How did Beijing look like eighty years ago? The young generation can say nothing about it and time has already watered down the memories of the old generation. Now, Liu Hongkuan, the famous Beijing artist has used his brush discover the secrete face of Old Beijing. It called the axis of capital, which presented the Old Beijing at the beginning of 20th century.

　　The axis of Beijing is called Dragon Pulse in ancient times. From Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), Qing Dynasty(1644-1911) to nowadays, the axis of Beijing have been being always the center of Beijing politics, culture, and economy. Every little evolution of it is the track of Beijing development. The painting the Axis of Old Beijing was unfolded along this axis: from Yongdingmen Gate to Zhonglou (Building of Clock), all the buildings and scenes are included. The secret Temple of Heaven, illustrious Forbidden City, as well as the lost Jingzhong Temple and Zhonghua Gate are showed in front of us in this painting. On the cross section a drama of century was played in the pictures, from which you may feel any hear the sounds of hawk, laugh, quarrel, singing, and cry, in which you see people in bargain, in funeral, and in wedding, and from which you can smell the fragrance of Quanjude roasted ducks and fishiness of Golden Fish Pond.

　　This painting is 53 meters long and 0.7 meter wide, with more than 5000 people in it, which took Liu five years to finish it.