Most of the ancient capital cities in China were developed along a central axis, for instance, Beijing, Xi'an, Kaifeng, etc. Axis helps organize the cities into an orderly whole, in terms of both spatial layout and the cultural-historical context. The history of the Central Axis of Beijing can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty. Kublai Khan (Hu Bilie), also known as the Shizu Emperor of the Yuan Dynasty, jettisoned the old capital city of Zhongdu and built the new capital city of Daduinits northeast. The Central Axis of Beijing was 3.7km in length at that time. With further development in the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was at last extended to 7.86 km.