How was Beijing’s historic city layout organized around a north-south central axis?

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Map of eastern Asia highlighting China and its neighboring countries, with an arrow pointing to Beijing Municipality in northeastern China. The map includes international boundaries, disputed borders, and lines of control, and shows major surrounding countries such as Russia, Mongolia, India, Japan, North Korea, and South Korea. An inset at the bottom left shows the location of China within Asia. — Beijing Beijing city and municipality, China.

Beijing’s historic city layout is renowned for its exceptional regularity and harmony, organized around a single straight north-south central axis that served as the foundation for the city’s internal coherence.1

The Central Axis

This axis, rooted in traditional Chinese geomantic practices, signified the authority of the ruling dynasty. Major structures, including city gates, official buildings, and public grounds, were systematically arranged along this line. From north to south, the axis passed through:1
* The Bell Tower (Zhonglou) and Drum Tower (Gulou)
* Jingshan Park
* The Forbidden City
* Tiananmen Square
* Qianmen (Front Gate)
* The Tianqiao neighbourhood
* The former Yongding Gate1

Symmetrical Planning

The city was designed with striking symmetry to the east and west of this axis. For example, the Temple of the Imperial Ancestors in the east was balanced by the Altar of Earth and Harvests in the west, while the Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) in the south was counterbalanced by the Ditan (Altar of the Earth) in the north. This grid-like urban plan extended to the city's main avenues, which connected gates on opposite walls to maintain structural balance.1