THE central axis of Beijing, which is connected by many cultural relics in the old city, is now in the “sprint stage” of applying for World Heritage status, according to Shan Jixiang, the president of China Antique Academy and former director of the Palace Museum.

    There are three World Heritage Sites along the central axis: the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Jinghang Grand Canal. 

    “There are also many other cultural relics, historical sites and cultural landscapes on the central axis, so the overall application of the central axis as a World Heritage Site meets the requirements of authenticity and integrity,” Shan said.

    “Beijing is rich in history and culture, with a total of seven World Heritage Sites. From prehistoric times to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the whole cultural foundation is presented in the city,” noted Lyu Zhou, the director of the National Heritage Center at Tsinghua University. “How to better present the historical development of Chinese civilization through the central axis is of great significance to the application.”

    According to experts, the central axis is the best embodiment of China’s idea of “respecting the middle” in urban construction. It is the carrier of Chinese civilization, reflecting the most important content of Chinese culture, such as the relationship between man and nature, and man’s obedience to order.

    “The influence of the central axis on the entire city is reflected in that it is the core of the entire urban planning. At the same time, many historical events occurred on the central axis including the founding of China,” said Lyu.

    Statistics show that Beijing has seven World Heritage Sites, 3,840 immovable cultural relics, and 5.01 million movable cultural relics (sets) registered.

    In 2021 alone, Beijing unearthed about 5,000 cultural relics, with 120 excavation projects covering an area of 116,000 square meters, according to a press conference held last week. Four archaeological sites: Zhoukoudian Site, Liulihe Site, Dabaotai Han Dynasty Tomb (202 B.C.-A.D. 220) and Ding Mausoleum of Ming Dynasty, were selected as China’s “100 Archaeological discoveries.” 

    It has been 50 years since the birth of the World Heritage Convention, during which a total of 1,154 heritage sites have been strictly evaluated around the world. 

    According to the latest application requirements, each country can only apply for one place per year. Although China has extremely rich heritage resources, it can only select one place to apply for each year, so the competition is very fierce.

    (CGTN)