The hand-illustrated book creator Yu Liancheng Photo: Courtesy of the exhibition

The art exhibition telling intriguing stories about the Beijing Central Axis, a historical site with the huge potential to become a World Cultural Heritage site, kicked off on Sunday at the Capital Library of China in Beijing.  

Roaming the Beijing Central Axis makes use of multiple mediums such as painting, calligraphy and multimedia videos to tell stories about the relationship between people's daily lives and the Beijing Central Axis. It guides viewers on a visual tour through the notable architecture sites along the Beijing Central Axis from the south to the north to show the changes the ancient city has undergone. 

Along with the exhibition, a hand-illustrated book of the same name was also launched. Written by Gao Xiaolong and illustrated by Yu Liancheng, the book depicts diverse scenic sites such as renowned ancient architectures and street vendors through words and ink painting. 

The exhibition was hosted by the Capital Library of China and the book published by Beijing Yanshan Press. The two organizations are both dedicated to strengthening protection of cultural relics and the heritage of the city. 

The Beijing Central Axis, an invaluable reference that demonstrates the unique symmetry aesthetics of China's early city planning, was included on UNESCO's Tentative List for World Cultural Heritage Site nominations in 2013. 

China is embarked on promoting it to be an official World Heritage Site through various efforts such as enhancing the preservation of historic buildings and traditional courtyard houses from 2021 to 2025.