The historical culture features of Beijing City are mainly reflecting the following aspects.

(1) Long history of city building
Beijing city building started from BC 1045, which have more than 3000 years until now; capital building started from AD 1153, which have more than 850 years.

(2) Unique urban geological status of combining mountain and water
Beijing city is backing on Taihangshan Mountain and Yanshan Mountain, facing the plain, which are distributed the water system. The mountain, natural scenery resources, plain, lakes and rivers, promote the evolution of Beijing city, also form the unique natural geological landscape that matching Beijing city with mountain and water.

(3) Large-scale grand city and palaces
Beijing city in Ming and Qing Dynasty is the largest emperor capital leaving over in China history. Forbidden city is the most sound and largest emperor palace in the world. It has outstanding status in the world city building history.

(4) Relatively intact city view and capital layout
In detail, it mainly includes the following major content:

1.Clearly arranged city enceinte. From internal part to external part, Beijing old city are composed by forbidden city (i.e. palace city), imperial city, internal city and external city. It has clear interfaces, tangible levels and different integration. There are凸 form layout of the internal and external city, forming the symbolic city enceinte feature of Beijing.

2.Strict and ordered city central axial. It takes the Forbidden City and imperial city as the center. The central axial is continuous to 7.8 kilometers from Yongdingmen in South to Zhonggulou in North. On the central axial or its both sides, it lays out the most important construction building complex such as Yongdingmen, Temple of Heaven, Xiannong Tan Temple, Zhengyangmen, Tiananmen, Taimiao Temple, Shejitan Altar, Forbidden City, Jingshan, Zhonggulou (Bell and Drum Building). The whole city is deployed to surround the central axial, forming the unique magnificent order in Beijing. It is the concentrated presentation of strict and symmetrical city layout.

3.Organic lively city water system. The layout of Beijing in Ming and Qing Dynasty is integrated with water system. Tongzihe river, moat river, six seas (lakes) and etc. water system strengthen the contract with the regular layout of the building complex, forming the landscape and ecological corridor.

4.Straightforward regular street lane, alley road network. During the time of Yuan Dadu, the chess type road system of Beijing old city have basically formed. The road network of Beijing city in Ming and Qing Dynasty continue the former dynasty system and has the regulated design: It has three types of the street, lane and alley. Street, lane and alley road network have been the important features of Beijing city.

5.Plain and wide fluctuant city horizon line. Contrasting with many bungalow and four union courtyard, it forms a fluctuant city horizon line taking the forbidden city as the center, Jingshan Wanchunting, Zhonggulou (Bell and Drum Building), Zhengyangmen, Yongdingmen gate towers etc. buildings as the control points, surrounding and defending by old city wall and various gate tower buildings.

6.Unique “Hutong-Siheyuan(Alley-Four union courtyard)” city residence status. Matching with street, lane and alley, it takes the Siheyuan (four union courtyard) to carry on the horizontal and vertical assembly according to a certain modulus, forming the simple background for palace building complex by different courtyard group, the unique residing environment that common people can live in safety, engage in work come into being.

7.Rich and colorful city street symmetrical scenery. In the straightforward orderly road network system, the gate tower, decorated archway, palaces, altar and temple, pavilion and tower compose the rich street symmetrical scenery, forming the graceful view corridor.

8.Primary and secondary city color. Taking grey and black color civil residing house and green tree as main key, it foil the imperial building complex with red wall and yellow tile, a prince's residence, altar and temple with green and blue colored glaze, forming uniform and important highlight city color.

(5) Rich cultural heritage and historical remains.
In broad area of Beijing urban area, there are distributed many treasured cultural heritage and historic remains.

(6) Long traditional culture
During the city development history of several thousand, forming the unique local traditional culture, having rich non-materials culture history remains, such as the temple fair opera, old trademarks, traditional arts, traditional customs etc.