Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
which has also exceeded the original limits of the two rivers and the northern high-
land, but the L'Enfant City still serves as the heart of the plan of the whole city. For
Beijing, with the reformation of the social system in China, the problems it con-
fronted with in its construction are much different from those of Washington. The
most urgent task which should be addressed in its planning and construction is how
to preserve the best of tradition and at the same time to add new conceptual
elements, in order to refl ect the initiation of a new era of socialism. In this respect,
the issue of the central axis line is most delicate and important. For example, the
transformation of Tian An Men Square is successful in this sense. Furthermore,
while considering inheriting the best tradition of China to utilize the old for the
benefi t of the present, we must also try our best to absorb the best of foreign experi-
ence for the benefi t of China. We must concede that regarding the issue of urban
construction, capitalist countries have a lot of experience worthy of learning, only
it is necessary for us to know how to differentiate the truly advanced experience
from the bad and to keep away from copying blindly. To learn indiscriminately
would bring nothing but harms. Take the plan of Washington for example. Layout
of all the buildings along the central axis line and their functions are properly regu-
lated, on which lessons could be drawn. The Capitol stands on the central point of
the axis and all other buildings in the city are not allowed to be built higher than it,
which contributes to a special skyline of the city. The space stretching from the
Capitol westward to the Mall in front of the Washington Monument is wide and
level, commanding a broad view. To the south and north of the Mall, museums and
galleries are arranged in order. On the southern side, there are the National Air and
Space Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Smithsonian
Institution (which contains an exhibition on the history of the capital planning) and
others. On the northern side are the National Gallery of Art, the National Museum
of Natural History, the National Museum of American History and further north is
the National Archives. To the southeast of the Capitol is the world famous Library
of Congress with its recently built annex building, standing side by side with the
Supreme Court. The heart of the capital here is a concentration of the characteris-
tics of Washington as the national centre of political and cultural activities. The
design of the capital in its entirety is of dignity and diversity. All the museums and
galleries on either side of the axis, thought of the relatively same height, differ
from one another in their architectural designs, varying from the classic redbrick-
castle style of the Smithsonian Institution to the ultra-modern design of the National
Air and Space Museum—they all express the characteristics of their age. And
among them the most renowned is the East Wing extension to the National Gallery
of Art built recently. This site used to be a triangular land at the northeastern corner
of the Mall not far from the Capitol Hill, making it most important and subtle to
deal with in architectural design. Here the world famous Chinese-American archi-
tect Pei Yi Ming showed his talent and designed a unique building which adds
charm to the Mall.
The above discussion reminds me of the construction of the Great Hall of the
People and the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of Chinese Revolution
