This article discusses the inscription of "Beijing Central Axis" in the UNESCO cultural heritage list. On July 27, 2024, at the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, "China - Beijing Central Axis" was inscribed on the list of World Cultural Heritage Sites, and I believe this is a very wise and meaningful decision.
Introduction
In the historical and cultural stream, the "central axis" as an independent and complete concept appeared perhaps not so long ago, but in the traces of human activity, the concept of the "median axis" accompanies the entire development of mankind.
Modern science tells us that temperature, oxygen and water are essential conditions for the existence of life, so the "mysterious 30th parallel of northern latitude" became the chosen "central axis" in the initial stage of life. The Mississippi, Nile, Yangtze and other rivers intersect at this latitude, and four great ancient civilizations originated here. Nature seems to have arranged this poetic arrangement arbitrarily, but in fact it is a carefully considered order. If the geographical "central axis" is a vivid explanation of "natural selection" in the theory of evolution, the "central axis" in human history is the light of the wisdom of rational choice of ancestors. From Jaspers' "axial time" of human civilization to Stefan Zweig's "starry hours of humanity," great moments and great people who created great ideas still fascinate us.