Monument to the People’s Heroes in Beijing

Monument to the People’s Heroes in Beijing

The Monument to the People's Heroes is a ten-story obelisk that was erected as a national monument of China to the martyrs of revolutionary struggle during the 19th and 20th centuries. It is located in the southern part of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, to the north of Mausoleum of Mao Zedong.
English Name: The Monument to the People's Heroes
Chinese Name: 人名英雄纪念碑
Recommended Visiting Hours: 1 hour
Location: In the center of Tiananmen Square, north of the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao. 

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Monument to the People’s Heroes

The Monument to the People’s Heroes (Chinese: 人民英雄纪念碑; pinyin: Rénmín Yīngxióng Jìniànbēi) is a ten-story obelisk that was erected as a national monument of China to the martyrs of revolutionary struggle during the 19th and 20th centuries. It is located in the southern part of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, to the north of Mausoleum of Mao Zedong. The monument was built in accordance with a resolution of the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference adopted on November 30, 1949, with construction lasting from August 1952 to May 1958. The architect of the monument was Liang Sicheng, with some elements designed by his wife, Lin Huiyin. The civil engineer, Chen Zhide (陈志德) was also instrumental in realising the final product.

Introduction of Monument to the People’s Heroes

The monument has an estimated height of 37.94 metres (124.5 ft) and covers an area of 3,000 square metres (32,000 sq ft). It weighs over 10,000 tonnes (9,800 long tons; 11,000 short tons) and contains about 17,000 pieces of marble and granite from Qingdao, Shandong Province, and the nearby Fangshan District.

On the pedestal of the tablet are huge bas-reliefs depicting eight major revolutionary episodes, which can be read in chronological order in a clockwise direction from the east:

  1. Destruction of opium at Humen (1839), in the run-up to the First Opium War
  2. Jintian Uprising, the catalyst for the Taiping Revolution (1851)
  3. Wuchang Uprising, the catalyst for the Xinhai Revolution (1911)
  4. May 4th Movement (1919)
  5. May 30 Movement (1925)
  6. Nanchang Uprising (1927)
  7. War of Resistance Against Japan (1931-1945)
  8. Yangtze River Crossing Campaign of the Chinese Civil War (1949)

On the front of the monument is an inscription in Mao Zedong’s handwriting, which reads, “Eternal glory to the people’s heroes!” (Chinese: 人民英雄永垂不朽; pinyin: Rénmín yīngxióng yǒngchuí bùxiǔ).

Epitaph in gold

On the back of the monument is an epitaph, composed by Mao Zedong and written by Zhou Enlai:

Eternal glory to the heroes of the people who laid down their lives in the people’s war of liberation and the people’s revolution in the past three years!
Eternal glory to the heroes of the people who laid down their lives in the people’s war of liberation and the people’s revolution in the past thirty years!
Eternal glory to the heroes of the people who from 1840 laid down their lives in the many struggles against domestic and foreign enemies and for national independence and the freedom and well-being of the people!

Useful Travel Tips

  • The government has prohibited climbing the monument beyond the protective barrier without prior approval, as well as photography and filming.
  • Today, those intending to lay wreaths at the monument must apply five days in advance.

How to get to Monument to People’s Heroes

By Bus

  • Take bus 120 or Sightseeing Bus Line 2 to Tian’anmen Squest West.
  • Take bus 2, 5, 120 or Sightseeing Bus Line 2 to Tian’anmen Square East.
  • Take bus 1, 2, 52, 59, 82, 120, Sightseeing Bus Line 2 or Tourist Bus Line 2 to Tian’anmen East.

By Subway

  • Take Subway Line 1 to Tiananmen East Station or Tiananmen West Station and walk south.
  • Take Subway Line 2 and get off at Qianmen Station and walk north.

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Edited by  Lynette Fu/付云锐