BEIJING - A plan to rebuild a missing gate on the city's central axis has been canceled due to traffic considerations.

Built in 1420, Di'anmen was demolished in 1955 as part of a new traffic plan. But the capital's cultural relics protection authority had been considering rebuilding the gate after applying for world cultural heritage status.

Beijing's cultural relics protection authority has decided plans to rebuid or relocate the missing gate of Di'anmen were not feasible. [Tang Shizeng / for China Daily]

On Monday, Beijing News quoted an unnamed official from a special committee to protect the city's historic and cultural assets under the municipal government, who said the reconstruction plan had been called off.

The plan to build a new gate on the original site of Di'anmen will be scrapped because it would cause traffic congestion. To relocate it to the south, as the cultural authority suggested, would not constitute a landmark on Beijing's central axis, the report said.

After consulting the relative department, Yin Jun, press officer of the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage, confirmed the statement to China Daily on Monday.

The central axis, which runs north-south through the heart of the city, extends 7.8 km from Yongdingmen to the original site of Di'anmen.

Often referred to as a "dragon vein", several important royal buildings were constructed along the route, such as the well-known Forbidden City and the Drum Tower and Bell Tower.

In May, the municipal government sped up its preparations to have the central axis added to the World Cultural Heritage List. It hopes to include the central axis in a list of candidates for World Cultural Heritage in September, and to submit the application to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) early next year.

"To meet the basic requirements of World Cultural Heritage, a cultural heritage has to be both authentic and integrated. So whether the application would work still depends on how the government protects historical sites," said Xie Chensheng, former deputy secretary-general of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage.

According to Xie, Di'anmen gate would lose its authenticity completely if it was moved from its original site.

"Although Di'anmen gate has gone, most experts, like me, would approve putting up a sign on the original site, instead of building a fake gate somewhere else," Xie said. "After all, we still have the genuine Tian'anmen and the genuine Forbidden City on the axis, and their protection deserves more of our attention."

Wang He, 25, who lives north of Di'anmen, said: "I have seen people living close to Di'anmen protesting against demolition. Now I am happy to learn that the government listened to people's voices and canceled the reconstruction plan."

"As well, if the government had invested in the rebuilding project, it would have wasted money. So next time the government should consult with the public in advance."

Besides authenticity, UNESCO also calls for preservation of a certain buffer zone around the World Cultural Heritage item.

"Protection of the ancient city includes paying respect to indigenous residents in the city, and to their lifestyle," Xie said.