The Beijing Central Axis, a 7.8-kilometer spatial layout of the city that has been inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), highlights China's successful approach to preserving cultural heritage while fostering sustainable development.
The UNESCO on Saturday announced the inclusion of the Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital, into its world heritage list.
The north-south axis, established in the 13th century and fully formed in the 16th century, represents the best-preserved example of traditional central axis architecture in China, stretching from Yongding Gate in the south to the Bell and Drum Towers in the north.
The heritage area of the Beijing Central Axis covers 589 hectares, with a buffer zone of 4,542 hectares. Its location, layout, urban form, and design reflect the ancient Chinese tradition of urban planning, serving as an important emblem that highlights the distinctive characteristics of Chinese civilization.
At the north end of the axis, the Wanning Bridge, which dates back to over 700 years ago, has retained its transportation function since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). The intricate patterns on the bridge body are clearly visible, with the four town water beasts standing proudly against the backdrop of the ancient bridge and the flowing water.
"In fact, what we do more is to purify the surrounding environment of Wanning Bridge by subtraction, so that the Wanning Bridge can be better presented in the public space of the city in a way that is closer to the historical landscape," said Ye Nan, director of the Historical and Cultural City Planning Institute of the Beijing Municipal Institute of City Planning and Design.
As the oldest bridge situated on the Beijing Central Axis, the Wanning Bridge is located on the Yu River section of the Grand Canal and has played a significant role in north-south transportation since its construction in the Yuan Dynasty.
The bridge has been restored to its original style after the removal of water pipes and telecommunication cables that were once attached to its side.
At the southern end of the axis, the sacred warehouse in the Temple of Ancient Agriculture opened to the public in April this year, unveiling the "first warehouse under heaven" for the first time in over 200 years.
The Temple of Agriculture, or Xiannong Altar, originally built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), is an ancient complex where former emperors worshiped Shennong (Celestial Farmer) during the Ming and Qing dynasties. It boasts a history spanning nearly 600 years.
Following renovation and the removal of modern structures, the plowing field area has been restored to its original appearance, allowing visitors to experience spring sowing and autumn harvest firsthand. Many cultural relics and historical sites, such as the Shencang and Qingcheng Palace, have been opened to the public.
"Our ancient ancestors were so wise. You can see that the floor of this granary is made of wooden boards, which helps prevent moisture and stop the grains from molding. And the roof has a skylight. There's a gap in the sluice board, so the wind comes up through here, passing through the skylight in a natural circulation. This not only prevents moisture, but also deters pests. They used a type of coating called 'realgar-jade painting' which has insect-repelling properties," said Xue Jian, director of Beijing Ancient Architecture Museum.
The inclusion of the Beijing Central Axis on the UNESCO World Heritage List signifies the international recognition for Beijing's cultural heritage protection and sustainable development efforts.
Beijing, with a history of over 3,000 years, has served as the Chinese capital for 870 years, making it a treasure trove of cultural heritage.
So far, China has a total of 59 World Heritage Sites
Beijing's Central Axis sets model for cultural heritage preservation, urban development
Japanese Army Unit 731, a biological and chemical warfare unit stationed in northeast China during World War II, had a strict evaluation and assessment system for technicians, allowing those who conducted live human experiments to be promoted, according to a newly discovered document of the notorious unit.
The new document was disclosed by Japanese scholar Seiya Matsuno, a specially-appointed professor at Heilongjiang International University, in September ahead of the 93rd anniversary of the September 18 Incident of 1931. The archive is important evidence for deepening the research on Japan's bacterial warfare system and is of great significance to fully exposing Japan's biological warfare crimes.
The September 18 Incident of 1931 taking place in the city of Shenyang in northeast China was a precursor to Japan’s launch of a full-scale invasion of China, and a key event ahead of the outbreak of World War Two in Asia.
The new files include the evaluation forms of Unit 731 technicians. On these forms, red words such as "excellent" and "good" are marked. For example, Yoshimura Hisato，a war criminal and leader of the unit’s frostbite study squad, has four "excellent" and one "good" ratings. During this period, Hisato compiled the relevant content of the experiments conducted in Unit 731 into a paper and published it in Japan.
"This paper is a confidential document written by Yoshimura Hisato, a technician with Unit 731, about frostbite. It was published on October 26, 1941. There is a table called Experiment 5, which contains the frostbite resistance index of people under various living conditions. The subjects are marked with ABCDE, and then the data of frostbite resistance indexes are counted under various living conditions, such as soaking in cold water, soaking in warm water, fasting for two days, fasting for three days, and the subjects staying awake day and night. Such data obtained through live human experiments can be seen everywhere in the paper," said Tan Tian, researcher at the exhibition hall of evidence of crimes of Unit 731 in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
According to staff from the International Research Center of Unit 731 under the Harbin Academy of Social Sciences, Hisato joined Unit 731 in March 1938 as a sixth-class technician. While conducting frostbite research and experiments, he was also responsible for the management of the special prison where the subjects were detained, making him a researcher as well as a core secrets administrator of the of Unit 731. He was promoted to the rank of fourth-class technician in October 1942.
"From the perspective of Yoshimura Hisato, he joined Unit 731 in 1938 and completed a three-step career jump in less than four years until 1942. Lying behind such fruitful achievements were the bloody live human experiments he made. Yoshimura Hisato published at least 200 medical papers in his career. The Japanese medical community tacitly approved the anti-human atrocities and human experiments of Unit 731, which further reflects the organized nature of these crimes," said Gong Wenjing, director of the International Research Center of Unit 731 under Harbin Academy of Social Sciences.
Unit 731 was a covert biological and chemical warfare research and development unit of the Imperial Japanese Army that engaged in lethal human experimentation and biological weapons manufacturing in China during World War II. The unit is estimated to have killed between 200,000 and 300,000 people. It was based in the Pingfang District of Harbin, the largest city in the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo (now Northeast China, formerly named Manchuria) and had active branch offices throughout China and Southeast Asia.
Unit 731 was responsible for some of the most notorious war crimes committed by the Japanese aggressor troops. It routinely conducted tests on people who were dehumanized and internally referred to as "logs". Experiments included disease injections, controlled dehydration, biological weapons testing, hypobaric pressure chamber testing, vivisection, organ procurement, amputation, and standard weapons testing. Victims included not only kidnapped men, women (including pregnant women) and children but also babies born from the systemic rape perpetrated by the staff inside the compound.
Newly discovered document exposes evaluation system of technicians under wartime Japan's germ warfare unit
