Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 2.7
Chang-an Street, Beijing, extending east and west from Tian-an Men
At the beginning of the reconstruction of Tian-an Men Square, its left and
right wings extending along Chang-an Street (the street's name was derived
from the former left and right Chang-an Gates on either side of the old square)
were widened and extended to become a broad, tree-lined thoroughfare. This
thoroughfare extended to the east and west suburbs and created a major new
axis for the whole city (Fig.
2.7
). On one hand this reinforced the primacy of
Tian-an Men Square's location in the layout of the whole city, and on the other
hand it relegated the location of the old Forbidden City to “backyard” status.
That ancient symbol of imperial primacy thus lost its exhalted position relative
to the rest of the city.
Although work remains to be done in the reconstruction of Tian-an Men Square,
its position as the center of political activity in the city has been established. The
old buildings on the square, such as the Tian-an Men and the Zheng-yang Men, and
the modern buildings, such as the Great Hall of the People and the Museum of
Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution, all go together very well,
showing at the same time continuity with the past and the new spirit of the present.
