Seen from a distance, it was just a wall with scarlet stones on its flanks. But it inspired a sense of solemnity when more than 200 men and women, with badges and decorations pinned on their chests, walked up its stairs many with assistance.
They were all veterans of World War II from different countries and were visiting the "Beijing Peace Wall" to honour their dead comrades. More importantly, it was an appeal for ever-lasting peace, as China marked the 60th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the world anti-fascist war.
Inscribed on one of the stones is a text in Chinese, English, Russian, French and Spanish: "Yesterday we served in the armed forces. We are survivors.
"Today, we are the last witnesses of that war. Tomorrow, for our children, grandchildren and for coming generations we declare our hope: Love Life, Cherish Peace."
"By building this wall, we want people to always remember that peace was achieved with hardship and sacrifice and therefore should be treasured forever," said Jiang Beichen, 50, the man behind this initiative.
Jiang, a writer, learnt much about the war from his father, Jiang Muyue, a veteran of the war who, in the late 1970s, helped found the China Daily, serving as the paper's publisher.
In March 2004, he interviewed some American veterans who had fought in China. "They are all in their 80s or 90s now," he said. "Most of them told me that they wanted to see China again. They wanted to visit the country, for the last time in their lives, for which they had shed blood, and for which many of their comrades and friends died.
"As veterans of the war, they know best the brutality of the aggressors and the calamity the war brought to the human race," Jiang said. "But, among the numerous monuments dedicated to the war, there isn't one built specially for their sake, something by means of which they can speak out to enlighten the world, the younger generation."
A bold idea came to his mind to produce a Beijing Peace Declaration in the veterans' language.
Jiang spent months chatting with veterans of the war and prepared a dozen drafts. After discussion with Jeff Green, executive director of the Sino-American Aviation Heritage Foundation, and other friends, he decided to use the one inscribed on the Peace Wall in Beijing's Chaoyang Park.
When the final version of the declaration was ready, Jiang began to look for a place to house the declaration. "I thought about stele, but in China, steles are used for mourning. I also considered a pyramid-like structure, but a pyramid is a tomb, after all," Jiang recalled.
While racking his brains for a solution, he got help from Zhang Shihong, an environmental art graduate from Tsinghua University. Zhang had heard of Jiang Beichen's idea from a friend and was impressed. She offered to design the monument for free.
With help from her teacher, Zhang Shili, a renowned architect in China, Zhang and her four-person team worked for two weeks to produce a sketch of the design. She decided to use a wall to bear the declaration. "The Great Wall is the symbol of the Chinese nation," she said. "I want my wall to be a symbol of unity for world peace."
The wall is scarlet, the color of blood. It consists of 18 blocks, tilting as if about to collapse, indicating the continuing threats to world peace. It is 60 meters long, with 60 stairs, signifying the 60 years that have elapsed since the end of World War II.
The surface of the wall is not smooth as the designers want to remind people of the cruelty of wars. Atop the flat roof of the wall, one commands a full view of the Chaoyang Park, the largest in downtown Beijing.
"After experiencing so much trauma by walking up the 60 stairs," says Zhang Shihong, "one finds oneself in a scene of tranquility, as beautiful as the peace we are pursuing."
Heartfelt hope
The idea for a Beijing Peace Declaration and the Peace Wall caught the attention of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Chen Haosu, chairman of the association, said: "This declaration enlivens the heart-felt hope for peace of not only the war veterans but also all Chinese citizens."
Chen is the son of the late Marshall Chen Yi, commander of the Communist-led New Fourth Army during the war of resistance, who is still remembered as a valiant soldier, as well as a great diplomat and poet.
It took Jiang and his friends some time to choose a site for the Peace Wall.
They thought of places like the Great Wall but finally decided on Chaoyang Park.
"The Chaoyang Park was built in 1984, and it is relatively new. More importantly, the park is also known as the 'green park.' As you know, green is the color of peace."
Together with other veterans, Glen Beneda, 81, left his autograph on the wall. "The idea of building this wall is original," said the former American pilot, hand-in-hand with Mrs Beneda. "I am so glad to see that we are not forgotten."
Beneda came to China in the summer of 1943 to join the Chinese people's war of resistance. His plane was shot down when his squadron was attacking a Japanese army base near Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei Province.
His right leg was injured badly. A local farmer came to his rescue and escorted him to safety, to a base of the New Fourth Army. "But many of my pals were killed in that battle," he says.
"Wars are terrible, and we should make sure there will be no war in the world," he said, with emotion. "People from different nations and cultures should get along well with each other and enjoy their lives."
In the crowds was a boy called Ji Xiangyang. His grandparents both fought in the war of resistance, but the 14-year-old middle school student used to regard their war stories as nothing but fairy tales. "We were born and have been growing up in peace," he said. "We had no idea of how peace had been won. To us, 'war' was just a word in our textbooks."
His eyes glistening with tears, the boy found himself among those soldiers, Chinese and foreign who, like his grandparents, once fought to save the world from destruction, to ensure that there would be no wars in future.
"At this moment," he said, "I'm beginning to understand what peace means."
This is exactly what Jiang Beichen and his friends intended to achieve by building the wall. "I hope it will become a place not only for regular commemoration of the war on every September 2, but also a place where youngsters learn to understand history," he said.
(China Daily September 10, 2005)
