Lv Zhou: Why is the central axis of Beijing a unique testimony to Chinese civilization?
China News Service, Beijing, February 9 Title: Why is the central axis of Beijing a unique witness to Chinese civilization?
——Interview with Lv Zhou, Director of the National Heritage Center of Tsinghua University
China News Service reporter Li Shuangnan
In 2021, the application text of the Central Axis of Beijing passed the format review of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, marking the entry of the application for the Central Axis of Beijing into a sprint stage. As a group of 7.8 kilometers of huge buildings and urban space, the central axis of Beijing is the central area of the capital city that has been developed over more than 700 years with rhythm and harmony, with strong symbols and rituals that reflect oriental civilization.
In January 2022, the audience visited the exhibition "Reading the City – Exploring the Central Axis of Beijing" at the Beijing Capital Museum. Through chapters such as "Tracing the Legend of past lives" and "Exploring the Meaning of Great Powers", the exhibition shows the past and present lives of Beijing's central axis. At present, Beijing's central axis application is in the sprint stage. Photo by Liu Huaiyu, China News Service
How does the traditional Chinese concept of city-building embodied in Beijing's central axis differ from that of the West? What is the world significance of Beijing's central axis application? Facing the future, how will China promote the global issue of World Heritage? How can we play a greater role in heritage conservation for sustainable development? The "East and West Questions" column of China News Service conducted an exclusive interview with Professor Lu Zhou, director of the National Heritage Center of Tsinghua University.
China News Service: You pointed out that the central axis of Beijing embodies the traditional Chinese philosophical thinking and cultural spirit of "respecting China" and pursuing the beauty of symmetry. From the perspective of Chinese and Western comparisons, how is this different from the traditional Western concept of capital building? What is the world significance of Beijing's central axis application?
Lv Zhou: The central axis of Beijing is a unique testimony to Chinese civilization and cultural traditions, which is the basis for its nomination as a World Heritage Site. From the perspective of the city, most of the ancient Chinese cities appeared as ruling centers, characterized by a clear planning pattern, and the central axis of Beijing is the most prominent form of this feature. Comparatively speaking, most cities in the West are formed based on commercial and handicraft settlements, showing the characteristics of free growth, which is a difference between Eastern and Western civilizations.
The relationship between politics and religion in the West determines the characteristics of its urban layout. Churches, markets, and town halls were important in the city, and the residences of the princes and nobles were only a pole in the city. In contrast, ancient Chinese cities formed an important feature characterized by the urban hierarchy. From the beginning of the Western Zhou Dynasty, there was a climax in urban construction, and there was a problem of the hierarchy of cities at that time. Therefore, Confucius could not allow the existence of the trespassing city, so there is the story of the "three capitals of the fallen (sound ash hui)". The central axis of Beijing, as the core of the national capital, concentrates the most important buildings in the country and forms the highest-ranking architectural complex in China.
In November 2021, Beijing is sunny and the autumn colors along the central axis are charming. The central axis of Beijing starts from the Bell and Drum Tower in the north, passes through Wanning Bridge, Jingshan, forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Zhengyang Gate to the south, to Yongdingmen, running through the north and south of beijing's old city, with a total length of about 7.8 kilometers. Photo by Niu Yungang, China News Service
The concept of "respecting the Middle" has always been strongly expressed in traditional Chinese culture, and the central axis of Beijing is also an expression of this concept. This concept also includes the traditional relationship between man and heaven. For example, Qin Xianyang City, according to the layout of celestial constellations, implies that the city is an imitation of the celestial realm in the human world. In Chinese culture, it emphasizes the influence of the order of heaven on man, believing that it is necessary to "obey the mandate of heaven" and to bring the order of heaven to the human world through the system of etiquette. The central axis of Beijing reflects this orderly relationship from the ideal capital to human society, and the essence is based on the order of the Heavenly Dao. Therefore, "medium" is not only "medium" in the geometric sense, but also a conceptual "medium".
In addition, Beijing's central axis planning is unique in the history of the development of China's capitals. Most of the capitals of the Han and Tang dynasties were centered on the palace, influencing the urban form of East Asia such as Nara and Kyoto in Japan. When Beijing (Dadu) was built in the Yuan Dynasty, it first determined the central point of the city, and then determined the orientation, palace location, etc., forming a building complex on the central axis that determined the entire urban form. This urban planning method is unique in the world.
In July 2021, the 44th World Heritage Conference "Urban Historical Landscape Protection and Sustainable Development" side meeting was held in Fuzhou. Professor Lv Zhou interpreted the cultural heritage value of the "Central Axis of Beijing" and showed the world the valuable experience of Beijing in the beneficial exploration and accumulation of the overall protection and organic renewal of the old city. Photo by Zhang Xinglong, a reporter of China News Service
China News Service: You pointed out that the central axis of Beijing is a witness to the formation of a pattern of pluralism and integration of the Chinese nation. On the central axis of Beijing, what are the prominent manifestations of "diversity"? And how to promote the formation of "oneness"?
Lü Zhou: When the Yuan Dynasty built Beijing (Dadu), it attached the form of the capital city of the Zhou Li Kao Gong Ji, expressing that the Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty regarded himself as the heir to the orthodoxy of Chinese civilization. It is worth noting that before the Yuan Capital, no capital city was built in full accordance with the contents of the Zhou Li Kao Gong Ji.
During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the central axis of Beijing formed the scale of today's 7.8 kilometers. The Qing Dynasty further strengthened the influence of the central axis on urban form, for example, Qianlong built five pavilions in Jingshan, making the central axis of Beijing more prominent as the urban contour line. The three dynasties of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the creation, development, and strengthening of the central axis of Beijing, and its respect for the order of the capital city of the Zhou Dynasty three thousand years ago, clearly express the continuation of Chinese civilization for thousands of years.
The central axis of Beijing also embodies the pluralistic unity of Chinese faith. The Temple of Heaven enshrines the god Haotian; the Xiannong Altar enshrines wind and rain and thunder, the famous mountain dachuan, the river god water god, the agricultural god, the age god, etc.; the Qiwanglou is dedicated to Confucius; the Guandi Temple on the middle side of the Zhengyang Gate Urn City, the Guanyin Temple on the west side; the Qin'an Hall of the Forbidden City is dedicated to The Zhenwu Emperor; and the Vilujana Buddha enshrined in the Jingshan Wanchun Pavilion also reflects the inclusiveness of traditional Chinese culture.
In August 2020, children and teenagers visited the exhibition "Reading the City - Exploring the Central Axis of Beijing" at the Beijing Capital Museum to learn about the history of Beijing City. Photo by China News Service reporter Hou Yu
China: China ran for election and was re-elected as a member of the Committee at the Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention held in 2017. Looking back on the four-year term from 2018 to 2021, how do you evaluate China's work and role?
Lv Zhou: This is the fourth time that China has been elected. Over the years, China has become a member of the Committee that is very familiar with the Rules of World Heritage and has extensive experience. During this term, China has shown a high degree of professionalism. To some extent, China has begun to play a leading role. Chinese experts are also more active in participating in and organizing professional activities for World Heritage, which are widely praised for their academic value.
China has played an increasingly important role in many aspects of World Heritage protection, moving from a relatively marginal position to the center of the world stage, which is consistent with China's development. After China acceded to the World Heritage Convention in 1985, it has accumulated rich experience through a large number of practices in declaration, protection, management and value expression. Marked by the Beijing Document adopted at the "International Symposium on the Concept and Practice of Cultural Relics and Architectural Protection in East Asia" held in Beijing in 2007, China has entered a conscious process of building the idea of protecting cultural relics and monuments with Chinese characteristics, and has gradually formed a conservation ideology and principle based on China's own historical and cultural traditions, in line with the basic principles of international cultural heritage protection, and reflecting the characteristics of Chinese cultural relics and monuments. This means that China has begun to consciously express its own cultural concepts through cases and contribute to the world.
China News Service: In 2022, the World Heritage Convention will usher in its fiftieth anniversary. Facing the future, how will China promote the global issue of World Heritage? How can we play a greater role in heritage conservation for sustainable development?
Lv Zhou: In the big picture, human consensus has always existed. For example, the "wow effect" of objects of World Heritage value is a consensus that when confronted with something really good, people can't help but exclaim "wow", which is a moment beyond language, derived from the heartfelt feeling of human creativity. Although human beings have cultural and life differences, in most cases, through exchanges and dialogue, consensus can be formed, mutual understanding and peace-building can be built. This is also the meaning of World Heritage.
In July 2021, the 44th World Heritage Conference held in Fuzhou city held a video press conference to introduce the Fuzhou Declaration adopted by the Conference. Photo by Zhang Xinglong, a reporter of China News Service
China regards the World Heritage Convention not only as a professional platform, but also as a platform for international dialogue and exchange. The Fuzhou Declaration adopted at the 44th World Heritage Conference last year reflects China's understanding of the future direction of world heritage conservation and development. On pressing global issues such as climate change and sustainable development, China has its own concerns and reflections. From the perspective of sustainable development, the practices of Lijiang, Pingyao and Gulangyu island show the vivid experience of promoting community participation in conservation, reviving culture in protection, and promoting local sustainable development. China has changed from incremental rapid development to high-quality stock development, and I believe that with the accumulation of practice-driven thinking, China's experience will certainly have a greater impact on the world. (End)
Respondent Profiles:
Lv Zhou, Director of the National Heritage Center of Tsinghua University, Chairman of the Special Committee for the Protection and Inheritance of History and Culture of the Science and Technology Committee of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Vice Chairman of the China Association for the Protection of Monuments and Sites, winner of the ICCROM Award, has been engaged in the teaching, research and practice of cultural heritage protection for a long time, presided over and led the protection management planning, protection design and a large number of important World Heritage sites and cultural relics protection units, as well as a large number of related work and international training projects related to World Heritage, and participated in and organized the protection of a number of historical and cultural cities. Remediation work. Organized the compilation of the "Case Interpretation of the Guidelines for the Protection of Cultural Relics and Monuments in China", was responsible for drafting the "Guidelines for the Protection of Cultural Relics and Monuments in China (Revised in 2015)", and was the main undertaker of the research project on the urban and rural historical and cultural protection and inheritance system of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.
Source: China News Network