中国范儿 56 北京中轴线：一条线，一座城

　　The Central Axis of Beijing, stretching nearly 8 km from Yongding Gate in the south to the Bell Tower in the north, is the core area of the old city of Beijing. It is also the longest urban central axis still existing in the world. With its symbolic importance, the Central Axis of Beijing divides the city into two symmetric wings. Being magnificent and solemn, the Central Axis is the symbol of Beijing’s urban spatial pattern.

新华社记者王颂摄

　　北京的中轴线历史可以追溯到元朝，元世祖忽必烈弃金中都，在其东北方择址建设元朝国都——元大都，这时中轴线长3.7公里。后经明、清时期的发展，最终，北京的中轴线延长至7.86公里。

　　The Central Axis of Beijing has its root dated back to the Yuan Dynasty. Hu Bilie, also known as the Shizu Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, jettisoned the old capital city of Zhongdu and built the new capital city of Daduinits northeast. The Central Axis of Beijing was 3.7 kmin length at that time. With further development in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was at last extended to 7.86 km.

　　“择天下之中而立国，择国之中而立宫。”这是中国古代建都城的核心思想。这里的“国”指国都，“中”代表中心。紫禁城坐落于中轴线中心位置，由皇城、内城、外城层层相套防卫，皇宫内最高等级的宫殿和城门直接建在中轴线上--太和殿、中和殿、保和殿、乾清宫、交泰殿、坤宁宫、午门等等，居“天下之中”。既显示出皇权至高无上的威严，又把北京统领成了一个不可分割的整体。古都中轴线的构成，是城市规划建筑与封建社会的政治、文化观念的有机统一。

　　What has influenced traditional Chinese capital planning was such a fundamental principle that people should build a country at the center of the world and construct the royal palace at the center of the country. The Forbidden City, built along the Central Axis of Beijing, has a group of royal palaces that are surrounded and protected by the inner court and the outer court. Influenced by the architecture philosophy of “sitting at the center of the world”, the Chinese built the most high-ranking royal palaces and city gates in the Forbidden City, including Taihe Palace, Zhonghe Palace, Baohe Palace, Qianqing Palace, Jiaotai Palace, Kunning Palace, and Wumen Gate, etc., along the Central Axis. As a symbol of the supreme authority of the emperor, the Central Axis also links and integrates the different parts of Beijing. The Central Axis of Beijing embodies both an urban planning principle and the political and cultural ideologies of the old Chinese feudal society.

　　中轴线，也体现着古都城市的百姓民俗文化，中轴线北端是古都规划中的“前朝后市”的城市商业区，在中轴线两侧的锣鼓巷、什刹海是都市百姓的居住、生活、休闲区域；分布于前门大街两侧的大栅栏、鲜鱼口等传统商业街，是南中轴两侧的历史商业区。

　　The Central Axis is also a line that witnesses the development of folk culture in Beijing. According to the old city design of Beijing, there should be a marketplace behind the royal court. So the north end of the Central Axis became an urban business area. Areas like Luoguxiang and Shichahai, which are at the two sides of the Central Axis, were residential and recreation districts in the past. Dashila and Xianyukou, situated at the two sides of the Qianmen Street, were the traditional business districts along the Central Axis in the south.

　　中轴线，是一座城的脊梁。它严谨、中庸、秩序，体现了“以中为尊”的价值观及“天人合一”的信仰，是传统哲学思想在城市建设上的反映，也蕴含着中国人的为人处世之道。

　　The central axis is the backbone of a city. With its preference for precision, symmetry, and orderliness, the Central Axis of Beijing epitomizes the “value of the center” in Chinese culture and highlights the Chinese belief about the harmony between nature and human. It stands as a typical example of traditional Chinese philosophy applied to urban planning and embodies the Chinese way of socialization.

　　在这条线上，汇集了北京古代建筑的精髓，见证了北京城的沧桑变迁。建筑大师梁思成曾写道：“北京独有的壮美秩序就由这条中轴的建立而产生。气魄之雄伟就在这个南北引申，一贯到底的规模。”

　　Most of the essential buildings in the old city of Beijing are along the CentralAxis, which witnessed the evolution and changes of this city. Liang Sicheng, a Chinese architect, writes that “Beijing’s splendidness and orderliness come from this central axis. It extends to both the north and south, imposing a sense of magnificence on the whole city”.

　　如今，中轴线仍具有旺盛生命力和历史纵深感。在北京新的规划蓝图中，这一令世人赞叹的城市景观再次向南北两侧延伸，连接北起奥林匹克公园，南至南五环外的广阔地区，成为集中体现古都保护和城市发展的一条新轴线。

　　Today, the Central Axis of Beijing isstill in full vigor and of historical significance. In the new urban planning blueprint of Beijing, this spectacular urban landscape will extend further to both the north and south. It will link the Olympic Park in the north with the vast land outside of the Fifth Ring Road in the south. In the future, it will become a new axis that witnesses the conservation of the old city and the development of Beijing.

　　已经酝酿了十年之久的北京古都中轴线申报世界文化遗产，近日已列入北京市政府重要工作项目。中轴线这条古老的北京符号，将更加焕发出它生机勃勃的魅力。

　　Ten years ago, the Central Axis of Beijing joined the race for inclusion in the World Heritage List. Recently, the municipal government of Beijing has put this application on its top agenda.As a landmark of this old city, the Central Axis is set to enjoy its full vitality.

来源：中国网

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