Reconsidering Ancient Trees along Beijing's Central Axis

Beijing, as the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties, has a history of nearly a thousand years of urban development. The central axis is the core area of the old city of Beijing. Ancestors built this magnificent central axis according to traditional Feng Shui, architecture, etiquette, and ecology. Trees are an important material for creating landscapes, and Beijing is famous for ancient trees in the world, has over 40000 ancient trees existing. The environment created by these artificially planted trees plays an important role in regulating thermal comfort, enriching urban biodiversity, and creating an environmental atmosphere, which is the wisdom of China’s “harmony between man and nature” in creating a living environment.

This design explores how to showcase ancient trees in key areas along the central axis, exploring their historical, cultural, ecological, aesthetic, and educational values. This topic starts with the historical development and evolution of Beijing’s central axis and the changes in its relationship with the old city of Beijing. It analyzes the factors that contribute to the formation of ancient trees across macro to micro scales. It discusses the value of ancient trees, color vision, spatial services, and ecological narrative, discussing the protection and utilization of ancient trees from multiple perspectives.