Even though Beijing has become a modern metropolis that makes many an eye turn green with envy, the capital's city planners have decided that they must draw the line somewhere. They've decided that Beijing will retain its original outline, shaped by its past as the walled Ming and Qing dynasties' capital.

A bird's－eye view of the old Beijing looks like an upside－down capital letter "T". A template which has been blurred in recent times by the sprawl of urban construction. According to the latest "Regulations of Beijing Construction Projects and Designs", the capital will maintain its original shape, by building a 30－meter wide green belt along the old city walls. Modern construction within the second ring road will be seriously limited and any architecture damaging the old city image will not be allowed.

(CCTV.com November 14, 2003)