Key measures will boost Beijing's Central Axis' sustainability

To mark the first anniversary of the Beijing Central Axis' World Heritage inscription, capital authorities released a three-year action plan focusing on protection of the route on Sunday. It outlined 45 key tasks to safeguard this 7.8-kilometer ensemble of palaces, ceremonial and public buildings, roads and other aspects that govern the overall layout of the old city area of the Chinese capital.

During the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi on July 27, 2024, "the Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital" was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

"Through the efforts to secure World Heritage status for the Beijing Central Axis, the profound historical and cultural value of the axis has been thoroughly explored," Rao Quan, director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said in his speech at the Sunday ceremony in Beijing to mark the anniversary of the inscription. "It has also helped drive the integrated conservation of the capital's old city area and thus prolonged Beijing's lineage of history and culture," he said.