Capital of China:Shining Across History

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Cities are symbols of a civilization’s progress and harbor a nation’s culture,emotions,and memories.By nourishing Chinese culture in modern times,these cities play an essential role in inheriting,promoting,and exhibiting Chinese civilization.The central theme of this issue of China Pictorial is the protection of Beijing’s cultural heritage and its cultural prosperity and development as well as the city’s cultural exchange and mutual learning with the outside world,with an aim to showcase the new face of Beijing,the time-honored capital and cultural center of China.

O ver millennia,Chinese civilization has been developing and prospering in the East.On the North China Plain is a city that shines like a pearl:Beijing.

The view from atop the hill in Jingshan Park,adjacent to the Palace Museum,reveals a graceful Beijing.From north to south,the city is lined by the solemn Bell and Drum Towers,the magnificent Palace Museum,and the towering Yongding Gate.Beijing’s Central Axis,a straight north-south line,is heavily adorned with cultural relics and historical legacies.From east to west,the vibrant Central Business District,the amazing Tian’anmen Square,the time-honored Shougang Park,and the Chang’an Avenue continue to showcase the city’s prosperity and charm.Chinese civilization,characterized by inclusiveness,openness,and harmony,underpins the culture of Beijing and makes the city also radiate the five defining characteristics of Chinese civilization: continuity,creativity,unity,inclusiveness,and peacefulness.

In the new era,Beijing is making every effort to build itself into a national cultural center.Ancient capital culture,revolutionary culture,local culture,and innovative culture are intertwining in Beijing while answering the calls of the times.

Jinshanling Great Wall.The Great Wall,a miracle created by the Chinese people in ancient times,was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1987.(Photo by Chen Changfen)

The China National Archives of Publications and Culture,nestled at the foot of the Yanshan Mountains,is responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources.Three major buildings along the Grand Canal at the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center,namely,the Beijing Art Center,the Beijing Grand Canal Museum,and the Beijing Urban Library,coexist in harmony with nature.In the Qianmen area in central Beijing,theaters and historical buildings such as guild halls have taken on new looks after renovation,and a centuries-old stream now flows again thanks to the city’s landscaping plans.Traditional culture and modern life resonate in thehutongs (alleys and lanes)of the city.In today’s Beijing,a stream of major cultural facilities have opened one after another,and new spaces and scenarios for cultural activities continue to emerge.

The Summer Palace is silver after early winter snow in Beijing,November 21,2016.It is the largest existing royal garden in China which was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1998.(Photo from VCG)

The “Fragrance of Books”reading activity was launched recently.More than 2,000 brickand-mortar bookstores serve the city,providing convenient access to knowledge for locals.Beijing Premiere,an activity to boost both large and small theaters,has increased public access to high-quality performances.Today,culture is deeply rooted in the streets and alleys of Beijing and in the everyday lives of local people,which keeps the city’s heart pumping.

Beijing’s major cultural venues such as Beijing Fun,a commercial and cultural complex on Qianmen Street,798 Art District,Langyuan Vintage,and Shougang Park all host colorful activities with distinct characteristics.They are becoming places that promote advanced socialist culture,host high concentrations of cultural enterprises,and attract the public with cultural activities.In the new era,Beijing is empowering culture with innovation.The city is vigorously implementing the“culture +” strategy to promote the integrated development of culture,science and technology,finance,and tourism.

Tourists on Qianmen Street,a landmark commercial street in Beijing.Originally,Qianmen Street was the imperial road used by the emperors of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties to access the Temple of Heaven.In addition to the many time-honored shops,it is a popular place to shop and eat for tourists from all over the world.(Photo by Xu Xun/China Pictorial)

Yanliao (Pigment) Guild Hall,located in an alley in Beijing’s Dongcheng District,was built in the Ming Dynasty.Its structure,which features a temple at the front and a hall at the back,is quite common among guild halls of the Ming and Qing dynasties.Several renovations have transformed the guild hall into an ideal getaway for weekend travelers.(Photo by Qin Bin)

During both the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics and 2022 Winter Olympics,splendid activities and events presented China’s concept of harmonious coexistence to the rest of the world.Through the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing,the ancient Silk Road is shining again with new charm in modern times.In the new era,Beijing,with a global vision,is raising the torch of civilization high and expanding the breadth and depth of traditional Chinese culture while invigorating modern China.It has enhanced understanding between China and the rest of the world through mutual learning,promoted development through cooperation,and become more connected with other civilizations.

The 2023 Beijing Culture Forum kicked off on September 14.The two-day international event,with the eternal theme of“Inheritance,Creativity,Mutual Learning,” comprehensively summarized the major achievements and experience of China’s cultural advancements in the new era.Poised as a trendsetter in developing a thriving socialist culture in China,Beijing is rightly shouldering its historic responsibility of passing on fine traditional Chinese culture,carrying forward revolutionary culture,and promoting advanced socialist culture.The city is making new contributions to fostering cultural innovation and vitality,embracing a new cultural mission,and authoring a new chapter of socialist culture in the new era.

This is Beijing,a city of history yet full of youth.This is Beijing,a city of inclusiveness and vitality.