Beijing's central axis. (File photo)
(ECNS) -- Beijing will make further efforts to apply for UNESCO World Heritage recognition for the city's Central Axis to increase its historical and cultural appeal, said city mayor Wang Anshun.
He made the statement while delivering a work report at the fourth session of the 14th Beijing Municipal People's Congress that opened on January 22.
Wang said Beijing vows to inherit and carry forward traditional culture through many projects, such as via evacuation and renovation of designated areas under cultural protection.
Construction of a history and culture zone at Qianmen Street will be accelerated while work gradually takes place at the Temple of Heaven to restore it to its past glory, he added.
The Central Axis is the best preserved core area of the old city of Beijing, which has an 800 year history of urban development.
It is 7.8 kilometers long, starting in the south of the city at Yongding Gate, then running across Zhengyang Gate, Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, and Jingshan Hill, before ending at the Drum and Bell Towers in the north.
