City axis expands scope to aid UNESCO bid

As part of the campaign to add the historic central axis of Beijing to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, some more modern landmarks are to be included in the application.

Cultural heritage experts generally approve of the new inclusions, although some have sounded a note of caution over whether the campaign is a distraction from much-needed citywide heritage protection.

"The Monument to the People's Heroes, the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China are representative of the nation in the 1950s," said Lü Zhou, director of Tsinghua University's National Heritage Center, at a cultural heritage protection forum held in Beijing on Friday, the Beijing Daily reported.

Including them in the axis will highlight and embody respect toward it, he said.

The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, built in the 1970s, is the most important project on the axis from that decade, said Lü, and its inclusion signifies the axis' influence on Beijing's city construction.

He said a total of 24 heritage sites, including Tiananmen Square, will be included in the application.

The central axis stretches 7.8 kilometers from Yongding Gate in the south to the Bell Tower in the north, and incorporates many historical cultural sites.

According to Lü, some sites are closely related to ancient social protocols, such as the Imperial Ancestral Temple, while the hill in Jingshan Park, behind the Forbidden City, has a meaning of feng shui.

The application for World Heritage status for the axis was launched in June, 2011. It is expected to be listed in the world heritage preparatory directory recommended by the country in 2014, the report said.

The application would further push the protection of the ancient parts of the city, Lü told the forum, and the city should speed up improvements to the areas around the axis.

Jiang Ye, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Social Cultural Development Fund, said that while landmarks like the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall are not ancient, they do have a cultural value.

"These structures on the axis are the continuation of Chinese culture," he said.

The definition of "central axis" dates back to the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), said Jiang.

"After developments in astronomy, China's emperors built their capital according to a meridian, which formed the central axis," said Jiang.

However, since the application started, there have been mass relocations of residents along the axis, which has sparked controversy.

He Shuzhong, founder of the Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center, said that it is unreasonable to relocate locals for the sake of cultural protection, since the lifestyle of the local residents is also an important part of cultural sites.

However, Jiang disagreed, saying that historically, the axis went through imperial parts of the city, where there were few ordinary residents.　

"Now as a place to be protected, mass inhabitation will destroy the heritage," he said.

Zeng Yizhi, member of the International Committee on Monuments and Sites in China, said that while applying for UNESCO status is out of consideration to strengthen heritage protection, she does not think it necessary.

"The top priority should be halting demolition of real cultural relics," she said.

For example, Zeng said, in order to build underground parking lots or subway stations, many historic houses and hutong were destroyed.

"The axis is actually not intact. Take Qianmen on the [southern] axis for example, the street's eastern part was destroyed," she said.

"The limited funds and energy should be more used on protecting them [other sites], not applying for UNESCO status," she said.

In response to Zeng, Jiang said that applying for UNESCO status will promote Chinese culture and raise Chinese people's awareness to love and protect cultural relics.

"A country whose cultural development cannot match its economic development is only an upstart," he said.

"UNESCO World Heritage Status could also help attract overseas travelers, not only helping to increase tourism but also make foreigners better understand the country," he remarked.