Recently, the central axis of cultural heritage lecture hall in Beijing, the Chinese institute of cultural relics, the central literature and history of special researcher, the Palace Museum, director of the academic committee ChanJi xiang to keep the root and soul of urban culture, show the public axis on the ancient buildings, about its behind the traditional Chinese philosophy, ritual culture, and the central axis for protection of long-term significance.
From cultural relics protection to cultural heritage protection
Shan Ji cheung, Beijing is the ancient capital of five dynasties, from liao Nanjing city, capital, yuan, Beijing Ming and qing dynasties to Beijing, the central axis with the change of the site is also in change, today said central axis, refers to the origin of the yuan dynasty Ming axis, the central axis has three world heritage sites, including the Forbidden City, the temple of heaven, and in 2014 properties for the success of the grand canal.
“The Grand Canal became a national key national cultural relics protection unit in 2006, which is a revolutionary and unprecedented event for cultural relics protection.”Before that, Shan said, cultural relics protection was basically from point to surface, but at that time, the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal was included as a national key cultural relics protection unit, spanning 24 cities.
In the process of studying the history of the Grand Canal, they found that the predecessor of the Grand Canal was the Sui and Tang Dynasties, which connected to Luoyang, which was the starting point of the Silk Road. ” If the World Heritage application is successful, the Grand Canal will be connected with the desert oasis Silk Road in the west and Shanghai and the Silk Road in the east.”In 2007, Shan and more than 40 CPPCC members jointly proposed a proposal to apply the Grand Canal for world Heritage, and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage reestablished the preparatory list of China’s World Cultural Heritage sites, including the Grand Canal.
A series of the grand canal protection and properties of work, especially the grand canal protection planning, “in the past never a world heritage project across such a vast area”, expanded after connecting the eight provinces and municipalities directly under the central government of 35 cities, planning and declare text into a very large system engineering. After years of efforts, the Grand Canal was successfully listed as a World Heritage Site in 2014.
“Through the protection of the Grand Canal, we began to consciously move from cultural relics protection to cultural heritage protection.”Shan said, The difference between the two is that, Not only to the cultural elements, But also to protect the cultural landscape formed by man and nature together; Not only to protect the static ancient sites and ancient tombs, But also to protect the Jiangnan water towns and traditional villages; Not only to protect the ancient engineering landscape, But also to protect the contemporary ones; Not only to protect one side, But also to protect the linear cultural heritage and cultural routes; Not only to protect the palace buildings, But also to protect the traditional dwellings, industrial heritage and time-honored brands where ordinary people live and work; Not only to protect the material elements, And also to protect the intangible heritage, Protect people’s living customs and traditional craft techniques.
Shan Jixiang said that the protection process of the Grand Canal has brought you a lot of inspiration. Protection is not the purpose, use is not the purpose, the real purpose is inheritance; there are a large number of towns, traditional dwellings, intangible heritage along the canal, the protection is no longer the patent of the government, not the patent of cultural relics departments, but the common cause of hundreds of millions of people.
Tell the story of the central axis of Beijing well
The central axis of Beijing is the “backbone” and “soul” of the old city of Beijing. ChanJi cheung said that over the years, the central axis of Beijing urban landscape zone did some changes, but today to review the ancient buildings on the axis is complete, 42 ancient buildings under 38, zhengyang bridge in archaeological, flat axis on both sides of the basic open pattern, central axis and the urban landscape, the status of the skyline is still in.
As the longest and most complete existing ancient urban axis in the world, the central axis of Beijing is not only the spatial axis of Beijing city, but also the axis of culture. Shan Jixiang introduced that in the 7.8-kilometer space from Yongdingmen to the Bell and Drum Tower, the central axis of ecology, economy, politics, culture and society has been gradually formed, containing the touching culture and history created by the working people from ancient times to the present.
Lecture, ChanJi cheung details on the axis on the different style of urban culture style, and on the central axis of the yongding gate, the temple of heaven, the palace afternoon gate, the Olympic park landmarks as point, extends the ancient buildings on the Beijing axis, old, cultural sites and other landscape elements behind the historical changes, cultural significance, protect the story.
Taking the experience of participating in the protection of the central axis as an example, he believed that the application of the central axis should start from the perspective of strengthening the overall protection of Beijing historical city, put the central axis in the historical chain, and carry out active, overall and developmental protection from point and surface.
“I retired. What should I do out of the Forbidden City? I gave me a task to tell the story of Beijing planning.”Shan said he will continue to tell the story of the central axis of Beijing through various forms to retain the root and soul of the city’s culture. Recently, batches of cultures have been activated, public cultural facilities and museums have been completed, and buildings have been repaired. All these show that all parties are making active efforts to transform the features and buildings on both sides of the central axis.
Shan Jixiang said, ” In short, today we work together to not only protect the central axis, but also make the central axis culture alive, which can truly become a part of our cultural life, and become a model area where Beijing’s traditional culture and modern life are very harmonious and integrated together.”