Ode to Beijing
(北京精华)
Just inside the north side of Beijing’s former city wall is the Drum Tower (鼓楼) and the Bell Tower (钟楼); both built in 1272 during the Yuan Dynasty (元朝, 1271 – 1368). The feature image above shows the Bell Tower in the back and the Drum Tower in the front. Together, they offer panoramic views over central Beijing. In particular, if one looks directly south from the Drum Tower, the historical structures along the line-of-sight would make up Beijing’s Central Axis (中轴线), which was freshly minted by UNESCO as a World Heritage on August 1, 2024.
Like all Chinese imperial buildings and structures, the rectangular-shaped historical Beijing orients squarely in the north-south direction. Even though Beijing’s former city wall was demolished in the 1950s to make way for urban expansion, the current Ring Road #1 (一环路) and metro line #2 follow the complete outline of the city’s former wall.
The Central Axis, running directly south from the Drum Tower and through the heart of historical Beijing, consists of former palaces, gardens, and ceremonial structures. In establishing its capital Dadu (大都) in Beijing’s location, Yuan rulers laid out the city according to the Kaogongji (考工记). Kaogongji—believed to be written in the fourth century BCE—was an ancient technical manual that included urban planning. Following the Yuan Dynasty, the Ming (明朝, 1368 – 1644) and Qing Dynasties (清朝, 1636 – 1912) continued to establish their imperial courts (朝廷) in Beijing.
The first Ming capital was Nanjing (南京), which remained the capital for 53 years. In 1420, the third Ming emperor, Yongle (永乐), moved the capital to Beijing. This city has remained China’s capital ever since, except for the period between 1912 and 1949, when Nanjing was the capital of the Republic of China (中华民国) after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
One city block south of the Drum Tower is the Wanning Bridge (万宁桥, first photo below). Built in 1285 during the Yuan Dynasty, this bridge marks the northern end of the historical Grand Canal (京杭大运河, second photo below), a UNESCO World Heritage. The canal runs from Beijing in the north to Zhejiang province (浙江省) in the south and some early sections were built in the fifth century BCE. With a length of about 1,085 miles (1,747 km), it is the world’s longest artificial waterway and historically a strategic, north-south inland transportation route for China. Today, this canal continues to be used for navigation and irrigation.