北京中轴线--中国理想都城秩序的杰作

北京中轴线--中国理想都城秩序的杰作
Beijing Central Axis runs north-south through the heart of the old city of Beijing, totaling 7.8 kilometers in length. It was initially constructed in the 13th century and shaped in the 16th century. With continuous refinement over seven centuries, Beijing Central Axis is an ensemble of building complexes and archeological sites that governs the overall layout of the old city. At the northern end of the Axis are the Bell and Drum Towers; it then runs south through the Wanning Bridge and the Jingshan Hill, the Forbidden City, the Upright Gate, the Tian'anmen Gate, the Outer Jinshui Bridges, the Tian'anmen Square Complex, the Zhengyangmen Gate, the Southern Section Road Archeological Sites, to the Yongdingmen Gate at the southern terminus of the Axis. The Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Altar of Land and Grain, the Temple of Heaven, and the Altar of the God of Agriculture are located on the east and west sides of the Axis.
Along the Axis there are imperial palaces and gardens, imperial sacrificial buildings, ancient urban management facilities, national ceremonial and public buildings, and roads. It has formed a magnificent urban architectural complex, witnessing the ideal order of capital cities that has influenced the buildings of traditional Chinese cities for more than two thousands years.
北京中轴线位于北京老城中心，纵贯老城南北，全长7.8公里，始建于13世纪，形成于16世纪，此后不断完善，历经逾7个世纪，是统领整个老城规划格局的建筑与遗址的组合体。根据《保护世界文化和自然遗产公约》第1条，北京中轴线属于文化遗产中“建筑群”类型，共包含15处遗产构成要素。北京中轴线北端钟鼓楼，向南经万宁桥、景山，过故宫、端门、天安门、外金水桥、天安门广场及建筑群、正阳门、中轴线南段道路遗存，至南端永定门，太庙和社稷坛、天坛和先农坛分列中轴线东西两侧。