An international symposium was held in Beijing on Oct. 9 and 10 to offer guidance on the city's application for its Central Axis to be designated as a World Cultural Heritage. A total of 18 top specialists on cultural heritage protection from China and abroad examined the heritage areas and provided their suggestions on how to protect the city's historical legacy. 

Chen Jining, mayor of Beijing, met with the specialists during the symposium, co-hosted by the National Cultural Heritage Administration and Beijing Municipal People's Government, and co-organized by the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage and the China branch of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). 

Twelve foreign specialists, including Toshiyuki Kono, president of the board of ICOMOS, and six Chinese scholars, including Lyu Zhou, a professor at Tsinghua University, shared their views on cultural heritage protection, archeology and city planning related to the city's Central Axis. 

Officials responsible for World Cultural Heritage sites in China, such as the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, the Classical Gardens of Suzhou, the Site of Xanadu, and Kulangsu, also shared their experience in successfully matching the application criteria for UNESCO World Heritage. 

With its roots dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), Beijing's Central Axis is the longest and best-preserved ancient city axis line in the world. It is a demonstration of the city’s best ancient architectures and a witness to the city’s changes over the past centuries. 

During the symposium, specialists visited four cultural heritage areas along the axis, including the Yongding Gate, the Zhengyang Gate, the Jingshan Hill and the Drum Tower. They also listened to the reports of institutions responsible for formulating application materials, including the Application for World Cultural Heritage Designation for Beijing’s Central Axis, the Beijing Central Axis Protection Plan, the Implementation Plan on Comprehensive Renovation for Application for World Cultural Heritage Designation for Beijing's Central Axis, and the Guide on Management and Design of Landscape of Beijing's Central Axis.

Based on the information they gathered, the specialists discussed the historical and cultural universal value of the Central Axis and the strategy for successfully applying for UNESCO heritage. 

The specialists agreed that Beijing's Central Axis embodies the Chinese nation's profound culture and philosophical thinking, and serves as an illustration of the nation's confidence in its own culture, as well as the city's future prospects. 

Beijing's Central Axis launched its bid for UNESCO heritage in September 2012. A special preparation team, led by the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage and Beijing Municipal Commission for City Planning and Land Resources Management, was established at the end of 2017 by the approval of the Beijing municipal government to carry out all related works. 

So far, the formulation of draft application materials has been completed, and the focus of the preparation work will now put on implementing the plan to renovate the heritage areas.

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