World Heritage inscription of Beijing Central Axis marks new starting point: official

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The inscription of the Beijing Central Axis signifies a "new starting point" as efforts will be reinforced to earnestly conserve the world heritage site in the city, said a Chinese culture and tourism official.

On Saturday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) inscribed the "Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital" on its World Heritage List.

"The Beijing Central Axis is an important symbol that highlights the outstanding features of Chinese civilization," said Li Qun, China's deputy minister of culture and tourism, in an interview with Xinhua.

The Central Axis, which runs north to south through the heart of old Beijing, consists of ancient landmarks such as the Bell and Drum Towers, Wanning Bridge, Jingshan Hill and the Forbidden City.

Li, who is also the head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, said the inclusion of the Central Axis' fifteen heritage components on the World Heritage List demonstrates the value of traditional Chinese capital planning philosophy to the world, as well as global recognition of the vitality of fine Chinese traditional culture.

For the future, a long-term mechanism will be established to preserve the historical area of Beijing and efforts will be made to build a great capital city that combines cultural heritage with modern elements, Li said.

The coordination of central and local governments as well as collaboration across different departments will be enhanced to balance the relationship between cultural heritage protection and urban development and to ensure ecological and environmental protection while developing cultural tourism, said Li.

Highlighting the importance of further improving the survey and study of cultural resources related to the Beijing Central Axis, Li said more heritage sites in the city's historical areas will be identified and properly preserved.

Li said more efforts will be made to ensure the overall conservation of the cultural heritage sites as well as improving the natural disaster response capabilities.

He also pledged to work to improve tourism management and deliver better visitor experiences for the public by formulating demonstration and tourism development plans for the Beijing Central Axis.