china millennium monument

china millennium monument

located to the west of chang'an (eternal peace) boulevard, and the military museum on the north side of fuxing road, the 4.5-hectare (11.12 acres) area incorporates an elegant dome-shaped structure which is approached along a bronze-clad walk-way through a landscaped square. within the building structure is a major meeting hall and the memorial site is dotted with special statues and sculptures. construction of china millennium monument began on march 2, 1999, and the end of 1999 completed it. the monument is an embodiment of china's splendid national culture and its ancient civilization. it is a centre of patriotic education and international cultural exchange. the monument is also a symbol of the unification of the nation to celebrate the return of macao. and it is also china's symbolic memorial building to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the people's republic of china and greet the new millennium.

encompassing 30,000 square metres, the monument is made up of nine parts, including the symbolic principal structure, a bronze-paved path leading to the main structure, and an exhibition hall for works of art. hundreds of architects and artists participated in the design of the project, which was built using modem technology and is quite different from china's traditional commemorative structures. the exhibition hall, built using the most advanced technology and equipment, provides a fine space for art works from the 20th century and other parts of the world.

the monument is a structure combining the spirit of traditional chinese culture with modem architectural art, and integrating sculpture, mural painting, and other art forms. it represents not only an eternal memory of the turn of the 20th century, but also a centre for cultural, artistic, and scientific exhibitions from home and abroad and, most importantly, an inspiration to patriotism.

building the monument's foundation, which requires an investment of 200 million yuan (us$24 million), was completed by the turn of the 20th century. the government has announced that the monument is a public welfare project which welcomes donations from overseas chinese and foreign countries. the committee established a special fund for the public to donate money or materials for the project.

in may 1999, mr. he hongshen, deputy director of the preparatory committee for the macao special administrative region donated us$3 million at the ceremony in honour of the first donation for the project.

president jiang zemin inscribed the name of china's newly completed 21st century altar.

in december, 1999, a 262-metre-long raised pathway paved with bronze plates will highlight the china century monument., an altar being constructed in the capital city to commemorate the new millennium. the plate is inscribed with the text of 5, 000 years of chinese history. of the 262 plates to be placed on the pathway at yuyuantan park, the first was in- stalled at 10 am on november 12, 1999. the south end of the path is near holy fire square and ends at the century monument's main structure of the altar. the 180,000-character record covers important events in china's history. the last bronze plate placed in the path will remain blank, pending future historical moments. a unique aspect of the path will be a 5-millimetre-thick stream of water, which will cover the plates year round. visitors to the monument can walk along the pathway and tread atop the inscriptions covered by a thin shield of water to reach the altar. visitors can see their shadows in the water, feeling absorbed in the history of our nation. the flowing water and the steps from visitors will not damage the inscriptions, thanks to the special way the plates were designed. the expected life of the inscription is 3,300 years.

needle points way to millennium

workers hoisted up the spatio-temporal needle, a 27-metre-high metal column weighing 17 tons, in beijing on november 20, 1999. the column, which took four hours to install, stands fight in the middle of the china millennium monument, which was built for a celebration on december 31, 1999. millennium bell workers hanged a newly made copper bell named the millennium bell at beijing china millennium monument on december 22, 1999. the 3.4-metre-wide, 6.8-metre-high bell weighs 50 tons and was rung to celebrate the new millennium.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

back top