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Heritage
History
Culture
Residential areas along
Beijing Central Axis
Beijing Central Axis is not only the axis of the royal family but also the axis of the urban residents’ daily lives. From the Yuan dynasty to the present, Beijing Central Axis has connected multiple residential areas, bearing the rich and diverse residential culture of Beijing’s Old City. It serves as an important witness and carrier of traditional folk customs and the vibrant neighborhood culture of Beijing. The historically preserved symmetrical neighborhoods distributed on both sides of Beijing Central Axis include Shichahai Lake, Beiluoguxiang Alley, Nanluoguxiang Alley, Dashilan, Xianyukou, and Tianqiao-Zhushikou Historical and Cultural Area. These areas have been effectively protected.
The neighborhoods in the
inner city: Shichahai Lake,
Beluoguxiang Aley, and Nanluoguxiang Alley
Surrounding the Bell and Drum Towers at the northern end of Beijing Central Axis within the inner city are the historical and cultural neighborhoods of Shichahai Lake, Beiluoguxiang Alley, and Nanluoguxiang Alley. This area shows the distinctive urban pattern characteristics of the Yuan dynasty: the city blocks were planned around water bodies, presenting themselves as fishbone and checkerboard patterns. The area combined Beijing’s royal, gentry, and common people’s cultures, hosting rich folk activities.
Shichahai Lake

Among them, the Shichahai historic district evolved around a water system of a relatively free-spreading pattern of streets and alleys, with many alleys running on a slant on the lakeshore.

South and North Luogu Alleys

The South and North Luogu Alleys on the east side of the cental axis are among the best-preserved neighborhoods from the Dadu of Yuan, retaining the neat “fishbone” hutong alley layout from the Yuan dynasty.
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The neighborhoods in the outer city

The historical blocks distributed on both sides of the southern section of Beijing Central Axis in the outer city include the historical and cultural neighborhoods of Dashilan, Xianyukou, and Tianqiao-Zhushikou.
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Dashilan

The Dashilan Historical and Cultural District is located on the west side of Qianmen Street. As a passageway once connecting the Dadu of Yuan and the Zhongdu (Central Capital) of the Jurgen Jin Dynasty, some of the areas had streets on the slant. In the Ming Dynasty, residents were registered and managed with streets and alleys as the basic management units.
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Xianyukou

The Xianyukou Historical and Cultural District is located east of Qianmen Street. Under the influence of the Sanli River system, the area’s layout has become such that its streets and alleys crisscross randomly. It gradually became a dense residential area for civilians with the construction of the outer city and the prosperity of Qianmen Street in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
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Tianqiao-Zhushikou

Zhushikou (literally “Entrance of the Pearl Market”) was called “Entrance of the Hog Market,” with “pearl” and “hog” homophonic in Chinese. Therefore, the area had initially been a market for selling pork.

Tianqiao (literally “Celestial Bridge”) originated from a stone bridge built to facilitate the emperors’ passage to the Temple of Heaven and the Altar of the God of Agriculture to offer sacrifices during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Since a Chinese monarch called himself the “Son of Heaven” and the purpose of the emperors’ sacrificial rituals was to communicate with heaven, the bridge got its name, the “Bridge of the Son of Heaven” or simply “Bridge of Heaven,” pronounced as Tianqiao.

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The residential blocks in the outer city brought about the rich axial landscape and unique urban functions south of Beijing Central Axis. They showed the characteristics of commerce and urban cultures completely different from those of the inner city.

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