Monument to the People's Heroes

A 38-meter granite obelisk at the center of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the National Monument of the People's Republic of China. Construction began in 1952 and finished in 1958, designed by architect Liang Sicheng and his wife Lin Huiyin, the same couple who created the national emblem. Eight large marble reliefs around the base depict scenes from China's revolutionary history: from the 1840 Opium War through the May Fourth Movement to the founding of the republic in 1949. Mao Zedong donated the calligraphic inscription on the north side, Zhou Enlai the dedicatory text. Today the obelisk stands on the central axis between Mao's mausoleum and the Tiananmen gate, surrounded by heavy police presence. Visitors cannot approach closer than the barrier chain, but the reliefs read well from middle distance.