how did the “central axis of beijing” succeed in being listed as a world heritage site?
2024-09-08
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on july 27, 2024, the 46th unesco world heritage conference held in new delhi, india, passed a resolution to include "beijing central axis - a masterpiece of china's ideal capital order" in the world heritage list. so far, the total number of chinese world heritage sites has reached 59.
looking back on the application of the central axis for world heritage and the process of urban construction and renewal of beijing, the architectural design and research institute of tsinghua university recently held a media exchange meeting on the successful application of the "central axis of beijing" for world heritage. lyu zhou, director of the national heritage center of tsinghua university and director of the cultural heritage protection center of the architectural design and research institute of tsinghua university co., ltd., and cui guanghai, deputy chief architect of the architectural design and research institute of tsinghua university co., ltd. and deputy director of the cultural heritage protection center, shared their experiences.
cui guanghai first introduced the work content of tsinghua design institute in the process of applying for world heritage status for beijing's central axis. he said that the cultural heritage protection center of tsinghua university architectural design institute co., ltd. began in 2009. under the leadership of professor lv zhou, it has continued to undertake the preparation of the application documents for the world heritage status of beijing's central axis and a series of protection and management work, and has become an important technical consulting force for the protection and management of beijing's central axis.
it has been a long working journey since 2009. during the sharing session, tsinghua design institute recalled the important milestones:
2009 prepared the "text for the application of beijing central axis for world heritage preliminary list".
in 2012, beijing's central axis was successfully included in the "china world cultural heritage tentative list".
in june 2017, the revision of the "document for the application of beijing's central axis to the world cultural heritage list" was initiated, and the beijing municipal cultural heritage bureau took the lead in launching the compilation of the document for the application of the central axis. the document clarifies the composition of the heritage, explains the reasons for inclusion, and clarifies the outstanding universal value of the heritage.
since january 2018, tsinghua design institute has participated in the preparation of the "implementation plan for the comprehensive renovation of beijing's central axis for world heritage application" and the "urban design guidelines for the landscape control of beijing's central axis". together with the beijing urban planning institute, we participated in the preparation of the results, with an overall problem-oriented approach, to clarify the framework and core tasks of the protection and comprehensive management of beijing's central axis, formulate management and governance standards for different levels, sections and elements, and clarify the vision and implementation path for the protection of the central axis. in october of that year, we participated in the preparation of the first international academic seminar on the protection of beijing's central axis for world heritage application.
the comparative relationship between heritage attributes and value characteristics in the application documents
in july 2020, we participated in the preparation of the "three-year action plan for the protection of the beijing central axis". we jointly participated in the preparation of the action plan with the beijing institute of urban planning and design, and set up tasks and clarified the division of labor in five aspects: value interpretation, protection and management, environmental remediation, public participation, and guarantee mechanism. it is planned to improve the protection and management of the heritage and the quality of the environmental features of the beijing central axis within three years, form a consensus among all sectors of society to support the application of the central axis for world heritage, and promote the success of the application of the beijing central axis for world heritage. in november of that year, the "guidelines for urban design of the appearance control of the beijing central axis" was reviewed by the office of the leading group for promoting the construction of the national cultural center of beijing.
in december 2020, we participated in the preparation for the 3rd international academic seminar on the application for world heritage protection of the central axis of beijing. the application document widely solicited opinions from experts in the fields of heritage protection, urban planning, architectural history, beijing history, archaeology, etc. in china, and focused on the discussion of the value standards of the central axis heritage, the scope of heritage zoning, and the requirements for protection and management.
in march 2021, a plan for comprehensive improvement of the environment around wanning bridge was prepared.
wanning bridge
in april 2021, the three-year action plan for environmental improvement in the area surrounding the bell and drum tower in beijing was launched, and comprehensive environmental improvement was carried out in the area surrounding the bell and drum tower. the visual corridor relationship between the bell and drum tower and the surrounding contiguous courtyard background was clarified, and the environmental quality of the bell and drum tower area was greatly improved. practical experience of using the application for world heritage status to drive the overall protection and renewal of the old city was formed and promoted to the whole city.
the results of the renovation of the fifth facade on the northwest side of the bell and drum tower area and the floor-reduction renovation of the di'anmen police station
in october 2022, the "beijing central axis cultural heritage protection regulations" was reviewed and approved at the 39th meeting of the standing committee of the 15th beijing people's congress and will come into effect on october 1.
in january 2023, the "beijing central axis protection and management plan (2022-2035)" was announced and implemented. the application document was formally submitted to the unesco world heritage center. in march of the same year, the application document passed the format review and officially accepted icomos evaluation.
world heritage application document
from march to august 2023, the beijing central axis world heritage application office, led by the architectural design and research institute of tsinghua university, worked with the beijing institute of urban planning and design and qingyuan vision (beijing) cultural consulting co., ltd. to prepare inspection plans and programs, and cooperated with international experts to complete the on-site inspection from august 18 to 25.
inspection route design
in july 2024, he will attend the 46th world heritage conference of unesco in new delhi, india as a representative. the application for world heritage status for the central axis of beijing was successful.
chinese delegation celebrates the inclusion of beijing's central axis into the world heritage list
lu zhou and cui guanghai also shared their thoughts on beijing’s urban protection, urban renewal, and problems encountered during the world heritage application process.
they said that in the course of their work over the years, they found that there is a prominent problem in the protection of today's historical and cultural cities and traditional old cities, that is, serious fragmentation - the objects to be protected are all separate, such as the former residence of a certain person or a certain temple, but the relationship between them, their position and significance in the history of the city are unclear. "from the protection of world heritage to all cultural heritage, its integrity and systematicness should be emphasized. the protection of beijing's central axis is essentially our practice of breaking down fragmentation and connecting all these heritages into a whole. we believe it is successful."
lyu zhou also said that there are many popular tourist cities now. "the competent departments of each city should make a detailed analysis of the value of their resources and the connections they have. our country has a civilization that has lasted for thousands of years. many historical events have taken place in every place, forming a lot of heritage. at the same time, there are also a large number of intangible cultural heritages, which are all connected with specific life. in recent years, a lot of work we have done is to systematically connect the heritage in the city, and then find the connotation behind it, and at the same time solve the complexity of its radiation to the surrounding areas, including the value of the heritage itself, the protection of the community, and the final cultural form, etc."
exchange site
in the process of applying for the central axis to be listed as a world heritage site, there is an important principle, which is "minimum cost". lü zhou and cui guanghai talked about the minimum cost, which also means minimum intervention. "especially when it comes to the old city, try not to do large-scale demolition and construction. in the areas of the old city that we are working on, such as di'anmenwai street, we did not interfere with the business formats during the renovation process. unlike some previous projects in beijing, where all the shops were cleared out and then rebuilt and then attracted investment, they may have been in a state of turmoil for more than ten years. but di'anmen street is not like that. the business formats before our renovation are basically still there. but we also respect the development needs of the city. for example, from the perspective of the laws of his own business, if he wants to open a coffee shop today, and coffee culture is not popular tomorrow, he will open a teahouse. we do not interfere too much in these matters."
regarding the successful application of the central axis for world heritage status, lv zhou said that the application is a process and a means, but not an end. in order to make more people feel "real" and involved in the central axis, various activities such as the heritage creativity competition have been held over the years. "a large part of the content is to use the ip of the beijing central axis to promote creativity. through this event, social participation has been greatly improved, which is also a driving force for beijing's sustainable development."
gao dan, reporter of the paper
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