A Fine Line

More importantly, the lengthy bid process for the new heritage site has contributed to improved awareness of cultural heritage conservation in China, said Shan Jixiang, former curator of the Palace Museum (also known as the Forbidden City) in Beijing, who is renowned for his success in making the imperial complex much more accessible and approachable for visitors, especially younger people. During his tenure from 2012 to 2019, the visiting area expanded from just 33 percent of the area to 80 percent. Creative souvenirs became very attractive to visitors. 　

After he retired, he continued to promote cultural heritage sites. He worked with young pop stars and experts in documentaries about the Beijing Central Axis and the Grand Canal, which extends from Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province for some 1,800 kilometers to northern terminus Beijing, which aired on local TV stations. His creative efforts in cultural heritage preservation and promotion have made the 70-yearold expert an online celebrity. 　

Speaking to China News Service (CNS), Shan, who currently heads the Expert Committee of the Chinese Society of Cultural Relics and the Academic Committee of the Palace Museum, noted that inclusion will help ensure more holistic conservation of heritage and encourage public participation, as well as foster international cooperation and exchanges. 　

CNS: Why is the Beijing Central Axis so valuable? How did you get involved with it? 　

Shan Jixiang: The Beijing Central Axis runs north-south through the center of the old city, with a length of 7.8 kilometers. It was first laid out in the 13th century, and now it is an ensemble of buildings and sites that shapes the old city’s overall plan. What makes it most distinctive from other similar cities in the world is its unique vitality. 　

Except for limited minor changes, since it was laid out in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the ancient architectural ensemble along the Beijing Central Axis has remained largely intact, with 38 of the 42 ancient buildings preserved, as well as retaining the broad and flat layout on both sides and the skyline of the old city. 　

With continued improvements over time and in space, the Beijing Central Axis has become the longest of its kind in both length and history. It also has the most far-reaching influence on a city’s development among global cities. 　

The Central Axis features 15 constituents, which fall into five major categories of relic sites: royal palaces, royal ceremonial buildings, city management facilities, state ceremonial and public buildings, and central roads. This has led to the formation of a rich political, economic, cultural, social and ecological space in the city, which serves as an illuminating example of human settlement in ancient China. Over recent years, a number of modern landmarks, such as the Beijing Daxing International Airport and the Olympic Park, were built on the extended Beijing Central Axis, which means it will continue to shape the capital city’s urban layout in the future. 

Beijing’s efforts to conserve the Central Axis have lasted for decades, and I’m honored to be part of it. When I served at the Beijing Municipal Planning Commission in 2000, my biggest concern was that huge building clusters would be crammed along the Central Axis, which would affect the overall landscape of the old city. Back then, Beijing worked to keep projects that could potentially create large buildings and clusters away from the Central Axis, as well as from the old city. In the meantime, the city designated a large zone where construction was restricted on both sides of the Central Axis, as well as other historical and cultural conservation zones, thus establishing multiple “shields” for the axis. All these efforts laid the foundation for the World Heritage status bid. 　

In March 2011, I proposed to the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference [CPPCC, China’s top advisory body] to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the city’s traditional Central Axis. The proposal won support from 40 CPPCC members and became a key proposal of the CPPCC. In 2012, the Beijing Central Axis was included on China’s tentative list of world cultural heritage by the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH). 　

CNS: It took 12 years for the Beijing Central Axis to be added to the World Heritage List after first being included on China’s tentative list of world heritage sites. Why did the process take so long? 　

SJ: As far as I am concerned, these 12 years were not just spent awaiting UNESCO’s decision, but for maintaining and strengthening the magnificent cultural landscape, and addressing some issues left over from past urban construction projects. 　

Among Beijing’s existing World Heritage sites, it took 10 years from the Grand Canal’s tentative list inclusion to its final inscription, which is rather short among those which made the list since the beginning of the century. Worldwide, it took some heritage sites 20 years or even longer due to the strict requirements: surveying resources, formulating conservation plans, conserving and repairing buildings and addressing environmental issues. On this basis, preparing documentation, undergoing expert inspection, and discussing its inclusion at the World Heritage General Assembly... This is a task that can’t be rushed. 　

Over the 12 years, these efforts have driven consensus across the society on the significance of ensuring that the Axis is more magnificent and more orderly. More importantly, the bidding process has, to a large extent, contributed to improved awareness for cultural heritage protection in China. 　

In the past, cultural heritage protection was rather vaguely defined, often confused with protection of cultural relics. With more sophisticated practices of cultural heritage protection, we are deepening our understanding of cultural heritage and broadening the scope of protection. 　

Similar to the relationship between cultural and natural heritage, tangible and intangible heritage are also interdependent and inseparable. The Central Axis does feature elements of intangible cultural heritage. During the bidding process, the need for protection of both tangible and intangible heritage was emphasized. With the successful bid, intangible cultural heritage, such as the ancient royal music of Zhonghe Shaoyue of the Divine Music Administration at the Temple of Heaven, and time-honored hot pot restaurant brand Donglaishun’s mutton-processing technique, will finally take the world stage over time. 　

Rooted and growing in this city, this axis sees new stories every day. With our focus shifting from individual heritage sites to the entire Axis as a whole, to the 589-hectare heritage zone and the 4,542-hectare buffer zone [areas around the heritage area and closely related to the formation and development of the axis in history], we have a better understanding of the layout of the city. With the Drum Tower becoming one of the most appealing landmarks among tourists from home and abroad, efforts have been made to ensure it caters to the needs of both local residents and tourists. The Central Axis has retained its ever-changing history, as well as kept the memories of old Beijing alive. 　

CNS: The Axis includes three World Heritage sites – the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City and Wanning Bridge, part of the Grand Canal. How are they related to the Central Axis? Why was the entire Axis included in the World Heritage status bid? 　

SJ: Beijing has eight World Heritage sites – the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Peking Man Site in Zhoukoudian, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Ming Tombs, Grand Canal and the Beijing Central Axis. They are not independent from one another, rather, they are interconnected across political, economic, cultural, social and ecological dimensions. 　

As a World Heritage site, the Forbidden City covers a 720,000-squaremeter area, on which stand ancient structures dating from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Sites connected to it, such as Jingshan Park [a royal garden to the north gate of the Forbidden City], Duanmen Gate [the north entrance to the Forbidden City], or those closely related to it, such as Dagaoxuan Taoist Temple, the Huangshicheng [royal archives complex], and the ancient censorate office, were not included in the Forbidden City. But in my view, these sites and the Forbidden City should be regarded as a whole, and I had wanted to conserve them as a whole when I was working at the Palace Museum. Conserving the Beijing Central Axis serves that purpose exactly. 　

As witnesses to the city’s development, the three existing cultural heritage sites on the Beijing Central Axis have their own cultural value. Yet, none of them can represent the Central Axis as a whole. When bidding for World Heritage status, the Beijing Central Axis has included many more cultural heritage elements. This ensures a more comprehensive understanding of the Axis, makes heritage conservation a dynamic process, and brings more opportunities and broader space for the city’s future development. 　

CNS: What does the Beijing Central Axis’ inscription as a World Heritage Site mean for the world? 　

SJ: The successful bid is a new starting point for the preservation of the Beijing Central Axis. Every successful bid has been followed by a series of issues regarding heritage preservation and the Beijing Central Axis is no exception. 　

The first thing is monitoring on a regular and ongoing basis. Given the scale of the Central Axis, the construction restriction zone is rather large, which will greatly promote holistic preservation of Beijing as a historical and cultural city. 　

The conservation effort has seen extensive public participation. Today, people can walk into historical buildings, heritage relics parks, museums and cultural facilities along the Central Axis. For instance, the Bell and Drum Towers have become museums, where visitors can climb up and have a bird’s-eye view of the city. This is something that can be done at Zhengyang Gate and Yongding Gate, so visitors can enjoy a magnificent view of the Central Axis from above. At the same time, the Central Axis not only features world renowned museums like the National Museum of China and the Palace Museum, but also lesser known ones like the China Railway Museum adjacent to Tiananmen Square, and the China National Arts and Crafts Museum on the northern extension of Beijing's Central Axis. By enriching their heart from their visit to cultural heritage sites and learning how to preserve them, the public can play a part in preserving cultural heritage. 　

The Beijing Central Axis is a space for international cooperation. In 2016, the Palace Museum held the first Taihe Forum [Forum of Supreme Harmony], where nearly 50 experts and scholars from many ancient civilizations such as Greece, Egypt and India signed the Declaration of Supreme Harmony, aiming to promote the protection and development of civilizations. Having run for six editions, the event offers a platform for global exchange and cooperation in cultural heritage. I believe there will be more cooperation and exchanges in the future. 　

Today, World Heritage sites are often the first places foreign tourists to China visit. The Central Axis has become a world-renowned landmark that showcases the magnificence and uniqueness of the cultural city, which boasts an over-500,000-year history in human development, over-3,000-year history in urban construction, and more than 800 years of history as a capital city.