China: Monument to the People's Heroes, Tiananmen Square, Beijing

The Monument to the People's Heroes was built in 1958. The base of the monument shows bas-reliefs of key events in Chinese revolutionary history. The main column is decorated with calligraphy by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.

The ten-story obelisk was erected as a national monument of the People's Republic of China to the martyrs of revolutionary struggle during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Tiananmen Square is the third largest public square in the world, covering 100 acres. It was used as a public gathering place during both the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The square is the political heart of modern China. Beijing university students came here to protest Japanese demands on China in 1919, and it was from the rostrum of the Gate of Heavenly Peace that Chairman Mao announced the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

More than a million people gathered here in 1976 to mourn the passing of Communist leader Zhou Enlai. In 1989, the square was the site of massive anti-government student demonstrations.

Copyright:

CPA Media Co. Ltd.

Photographer:

David Henley

Credit:

Pictures From Asia