Beijing has taken multiple measures to create the landscape corridor of the Central Axis, a newly-added World Heritage Site by the UNESCO, with a fusion of modernity and history.

Landscape corridor refers to the visual corridor formed when looking at a city from a certain angle and a specific location, explained Cui Yan, a Beijing architect who is a strong advocate for creating the landscape corridors. 

"Along the landscape corridor, everything we see will have a visual impact on the beauty of the building complex. The creation of the landscape corridor is about making our entire Central Axis more appealing, restoring our traditional architectural style in Beijing, and then allowing our culture to be passed down for generations," said Cui.

The renovation of old buildings is essential for the creation of landscape corridors. A memorial archway located south of the Zhengyangmen Bridge on the Central Axis was first built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and rebuilt in 2008. Ancient structures like it are precious assets along the Central Axis and have become key targets for renovation. 

According to the requirements of the application for World Heritage status, apart from renovating ancient buildings, some modern buildings along the Beijing Central Axis also need to be rebuilt to make the surrounding landscape more uniform. A hospital and a supermarket along the Central Axis were remodeled by reducing their heights by half to minimize impact on the integrity of the historical ambience of the street. 

"I think the landscape corridor of the Central Axis has always been Beijing's cultural and tourism business card. Since childhood, we have felt that being on the Central Axis is a kind of honor for Beijingers. Now the project has actually made this business card shine even brighter," Cui said.

The creation of the landscape corridor is an important task not only for making the Beijing Central Axis more visually aligned, but also for letting visitors enjoy the beauty of this world class cultural heritage.

The Central Axis dates back to the 13th century during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and its length was extended during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911).