Heritage status sought for Beijing central axis

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Citizens exercise at the square of the Bell and Drum Towers in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 29, 2022. Chinese authorities have planned to recommend the Beijing Central Axis as China's 2024 world cultural heritage application project, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

The Beijing Central Axis is 7.8 kilometers long, starting from the Yongding Gate in the south of the city and ending with the Drum Tower and Bell Tower in the north. Most of the major old-city buildings of Beijing are along this axis.

The central axis is the backbone of old Beijing, representing the highest achievement in the planning, design and construction of an ancient capital of Eastern civilization.

The axis was extended in 2003 as the city prepared for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Beijing authorities' general plan states that the current axis extension stretches to the Yanshan Mountain Range to the north and Beijing Daxing International Airport in the south. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)