UNESCO designates Beijing Central Axis as World Heritage Site

The Beijing Central Axis was added to the United Nations' cultural heritage list on Saturday, marking a prestigious recognition for the 700-year-old line of historical and cultural landmarks that traverse the heart of the Chinese capital.

During the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, India, both China's Beijing Central Axis and the Badain Jaran Desert were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. This brings the total number of World Heritage sites in China to 59, making it one of the countries with the most World Heritage sites, alongside Italy.

Upon the announcement, session chairperson Vishal Sharma exclaimed in Chinese, "Congratulations, China!"

The Beijing Central Axis, the best-preserved example of traditional central axis architecture in China, extends 7.8 kilometers from Yongding Gate in the south to the Bell and Drum Towers in the north.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee recognizes the Beijing Central Axis for its integrity and authenticity. The committee stated that the north-south axis illustrates the traditional Chinese philosophy of the relationship between man, city, heaven, and nature. It is a typical and well-preserved example of the thousand-year development of Chinese capital planning.

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).

Several attractions along the axis, such as the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, have already been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Efforts to get the entire Central Axis recognized by UNESCO began in 2011. Since then, over 100 cultural heritage restoration projects have been carried out along the axis.

Lyu Zhou, director of the National Heritage Center at Tsinghua University, said that the line reflects the Chinese people's approach to constructing order.

"In China, we are constantly discussing how to tell a compelling story of Chinese civilization through our world heritage. We think that Beijing Central Axis is an excellent medium for telling China's story, as it reflects the Chinese people's approach to constructing order," said Lyu.

According to Lyu, the Beijing Central Axis is a great example that demonstrates the essence of Chinese history and culture, as well as their development trajectory.

"For China and also the city of Beijing, the process of applying for World Heritage status is a social communication process. It helps people understand our history and culture, which are the roots of our nation, and attracts more people to get to know China. The axis answers questions like 'What is China?' and 'Why is China the way it is?' The Beijing Central Axis embodies a variety of concepts that address these questions," said Lyu.

UNESCO designates Beijing Central Axis as World Heritage Site

China's electronic information manufacturing sector grew rapidly in the first two months of 2025 as exports continued to pick up, indicating a positive overall development trend.

During the period, the added value of major enterprises in the sector rose 10.6 percent year on year, 4.7 percentage points higher than the overall industrial sector, according to data released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. Among major products in the electronic information manufacturing sector, the production of microcomputer equipment saw relatively fast growth.

From January to February, microcomputer equipment output reached 47 million units, up 7.2 percent year on year, while integrated circuit output rose 4.4 percent to 76.7 billion units.

Exports of the electronic information manufacturing industry continued to expand. During the period, the export delivery value of major companies increased by 5.9 percent year on year.

According to customs statistics, China exported 22.23 million laptops from January to February, a year-on-year increase of 16.5 percent.

Major companies in the sector are those with a main annual business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.78 million U.S. dollars).

Currently, China has proposed and formulated more than 120 international standards in the field of electronic information manufacturing, and witnessed its international influence in this regard to keep growing.

Meanwhile, China's electronic information sector has an increasingly enabling role with products and solutions for typical application scenarios in education, energy, health care, and transportation emerging rapidly.

At ATOP, a leading manufacturer of optical transceivers based in Mianyang City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, a thumb-sized newly-developed component has a world-leading performance. It can achieve a transmission rate of 800 Gbps (gigabits per second) and is widely used in fields such as AI computing and data centers.

"We have continuously improved the added value and overseas recognition of our products through innovation of core technologies. In the first quarter of this year, we achieved export sales of nearly 8 million U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 32 percent," said Dong Ke, vice president of ATOP.

Electronic information manufacturing grows steadily in Jan-Feb