The mystery of Beijing's central axis deviation

The north-south central axis of Beijing is an extremely rare axis of architectural art in the history of world cities. However, after careful measurement and research, Zhong-yu Kui, a retired man from China Academy of Surveying and Mapping, found that the north-south central axis of Beijing is actually not due south.

Many cities in China have a central axis, which often coincides with the meridian. The central axis of Beijing starts from Yongdingmen in the south and passes through Zhengyangmen, the Forbidden City, Jingshan, Drum Tower and Bell Tower in the north, with a total length of about 7.8 kilometers. When preparing for a panoramic bird's-eye view of Beijing, researcher Zhong Yu Kui of China Academy of Surveying and Mapping suddenly found from the aerial images, satellite images and maps of Beijing that the north-south central axis of Beijing was not due south, but offset. In order to prove that "the north-south central axis of Beijing deviates from the meridian", Zhong-yu Kui first selected three points on the topographic map of Beijing, namely Yongdingmen, Di 'anmen and Bell Tower, and calculated the deviation angle as 2 degrees and more than ten minutes, and then conducted an "instant" test on the north-facing Yong Road below Yongdingmen. "We set up a 2-meter-long pole in the middle of Yonglu. Stick a 6-meter-long black tape from the bottom of the pole to the north along the center line of Yonglu, indicating the central axis. When the sun passes through the Yongdingmen meridian, the shadow of the pole is the Yongdingmen meridian. The angle between shadow and black tape is the angle between meridian and central axis. After calculation, the deviation between Beijing's central axis and meridian is also 2 degrees and more than ten minutes. According to this calculation, the central axis from Yongdingmen to the bell tower has deviated from the meridian by 300 meters. "

Actually, this question is not difficult to answer. As long as you know a little about China's cultural history and architectural geomantic knowledge, it is not difficult to see the answer to this simple question. In Daoism, the ancients called it "life, rest and opening", also known as "Sanjimen"; Among the three auspicious doors, the biggest one is in the official position, that is, Shangji, and its position is the most respected. At the same time, from the knowledge of architecture and geomantic omen, the ancients followed the theory of "grabbing Yang" when building Yang houses, whether it was the houses of ordinary people or the mansions of princes and princes. The main house of Kanzhai will deflect 2 degrees and 3 minutes from the occupied position (closing the door) to the dry position (opening the door), that is, "grabbing the sun". Therefore, this 2-3 degree angle with the meridian naturally arises. The central axis of Beijing will extend to the north and south, connecting the vast area outside the Olympic Park in the north and the South Fifth Ring Road in the south. The reporter learned from the Municipal Planning Commission yesterday (18) that a central axis tentatively named "Ode to Joy" will greatly extend the traditional central axis of Beijing, and it will be divided into three distinctive plates, namely, the axis of the times, the axis of history and the axis of the future.

Beizhongzhou (Timeline) Sports Cultural City Urban Community

The north central axis starts from the Olympic Park to be built in the north and ends at the North Second Ring Road in the south. It consists of two parts: the sports and cultural city and the urban community. The sports cultural city is mainly based on the scheme selected in the planning of Beijing Olympic Park, and an open sports leisure cultural area will be built here. From North Tucheng to North Second Ring Road is an urban community, maintaining the existing community development model of mixed layout of residence and office. Among them, both sides of the central axis south of Huangsi Street are dominated by public buildings, and the green belt on the north side of the moat of the North Second Ring Road will be expanded, forming a natural transition between the central axis of the times and the traditional central axis.

Traditional Axis (Historical Axis) Folk Custom Exhibition Hall Cultural Memorial Center Folk Custom Grand View Garden Royal Sacrificial Culture and Folk Art Museum

The traditional central axis is characterized by folk exhibition hall, cultural memorial center, folk grand view garden, royal sacrificial culture and folk art museum, including the old city from the North Second Ring Road to the South Second Ring Road. The characteristic blocks such as Bell and Drum Tower, Shichahai, North and South Gong and Drum Lane constitute the category of folk exhibition halls. Most of the hutongs in these areas will maintain the existing width and be properly connected and combed. The historic water surface of Shichahai on the west side of Lotus Market will be restored, and some buildings that destroy the landscape will be demolished.

For historical and cultural attractions such as the Imperial City, Tiananmen Square, People's Lane in the east and west of the Second Ring Road, the planning tries to reproduce the outline of the Imperial City on the one hand, and advocates the restoration of some ancient river landscapes on the other. It is planned to gradually relocate some units to build a square garden with low density layout. From zhushikou to Yongdingmen, Yongdingmen will be rebuilt, the scattered houses and small houses of Tiantan and Xiannongtan will be moved out, the walls of the two altars will be completely restored, and the two altars will be integrated through greening.

Nanzhongzhou (Future Axis) Modern Business Circle Cultural Town Tianyuan Community Science and Technology Cultural City

The axis south of the South Second Ring Road is more commercial and idyllic. A well-equipped business district will be planned near Muxiyuan and Dahongmen Road, and Liangshuihe area will be planned as a gathering place and cultural park for museums, art galleries, libraries, concert halls and other cultural buildings. In addition, all kinds of scattered construction land in the southern green belt will also be integrated to form an "idyllic community" with relatively complete facilities that can basically meet the needs of daily life independently. Nanyuan area is planned as a grid structure, forming a space with three functions: exhibition, popular science and residence. A landscape control area with a width of about 1 1,000 m will be built on both sides of the extension line of the central axis south of the Fifth Ring Road, which is dominated by greening, indicating that the rich charm of the axis will extend indefinitely.