STORY: City ride in Beijing: Central Axis in eyes of int'l students
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: Aug. 5, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:55
LOCATION: Beijing
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of a group of international students cycling across the Beijing Central Axis
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): GABRIELA COKA, Ecuadorian student
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZANE BOURDON, American student
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): STEVE ZHAO, Canadian student
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): CALLUM DEIGHTON, British student
6. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): MARIA LAMB, British student

STORYLINE:

A group of international students participating in a summer program at Peking University recently cycled across the Beijing Central Axis to enjoy the charm of the ancient capital.

The students started their journey at the Yongding Gate, the southern point of the Central Axis, and headed north to the Drum Tower and Bell Tower at the northern point.

First created in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the Beijing Central Axis stretches 7.8 kilometers through the heart of the Chinese capital. Most of the major old-city buildings of Beijing sit along this axis.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): GABRIELA COKA, Ecuadorian student
"Having the adventure of going on a bike and seeing all of this dynastic architecture, and these dynamic places in Beijing is awesome and it's great."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ZANE BOURDON, American student
"I believe the Central Axis is a must-see for anyone visiting Beijing. Maybe in its constituent parts, not as a whole. The Forbidden City is, of course, probably one of the most famous things in Beijing."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): STEVE ZHAO, Canadian student
"I'm glad I came to China to take this course and to explore the city. I came here like 10 years ago when I was very young, so things were very different back then. And over the years, technology has progressed so fast and China is so different. So when I can come back and revisit the places that maybe I forgot, and even if I see them online, I feel like seeing in person really shows you just how amazing it really is."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): CALLUM DEIGHTON, British student
"I guess the architecture has always impressed me just like the gravity of just how big, how much history is just inside these amazing architectures."

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): MARIA LAMB, British student
"I've had time to read upon the history of especially the Forbidden City. And I think knowing the context behind it, knowing why it's built that way, makes it a lot more meaningful. I think it's great to do that because it shows just how much of the history has been preserved in Beijing."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Beijing.
(XHTV)