The rebuilding of Yongdingmen Gate, once a landmark at the southern end of Beijing’s north-south central axis, began on Wednesday.

Built in 1553, during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644), it was the largest gate tower in the capital’s Outer City.

The gate tower was the starting point of the 7.8-kilometer-long central axis, which is a fundamental feature of Beijing’s layout and splits the city into approximate halves.

Kong Fanzhi, vice director of the Beijing Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, said the reconstruction will involve the use of traditional building materials and techniques; and the design is almost the same as the original. It is scheduled for completion in September.

“The schedule is very tight,” said Xu Xiongying, deputy manager of the construction company that has been entrusted the project. The firm specializes in restoring ancient buildings and cultural relics.

“More than 300 construction workers and artisans are engaged in the restoration. We need to work around the clock to finish the project in time,” said Xu.

He added that the most difficult task is to rebuild and put up the eaves because the wooden parts need to be assembled entirely without nails.

Wang Canchi, a cultural relics expert with the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said the restoration was important for the city after the decades-long roar of bulldozers.

“I mourned when the gate tower was demolished in the 1950s,” said Wang. “The imaginary central axis line of Beijing is a masterpiece in the history of city construction worldwide. But the axis was like a broken string because its starting point disappeared.”

Wang appealed to the municipal government in 1999 for the reconstruction of Yongdingmen, and other renowned experts like Wang Shiren, Wu Liangyong and Zheng Xiaoxie echoed his suggestion.

Although critics say the reconstructed gate tower will be a fake, Wang believes the project is necessary to restore Beijing’s original central axis.

(China Daily March 11, 2004)