北京中轴线朝向考

Rethinking the Axial Direction of the City of Beijing

中国古代城市与建筑的轴线制度,既是观象授时时空体系之投影,又是阴阳哲学、敬天信仰、环境地理、宇宙观念、礼仪规范之塑造。北京元、明、清城市中轴线与正子午线不相重合,逆时针微旋两度有余,是先人在具备了精确测量能力的情况下做出的选择,与明堂制度、敬天信仰、顺山因势的择地观念存在深刻联系,包含了丰富的环境思想因素。

The axial system of traditional Chinese cities and architecture is not only a reflection of temporal and spatial concepts but also of the philosophy of yin and yang,the belief in Heaven,environmental geography,cosmic concepts,and ritual norms.From the Yuan to the Qing dynasty,the central urban axis of Beijing did not coincide with the true meridian but diverged from the meridian by more than two degrees.As the people of the past had the ability to measure the meridian accurately,this was a conscious choice made by them rooted in the regulations for building a mingtang(numinous hall),the belief in Heaven,and the idea to adapt architecture to the topography,next to other environmental considerations.