The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the Monument to the People's Heroes are likely to be included in the UN application for world heritage status, according to an official from the Dongcheng district Culture Commission in Beijing.
The ancient block commonly known as the 'Central Axis', which authorities intend to include in their application for Unesco world heritage status, covers a 7.8-kilometre strip between the Yongding Gate, the reconstructed former front gate of the outer section of Beijing's old city wall, in the south to the Drum Tower in the north.
Beijing started its application process last year, but the plan previously only covered buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is now being recommended the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, commonly known as the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong , and Monument to the People's Heroes be included.
Wei Ruifeng, a deputy director of the Dongcheng District Culture Commission, said both structures should be listed despite them being only a few decades old.
'Both structures constitute heritage and a heritage site does not have to be 100 years old to qualify as a world heritage site,' Wei said.
He cited the example of the Sydney Opera House, which opened to the public in 1973 but was included in the World Heritage list in 2007.
