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A few months after Beijing acquired its new UNESCO World Heritage site, I returned to the city following a trip through Italy, the country with the most UNESCO World Heritage sites in the world. From Bologna, Siena, Verona to Rome, each city appeared as a layer of sediment reflecting European commerce, religion, art, and civic life. Perhaps it was this very contrast that made the feeling of looking down at Beijing from the summit of Jingshan Mountain so special this time.
From above, that straight axis appears almost endless, piercing through the golden tiled roofs of the Forbidden City, passing through Tiananmen Square, and continuing southward. Beijing no longer resembles an ordinary city. It appears as a world arranged in absolute order, where power, ritual, and the ideology of the world converge along an axis stretching throughout history.
The Forbidden City is located on the Central Axis of Beijing - Photo: CGTN
That moment made me realize that East and West had once pursued two very different models of civilization, and that difference sometimes began with how they built their capitals.
The city was built as a cosmic order.
Walking along the Beijing Central Axis, the most striking thing is the sense of almost absolute order. From city gates and squares to palaces and pavilions and the interconnected layers of space, everything is arranged symmetrically with a very clear intention. The city did not develop through natural expansion like many European cities, but was constructed as a miniature model of the universe according to ancient Eastern thought.
In traditional Chinese belief, the emperor is the Son of Heaven, the one who receives the Mandate of Heaven to rule the empire. Therefore, the capital city could not be built haphazardly. It had to reflect the harmony between heaven, earth, and humanity. The north-south axis became the sacred backbone of the entire city, while the imperial palace was located in the center, like the heart of the empire. The closer one got to the area of power, the more spacious, majestic, and ceremonial the space became.
The Forbidden City, therefore, was not simply the emperor's residence. It was the center of a political and spiritual order that the entire empire aspired to. Even the layout of the courtyards, gates, and vast open spaces within the architecture were designed to create a sense of stability, permanence, and absolute power.
The Drum Tower (Gulou) and the Bell Tower (Chunglou) are located north of Beijing's central axis - Photo: CGTN
When compared to other Italian cities, these differences become even more apparent. Bologna grew up with Europe's long-standing university tradition. Verona possesses the gentle beauty of medieval city-state life. Siena reflects the pride of a city-state community, while Rome resembles a historical stratum where ancient Rome, Christianity, and modernity intertwine.
While Eastern capitals were often constructed as absolute centers of power and cosmic order, medieval Italian cities developed within a network of competition between city-states, religious authorities, and the nobility. Power in the West is not always absolutely concentrated in a single center, but rather exists in a multipolar form with cities playing distinct roles in finance, commerce, military, or religion. This difference in the organization of power has created two completely different urban landscapes between Beijing and Europe.
If Italian cities reflect the human world with its historical upheavals and diverse social life, Beijing reflects a divinely ordained order, where power is placed at the center of the entire living space.
While Eastern capitals often revolved around a royal power structure, many European cities were defined by grand squares and cathedrals such as the Duomo di Milano in Milan, Italy - Photo: Nguyen Hoang Bao
Piazza del Campo in Siena, Italy, where the spirit of medieval European urbanism is still present through its open, asymmetrical structure and public life that has lasted for centuries - Photo: Nguyen Hoang Bao
The Eastern dream of world domination
What makes the Beijing Central Axis special is not just its nearly 8-kilometer length or the number of historical buildings along it, but the ideology behind the entire structure. In Eastern political thought, particularly under the influence of Chinese civilization, the concept of "the world" (or "the world") is always larger than the concept of a nation in the modern sense. The emperor does not rule just a limited territory, but rules "everywhere under the sky."
Therefore, the world needs a center, and that center must be absolutely stable. Even the name "China" reflects this idea, as a central land of civilization from which circles of order gradually expand outwards. The central axis of Beijing is therefore not just urban planning, but also a declaration of the central position of Chinese power and civilization.
In East Asian feng shui, many scholars also view Beijing's north-south axis as the "dragon vein" of the capital, where geographical location, power, and destiny are connected along a single axis running through the city. While this perspective is more symbolic than scientifically sound, it shows that the ancients never considered the capital merely a place to live, but rather a space reflecting the order of heaven and earth.
Yongding Gate is located south of Beijing's Central Axis - Photo: CGTN
This very mindset has strongly influenced the architecture and models of capital cities in many East Asian countries. From the imperial city of Hue in Vietnam to Kyoto in Japan and Gyeongju in South Korea, traces of the central axis, feng shui, destiny, and the harmony between power and nature can be seen. This is how the East envisioned an ideal state, where political order must simultaneously reflect the order of the universe.
Meanwhile, feudal Europe developed in a different direction. Power was shared among lords, city-states, the nobility, and the church, making urban structures much more organic and flexible. This dispersion contributed to a competitive environment that fostered the flourishing of art, science, and individual spirit. If Beijing represents the model of "centralized power," then Italian cities reflect the multi-centered spirit of the West, where power and culture are always in motion in a state of dispersion and dialogue.
Qianmen Pedestrian Street is located on Beijing's Central Axis - Photo: CGTN
Heritage serves as a mirror of a civilization.
The most valuable aspect of the Beijing Central Axis lies in its ability to help people today understand that cities in the past were never merely places to live. For great civilizations, cities have always been places that reflect the philosophy, beliefs, and ambitions of an entire era.
UNESCO's recognition of the Beijing Central Axis is therefore not simply an acknowledgment of an ancient architectural complex. It is also an acknowledgment of a model of thinking that profoundly influenced all of East Asia for centuries. In an era where many modern cities are becoming increasingly similar due to glass, steel, and concrete, such heritage sites are all the more important because they remind us that architecture was once a way for civilizations to communicate with the universe and define their place in the world.
The author is standing in front of the Forbidden City, the heart of Beijing's Central Axis - Photo: Provided by the author.
Late in the afternoon before leaving Beijing, I returned to Tiananmen Square one last time. The central axis stretched straight ahead in the fading light of the day, creating a solemn and tranquil atmosphere quite different from the bustling squares of Europe.
Beijing has never aspired to be merely a capital city. It was built as the center of the world, where all axes ultimately lead to power, order, and the eternal dream of a civilization.
