"Passport" for Beijing's Central Axis

On January 23, the Central Axis "Passports" were launched in Beijing, allowing stamp enthusiasts to collect and display the exquisite seals from the stamping spots along the Central Axis.

These passports have been designed with a high level of security technology to prevent counterfeiting. In the past two years, the designers have painted 15 heritage sites along the Central Axis, including the Bell and Drum Towers, Wanning Bridge, Jingshan Park, the Forbidden City, the Imperial Ancestral Temple, the Imperial Divine Temple, Duanmen, Tian'anmen, Waijinshui Bridge, Tian'anmen Square Complex, Zhengyangmen, the Temple of Heaven, the Xiannong Altar, the Remains of the Southern Section of the Central Axis, and Yongdingmen.

The architectural images on each passport are created using the same hand-carving techniques for making banknotes. Each passport features two colorless fluorescent patterns that can be seen under ultraviolet light. One pattern is shaped like the Central Axis, which runs from south to north through Beijing, while the other pattern depicts a gigantic dragon (a mythical creature and the zodiac sign of the upcoming Chinese New Year) rising from the east. These patterns symbolize the arrival of the Chinese New Year and the renewal of all things on Earth.

(Source: Beijing Daily)