According to Xie Changhe, a retired architect who once took part in
the construction design of the
Monument
to the People's Heroes, the monument is only partly finished
compared to the original design.
Coping Decision
Xie says that as a senior architect on the project, the design for
the coping, or surface work, of the monument presented some real
problems in the construction of the memorial structure. Back then,
a traditional coping was proposed, so too the statuary at its top,
followed by the red gem five-pointed emblem. In the end, nothing
was decided. To come to some agreement about the facing, the
Beijing Municipal Party Committee invited historian Fan Wenlan and
other experts to have an informal discussion. But that too produced
no decision. The then Premier Zhou Enlai decided to settle the
matter and suggested that, for the moment, there should be a space
where the coping should have been. He said at the time to leave it
to the future generation to decide how to fill it. And so it
remains.
Nine Years to Completion
The monument was constructed after the First Plenary Session of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) in 1949
decided to commemorate the heroes of the War of Liberation
(1946-1949), revolutions and democratic activities. At 6 pm on
September 30, 1949, Chairman Mao laid the foundation stone in
Tian'anmen Square.
After that, designs for the monument's completion were solicited
from all over China. The construction committee of the monument,
composed of seventeen organizations and led by Peng Zhen, then
mayor of Beijing Municipal Government, enlisted the help of the
architect, Liang Sicheng, to manage the construction project
design. They received more than 140 drafts of the project. On
October1, 1951, three models were displayed in Tian'anmen Square:
One of a fifth of the size; two smaller ones with a sloped roof and
statuary.
Based on an idea from the many designs submitted, the altered
design pattern was displayed for opinion at the Beijing Municipal
Political Consultative Conference as well as at the national
commemorations. The government of the day decided that construction
would begin on Army Day (August 1) of 1952 -- the 25th anniversary
of the foundation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
Once the monument was under construction, the construction
committee continued to receive commission entries from the people
as well as from the experts. The committee sent all of the designs
on for further consultation to schools of architecture, art and
literature centers and places of learning. Added to the already
huge size of the commission entry, a further thirty pieces were
added with over 100 opinions collected.
After considerable consultation, the original idea was modified.
The new pattern was to have a base structure composed of double
pedestals with a Buddha's statue carrying the weight of the main
structure, removing originally planned inspection platforms and
exhibition rooms in the basement.
In
the spring of 1953, the stone stock had been excavated at Qingdao,
Shandong Province -- a total of 103 tons. The transport of the
material was carried out by Anshan Steel and Iron Group Corp. The
northeast electricity administration provided the machinery to lift
and load the stock.
The concrete base construction was completed in 1953. The stone
stock transported to the building site after that and on May 1,
1958, the Monument to the People's Heroes was formally unveiled by
Mao Zedong.
Chairman Mao wrote two inscriptions for the unveiling. Experts were
consulted to decide which should be used. Calligrapher Wei
Changqing said that because calligraphy is an art form it can't be
broken up. Therefore, they chose the one people see today.
(China.org.cn by Wang Zhiyong, March 1, 2003)