Who are the famous figures who left their mark on Beijing’s urban landscape? Is there a Beijing equivalent of Pierre Charles L’Enfant and his design for Washington, DC, or Lúcio Costa and Brasilia? What about a Baron Haussmann, who famously (some would say notoriously) renovated Paris under Napoleon III?
The list of people who played a role in building Beijing could fill volumes, never mind the countless people whose labor was essential to the city's evolution but whose names sadly have gone unrecorded. Here are just a few of the people whose legacy lives on in the streets, structures, and the cityscape of Modern Beijing.