On July 19th 2023 , the multilingual website of the Forbidden City Palace Museum- Beijing, China, People’s Republic of Chinawas officially released at the Digital Cultural Tourism Development Forum of the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference! The website covers five languages: English, French, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish, and will meet the needs of audiences with different languages.
On the first anniversary of the successful application of Beijing’s Central Axis for World Heritage status, on the afternoon of July 27, 2025, the “World Cultural Heritage Beijing Central Axis – Imprint Beijing Central Axis Public Seal Carving Exhibition Forbidden City Station” opened in the Wenhua Hall of the Palace Museum.
The Beijing Central Axis is a 7.8-kilometer-long north-south stretch through the heart of Beijing, China, serving as the backbone of the city’s layout and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, featuring iconic historical and modern landmarks like the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and the National Stadium. This historic axis, which originated in the 13th century and was refined over centuries, showcases the ideal order of the Chinese capital, encompassing imperial palaces, sacrificial buildings, and modern public structures, and is deeply rooted in Chinese capital planning traditions and cultural values.
Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital
Running north to south through the heart of historical Beijing, the Central Axis consists of former imperial palaces and gardens, sacrificial structures, and ceremonial and public buildings. Together they bear testimony to the evolution of the city and exhibits evidence of the imperial dynastic system and urban planning traditions of China. The location, layout, urban pattern, roads and design showcase the ideal capital city as prescribed in the Kaogongji, an ancient text known as the Book of Diverse Crafts. The area, between two parallel rivers, has been settled for about 3,000 years, but the Central Axis itself originated during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) that established its capital, Dadu, in the northern part. The property also features later historical structures built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and improved during the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912).
The exhibition uses square-inch seals as the carrier and is divided into two major sections: “Popular Seal Carving·New Chapter of the Central Axis: The Central Axis in the People’s Writings” and “The Palace Museum Seal·Echo of the Forbidden City: Historical Codes in Court Seals”. With 200 popular seal carving works and 20 Qing Dynasty court seals as the core exhibits, it forms a cultural dialogue across time and space, and vividly interprets the historical context and spirit of the times carried by this magnificent axis that runs through the ancient capital for more than 700 years. Exhibition time: July 27 to September 12, 2025. Visitors can purchase tickets to the Palace Museum through the “Palace Museum” WeChat applet and make an appointment for a free visit .
Images and visuals are from – Forbidden City –Palace Museum Beijing- China –People’s Republic of China…..
