Called the 'dragon's pulse' in ancient times, the axis has been seen as the heart of China for centuries - a main reason the seat of political power, from the Forbidden City to Tiananmen Square, lies along it.
Now, China is planning to apply for the axis to be named as a world cultural heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), and is dead serious about ensuring success. A government office will be set up for the bid, said the authorities, adding that the application will be submitted by 2015.
Hundreds of millions of yuan will be invested in the restoration of historic buildings along the central axis, which was first established by Kublai Khan in the 13th century when he made Beijing the capital of his new Yuan Dynasty in the Mongol empire.
In particular, Dianmen, a gate which was demolished in 1955 to make way for a new Beijing under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), will be rebuilt.
This will restore the ancient nine gates along the central axis - known as zhong zhou xian in Chinese - which includes the world-famous Tiananmen and Qianmen, as well as the less well-known Yongdingmen. The nine gates formed a formidable defence system, accompanied by a solid city wall, which ensured that the palace was a difficult target to attack.
Symbolically, the restoration of the Dianmen gate will also be a boost in fengshui terms, since nine is an auspicious number in China and was historically associated with the emperor. His robes usually had nine dragons.
Such emphasis on symbols was the main motivation behind the axis in the first place. The Mongols had been living a nomadic life in yurts - portable, covered dwelling structures - and Beijing was the first place where they had built a capital within a settled agricultural society.
Kublai Khan wanted his capital, which he called Dadu, or the Big Capital, to be one of balance, grace and beauty. The axis accentuates this, and he built his palace on it.
Wrote Lilian Li, Alison Dray-Novey and Haili Kong in their book, Beijing: From Imperial Capital To Olympic City, a detailed and acclaimed chronicle of the capital's development: 'Dadu's symmetrical design along a north-south axis running through the palace expressed both the pivotal role of the emperor in politics and the centrality of politics in culture.' Subsequent emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties continued this practice. Hence, the Forbidden City today still sits on the axis.
Such beliefs are not just relics of the past - the CCP has remained a firm believer in the pivotal role of the line as the heart of political power in China.
When the Monument to the People's Heroes was erected in 1958 in the centre of Tiananmen Square, it was built directly on the central axis, with Mao Zedong's words 'Eternal Glory to the People's Heroes' inscribed on its north side, facing the palace. Wrote Lilian Li: 'The granite monument, almost 14 feet (4.2m) taller than Tiananmen, symbolically overpowered the nearby palace complex.'
Other symbols of governance, like the Great Hall of the People and Zhongnanhai, the leaders' compound, also hug the line, which is regarded as the backbone of Beijing.
For the 1990 Asian Games and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, venues such as the iconic Bird's Nest stadium were built along the axis, extending it to 26km. During the Olympic opening ceremony, the world was wowed by huge footprint fireworks that marched along the zhong zhou xian.
However, the move to get the axis declared a cultural icon has garnered mixed reviews.
Researcher Zhao Shu from the Beijing Research Institute of Culture and History is one supporter. He told Xinhua news agency: 'It was a very smart idea to make the city's important architectural and general layout... symmetrical. Therefore, protecting the axis will preserve the uniqueness of the city.'
Assistant Professor Li Luke from Tsinghua University's School of Architecture has also bought into the idea. 'The architecture along the line requires protection. We should preserve it regardless of how much we spend,' she said.
But many experts are not as enthusiastic. Said analyst Hua Xinmin: 'I'm strongly opposed to the bid. The central axis made sense only in the context of the Beijing old town. The old town has disappeared. What central axis is there to talk about? Isn't this a big joke?' She was referring to the government's spotty record of preserving its historical buildings.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the CCP demolished much of Beijing's old city walls in the name of development. Then in the rush to rapid urbanisation in the 1980s, much of the city's famous hutongs (traditional alleyways) and siheyuan (courtyard houses) were also ripped up.
In fact, more will disappear because of the reconstruction of Dianmen as a result of the Unesco bid.
Said Ms Hua: 'Instead of protecting what we have now, we are tearing it down. And as we demolish hutongs, we build a fake Dianmen. Isn't this ridiculous?'
By Pei Shing Huei
From the Straits Times
shpeh@sph.com.sg
Additional reporting by Lina Miao
