Temple of Heaven<\/p><\/div>\n

While it’s not technically on the Central Axis, the Temple of Heaven<\/strong><\/a> (\u5929\u575b – ti\u0101n t\u00e1n) is close enough. Plus, you’ll probably want to visit it anyways, and this is the perfect opportunity.\u00a0The emperor would come here twice a year \u2013 always on the winter solstice \u2013 to pray for bumper crops and a good harvest. See what it looks like in this short video:<\/p>\n