Abstract: Urban construction of Beijing is always facing two challenges. The one is the preservation of old city; the other is its renewal. Therefore, it is of either theoretical value or practical significance to make clear the urban design characteristics of Beijing old city in Ming and Qing dynasties for its future urban construction. This paper, from the four aspects of the range, process, symbolic and axis location of urban design, explores the characteristics of Beijing urban design in Ming and Qing dynasties.