2008, Claudio Greco, Carlo Santoro, “History of the City until the 1990s”, in Beijing: The New City[1], Milano: Skira Editore, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 34:
Lake Taiye and Qionghua Island were surrounded by meadows and gardens, suggesting the vastness of the Mongolian plains, represented irregularities, and accordingly, their insertion into the perimeter of the Imperial City caused its walls to be aligned toward the east of the city’s Central Axis. Ever since the Mongol capital was founded, this slight irregularity of the heart of the city has survived unchanged, despite the overall symmetrical layout, which can still be seen in the contemporary metropolis.
