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in beijing, an ancient and modern city, there is a central axis running from north to south. in july this year, "beijing central axis - a masterpiece of china's ideal capital order" was officially included in the world heritage list. the beijing central axis, which has evolved and developed over seven centuries, is not only a geographical coordinate, but also a crystallization of the profound accumulation and wisdom of chinese culture. today, "china's new landmark" allows us to follow the reporter to appreciate the unique charm and lasting vitality of beijing's central axis.

on july 27, local time, at the 46th unesco world heritage conference held in new delhi, the capital of india, "beijing central axis - a masterpiece of china's ideal capital order" was officially included in the world heritage list. this is the best-preserved urban axis in the world, starting from the bell and drum tower in the north, and heading south through wanning bridge, jingshan, the forbidden city, duanmen, tiananmen, zhengyangmen, and yongdingmen in the south. the imperial ancestral temple, sheji altar, temple of heaven, and xiannongtan are located on the east and west sides of the central axis, forming the world's longest urban axis with a total length of 7.8 kilometers. the beijing central axis was built in the 13th century and formed in the 16th century. after more than 7 centuries of continuous improvement, it has formed a large-scale, well-organized, and well-planned urban axis. it has also become an outstanding example of the development of the central axis of china's traditional capital to a mature stage. and what unique value does the beijing central axis have to become a world heritage? we followed lv zhou, the head of the beijing central axis world heritage text compilation team, to the commanding heights of the central axis - jingshan wanchun pavilion.

the series of ancient buildings on the central axis of beijing have long been known to people, but what is the value of the whole composed of them? why not fly over this city axis with us first, you will see the most traditional chinese ancient royal palace buildings, sacrificial buildings and modern art buildings led by western architects gathered here, the collision of history and modernity has created the current central axis of beijing.

the design of beijing's central axis was based on the traditional chinese concept of "selecting the center". in the more than seven centuries since then, this paradigm has always guided beijing's urban development.

today, the central axis of beijing has constructed an urban landscape that cleverly integrates modern cities and historical spaces. the five archways at qianmen on the central axis of beijing were once exposed to wind and sun for many years, causing the oil coating to crack and lose its brilliance. in 2022, experts in ancient building oil painting adhered to the ancient method of painting and renovated the five archways at qianmen, presenting a magnificent visual effect. as a world heritage site, the central axis of beijing is also the scene of people's daily work and life, which makes the central axis of beijing a "living heritage". at the southernmost end of the central axis of beijing, the rebuilt yongdingmen has now become a good place for people to relax and tourists to check in.

tang huade, 78 years old this year, has lived in zhonggu hutong on the central axis of beijing for 20 years. he has witnessed the changes in the lives of the people on the central axis.

the northernmost end of beijing's central axis, the bell and drum tower, has now become a new internet celebrity check-in spot. in recent years, the digital interactive exhibition and the immersive exhibition hall of the central voucher cave have been added to allow visitors to understand the history of the bell and drum tower and the "story of time" in china from ancient times to the present through images, sounds, texts and other perspectives. this summer, the "i'm in the drum tower" life festival was also held here. wearing ar glasses, the story-based guided tour allows people to explore the wonders of the bells and drums in an immersive way; putting on a vr headset can start a time and space journey on the central axis of beijing. the real-life story study of cultural relics allows children to establish the chinese concept of time keeping and respecting time from ancient times to the present through decryption and exploration.

using ar to awaken the memory of cultural relics, what will they reveal about the ever-changing history of the bell and drum tower? what stories are hidden behind the map about the planners of the beijing central axis? here, the children happily transformed into the "time guardians" of the new era.

such bells once sounded the "standard time" for the capitals of the yuan, ming and qing dynasties, and used "evening drums and morning bells" to guide the people of the city to work at sunrise and rest at sunset. with the pace of the times, the central axis of beijing is now bursting with new vitality. to the south of yongdingmen, the world's largest single airport terminal, beijing daxing international airport, connects the world with an open attitude. to the north, the bell and drum tower runs through the bird's nest, the water cube, and the olympic forest park, demonstrating china's new concept of "green, technology, and humanities". the capital of a great country has been given the contemporary significance of blending ancient and modern times on the traditional central axis. the new member of the "chinese team" of the beijing central axis, a world heritage, is telling the world the development process of chinese civilization and the chinese story of its contribution to human civilization, and also allowing the unique world heritage to be rejuvenated in inheritance, protection and promotion.