Beijing, the capital on the central axis

Author: Zhu Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: "The square must be centered, the circle must be concentric." Many cities in the world develop from a central point in a radiating pattern, a situation more common in the West. Many cities in the world spread out along both sides of an axis, a pattern more prevalent in China, with Beijing being the most typical example. Why does Beijing have such a clearly defined axis? What mysteries does it hold? With an exceptionally unique writing style, Zhu Yong blends philosophy, aesthetics, history, anthropology, sociology, geography, architecture, religion, and folklore into one, presenting a clear and vivid, comprehensive and delicate exploration of the axis, lighting a heart lamp to illuminate the path for us to understand Beijing. Such a wonderful book—how can one miss it? The renowned writer Liu Xinwu
Beijing is a city that has almost preserved its central axis to this day. Although we cannot witness the construction process of this capital, its urban layout offers us rich hints. The city walls, altars, markets, and streets, with their rigorous symmetry, reveal the importance of the axis. It is like a trunk nourishing the increasingly dense branches. This reminds me of childhood paper-cutting games, where I would first fold a deep crease in the paper. Only then could the intricate patterns appear symmetrically at both ends of the crease, one after another.