This photo taken on June 21, 2023 shows the Drum Tower as seen from the Jingshan Park in Beijing, capital of China. First created in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the Beijing Central Axis, or Zhongzhouxian, stretches 7.8 kilometers between the Yongding Gate in the south of the city and the Drum Tower and Bell Tower in the north. Most of the major old-city buildings of Beijing sit along this axis. Gates, palaces, temples, squares and gardens of the old city are all linked up to the axis. As they witnessed the folk activities along the line from old days to new ones, they themselves are a joy to behold at all times. [Xinhua/Li Xin]

Halima, from Iran, took a break from her business trip to Beijing and signed up for an immersion trip through the Beijing Central Axis on Aug 5.

"I am curious about it," she says about the axis, which is lined by key structures exhibiting the ideal layout of the Chinese capital and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 27.

Halima started her trip at Jingshan Park where she got a bird's-eye view of the Palace Museum and was stunned by the historical architecture's grandeur and sheer volume. Then, she walked about 4 kilometers soaking up what the Beijing Central Axis has to offer, including the Bell and Drum Towers, where she was fascinated by how the ancients kept time.

In addition to sightseeing, she tried distinctive tourist facilities along the way. She took a particular shine to a traditional shoe shop near the Drum Tower.

"They were special and pretty," she says, adding that she just bought a traditional Chinese mamianqun (horse-faced skirt).

The central axis trip adds to her affection toward Chinese culture, Halima says.

The trip was part of efforts by the Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism and drew more than 100 visitors from home and abroad to better appreciate the historical and cultural value of the Beijing Central Axis.

Routes have been developed to offer different views of the grand scenes and vivid explanations behind major historical sites on the Beijing Central Axis, which covers an area of 589 hectares and has a buffer zone of 4,542 hectares.

It marks China's 59th World Heritage Site and Beijing's eighth.

The new UNESCO World Heritage status and summer peak travel season have brought unprecedented attention to the area, and the inflow of tourists is expected to surge, says Zhang Jing, head of the resources development division of the Beijing Bureau of Culture and Tourism.

"The success of the Beijing Central Axis being inscribed as a World Heritage Site is only the beginning. We still have a long way to go in strengthening management and enhancing tourism quality, but we have started taking action," Zhang adds.

The Beijing authorities have adopted measures, from short to long term, to optimize tourism services.

A central axis tourism service management plan will be formulated by the end of this year. During the third and fourth quarters, the supply of central axis tourism products will be further enriched. In the short term, cultural exploration activities for the Beijing Central Axis will be organized to further optimize tourism routes and update and standardize the explanations provided by tour guides, thus better satisfying summer vacationers.

More tourism products featuring digital, immersion and learning experiences along the central axis are expected to be rolled out and creative and cultural products will be offered, Zhang says.

In addition to government organs, experts in the field have recently actively proposed suggestions for upgrading cultural and tourism services for the Beijing Central Axis.

Huang Bin, executive vice-dean of the China Institute of New Economy, stresses that local culture should be given a central role during the future development of the axis.

"It is the fundamental core of the area," Huang says.

But for the Beijing Central Axis to become a popular destination, he says it should align with trendy activities, including many current collaborations.

"Innovation and creativity are crucial, but fundamentally they are driven by data or more specifically by artificial intelligence," Huang says.

Unlike physical infrastructure, which is difficult to rebuild and change, content within can be updated quickly with the commercial application of new technologies, including virtual reality, he explains.

He also suggests giving preferential treatment to residents and communities in running certain franchises that could produce income and enhance travelers' experiences.

Dai Juncheng from the School of Culture and Communication, Central University of Finance and Economics, says world cultural heritage status will surely produce a positive influence over the inbound tourism market.

"Compared to natural heritage, the market potential of world cultural heritage is much greater," Dai says.

At this point, Dai says related parties should listen to feedback from inbound travelers to better understand their needs and pave the way for future cultural and tourism experiences design and marketing.

Studies should also be carried out on the needs of travelers from different areas, including Asia, Europe and Americas, he says.

"We have to do a good job delivering an interpretation system for the central axis, so its stories can be genuinely and vividly told," Dai notes.

Lyu Zhou, director of the National Heritage Center at Tsinghua University, says he has seen the Beijing Central Axis application for the UNESCO listing bring tremendous vitality to the capital, igniting people's love for the city and awakening cultural confidence and awareness.

Many residents have contributed their narratives to the history, and anecdotes about the axis and travel products featuring its culture have come up, he says.

Lyu says the focus of future work around the central axis lies in the full use of the area's history and cultural resources to play a positive role in conveying its value and having more people understand China.

Luo Kai, an official from the new social stratum association of the capital city's Dongcheng district, believes it's important to vividly present the central axis to the youth.

"Youth plays an important role in the protection and sustainable development of the Beijing Central Axis," says Luo, who has engaged in cultural heritage education for years.

Luo says he will continue to explore various methods, such as immersive study tours, to enhance young people's understanding of traditional culture and guide them to establish a commitment to protecting historical cultural heritage.

Ma Zhentao, a commentator with China Tourism News, proposes more efforts for the whole cultural heritage and environmental protection with a focus on optimizing the axis management mechanism, improving residents' livelihoods and exploring a new coordinated cultural heritage protection and modern urban development model.

Ma advocates the use of AI and big data in axis protection, such as intelligent analysis to predict the risk of erosion in ancient buildings to formulate repair plans in advance, and big data to analyze tourist behavior and optimize tour routes and management measures.

VR and other technologies can be employed to create high-precision digital records of important buildings and sites along the Beijing Central Axis, Ma says.

He also urges related parties to establish detailed digital archives to provide strong support for future repairs, research and exhibitions and to create a digital museum or online display platform for the Beijing Central Axis, allowing the public to learn about its history and culture with more convenience.

Having worked in inbound tourism for many years, tour guide Dou Junjie says he has deeply felt the recent heat of international travelers' enthusiasm toward the central axis.

He has offered several cultural tours to the central axis over the past few weeks.

"These tours are giving an increasingly three-dimensional, rich and colorful understanding of the capital's cultural connotations," Dou says.

He believes that 70 percent of a good tour is about comprehensive guidance and explanation and 30 percent about travel.

He says he has kept a constantly updated historical and cultural database of the Beijing Central Axis, which includes over 140 knowledge points and more than 80,000 words. This encompasses famous ancient sites, historical and cultural information and the intangible cultural heritage of Beijing, such as traditional crafts.

"I'm looking forward to taking more people, especially international travelers, on the cultural exploration of the central axis to help them better appreciate its essence," Dou says.

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