UNESCO World Heritage Site Beijing Central Axis Opens to the Public

Commemorating the second anniversary of the Beijing Central Axis’s inscription onto the UNESCO World Heritage List, cultural heritage sites along the axis, such as the Palace Museum, Zhengyangmen Gate, and the Altar of the God of Agriculture, also known as Xiannongtan Temple, were opened to the public, with some launching new exhibitions on Monday (27/7). Stretching 7.8 kilometres from Yongding Gate in the south to the Drum and Bell Towers in the north, the Beijing Central Axis was built based on ancient architectural philosophy to create an ideal layout for a capital city. The Central Axis began construction during the early Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and was later extended during the Ming and Qing dynasties.