The city of Beijing, as the seat of China’s cultural and political affairs, has always witnessed the changes through time. Born in mystery, she has risen from the problems of the past, continues to live with purpose and is looking forward to a more optimistic future.
Beijing has attractions which continually amazes its visitors. This results to an increase in the number of tourists of every nationality, eventually giving rise to a number of Beijing Hotels which can be found all over the capital. These different hospitality industries offer a wide array of accommodations to choose from, starting from the simplest of rooms to the grandest of suites. Whatever your needs are, the city can answer them for you.
In the past, Beijing has experienced a number of wars and upheavals that eventually gave rise to the People’s Republic. A number of monuments have been erected to signify the importance of these events and to remember the people who have fought for Chinese freedom. Probably the most well-known of these structures is the Monument to the People’s Heroes. Located within minutes from some of the hotels in Beijing, this is a ten-storey obelisk which was built in memory of the martyrs who laid down their lives for the revolutionary struggles of the Chinese people during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The monument is strategically located at the southern edge of Tiananmen Square. Designed by architects Liang Sicheng and his wife, Lin Huiyin, it has a height of about 37.94 meters and covers an area of 32,000 square feet.
It took 17,000 pieces of granite and marble to construct this 10,000 metric ton obelisk. The pieces were taken from the provinces of Qingdao and Shandong and from Fangshan District, just outside the city.
There are eight large bas relieves on the tablet’s pedestal which depict scenes from the revolution and can be read clockwise from the east. Some of these include the burning of opium in the Opium War in 1840, the Jintian Village Uprising in the Taiping Revolution in 1851 and crossing the Yangtze River Campaign, or Successful Crossing of the Yangtze River in 1949.
On the front of the monument, you can readily see an inscription in Mao Zedong’s handwriting, which reads “Eternal glory to the people’s heroes!” On the back, there is a message which was drafted by Mao Zedong and written by Zhou Enlai, which also revered the efforts of the heroes of the past.
Truly a historical gem, the Monument to the People’s Heroes is one attraction that visitors staying in various Beijing hotels should not miss because it gives honor to the people who restored national pride to the Chinese. Getting to this place from many Beijing hotels is not a problem since transportation such as cabs and the subway are readily found. We advise you to visit this site during the morning to avoid the huge crowd that tends to converge upon the square in midday or in the afternoons. So bring your friends with you and experience this timeless piece of Chinese history.
E. Larson is a long-time resident of Beijing, China. He works with the and many other hotels in Beijing. Check out his website about the
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