The Central Axis: Embodiment of Beijing’s Ritual Functions
The Central Axis of Beijing connects the city’s diversely functioned urban space that exhibits the central theme of national rites and etiquette. The Central Axis is multi-layered yet orderly, and is composed of architectural complexes, historical landmarks, roads, bridges, and sites.
The northern section of the Central Axis:
The Bell Tower and Drum Tower are located at the northern end of the Central Axis of Beijing and are the highest buildings along the Central Axis. They stand out in stark contrast to their surroundings packed with traditional quadrangle courtyards that are characterized by gray coloring and relatively low roofs. During the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), the towers were time-telling edifices.
Wanning Bridge was first built during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It is situated on Di’anmenwai Street where the Shichahai waterway flows into the Yuhe River. Its location bears crucial witness to the fact that the planning, construction, and application of the Central Axis of Beijing can be dated back to the Yuan Dynasty.
The northern part of the middle section of the Central Axis:
Jingshan Hill was built in the year 1420. It was a key part of the imperial palaces of the Ming and Qing dynasties and is a high point along the Central Axis, making it the most ideal location to overlook the southern and northern landscape of Beijing. The Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, began to be constructed in 1406. Its layout vividly demonstrates the principle that the center is the most essential part while the left and right buildings are symmetrical. It is a significant medium for understanding traditional Chinese rituals and etiquette.
The Imperial Ancestral Temple, built in the year 1420, was the place where sacrificial ceremonies were held on the most important festive occasions in honor of the imperial family’s ancestors during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is the most intact and the largest imperial sacrificial and ritual complex in China, demonstrating and inheriting the critical cultural tradition of respecting the Chinese deity and ancestors.
The Altar of Land and Grain was where the emperor made offerings to the gods of the land and grain. It was also a symbol of the state territory and its agricultural yields.
In the year 1914, it was repurposed as a park. The Gate of Uprightness is located between the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tian’anmen) and the Meridian Gate. It was used for storing ritual items for emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and now hosts exhibitions for the Palace Museum. It is an integral part of the traditional Chinese spatial order of “Five Gates and Three Courts.”
The Gate of Heavenly Peace, or Tian’anmen, was the front gate of the Forbidden City during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
As it was used in ancient times for releasing important imperial edicts and holding important events, it has witnessed the significant changes in the Central Axis of Beijing and Chinese society. The Outer Jinshui Bridge stretches across the Outer Jinshui River, which is south of Tian'anmen. It’s made of five white marble arch bridges and is symmetrical revolving around the Central Axis of Beijing. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was the only path that connected the palace with the sacrificial and ritual places in the southern suburbs.
The southern part of the middle section of the Central Axis:
The Tian'anmen Square complex sits in a flat and open space. It was built during the 1950s and the 1970s as a venue for national ceremonies.
The southern section of the Central Axis:
Zhengyangmen, widely known as its colloquial name Qianmen, is a gate complex that used to have military defense and ritual functions. It was the south front gate to the imperial city of Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties and witnessed how the ancient Chinese capital was managed.
The Temple of Heaven was built in the year 1420. A dignified complex of fine cultural buildings set in gardens and surrounded by historic pine woods, it was used for the imperial families in the Ming and Qing dynasties to offer sacrifices to heaven and pray for bumper harvests. It is the largest complex of its kind that has been kept mostly intact, exhibiting the Chinese cultural tradition in the southern suburbs of offering sacrifices to the heaven.
Altar of the God of Agriculture was built in the year 1420. It is symmetrical to the Temple of Heaven. It was originally used for offering sacrifices to deity like Xiannong, or the “first farmer,” and for emperors to do ceremonial agricultural work.
The Remains of the Imperial Road along the southern section of the Central Axis is located in Yongdingmen Park. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, this was the imperial road which the emperor took when traveling to the southern suburbs to offer sacrifices. It was discovered by archaeologists in 2004. It is a vital material object for demonstrating how the role of the Central Axis of Beijing once served as a ritual route.
Yongding Gate is located in the southern end of the Central Axis of Beijing. It was the south front gate of the outer city of Beijing during the Ming and Qing dynasties and was once the gate built with the highest architectural standards among the seven gates of the outer city of Beijing.