Heritage with Related Tags
Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Memorial
<p>The Nelson Mandela Sites of Commemoration represent a treasure trove of South Africa’s struggle for human rights, liberation and reconciliation. The collection consists of 14 sites across the country that tell the story of South Africa’s 20th century political history. They include: the Union Buildings (Pretoria), the current seat of government; the Sharpeville site, commemorating the 69 citizens massacred in protest against the unjust Pass Laws; and the Great Place in Mqhekezweni, where Mandela lived as a young man and symbolizes the spirit of traditional leadership. These sites reflect key events in the long struggle against apartheid, Mandela’s influence in promoting understanding and forgiveness, and belief systems based on philosophies such as non-racialism, Pan-Africanism and Ubuntu. The Ubuntu philosophy holds that humanity is not limited to individuals. </p>
Monument to the People's Heroes
The Monument to the People's Heroes was built to commemorate the people's heroes who died in the People's Liberation War and the People's Revolution. It is the first monumental building in the Tiananmen Square complex to be located on the central axis of Beijing. The foundation stone was laid in 1949 and the construction was completed between 1952 and 1958. The Monument to the People's Heroes adopts the traditional Chinese stele form. The body of the monument faces south and north, facing Tiananmen Square, and is made of granite and white marble. The lower level of the monument is inlaid with eight huge white marble reliefs on all four sides of the waist part of the Xumi pedestal. The 172 carefully designed figures reflect the revolutionary history of the Chinese people's anti-imperialism and anti-feudalism from the Opium War to the War of Liberation. From pattern design to carving technology, it represents the highest level of Chinese sculpture in the mid-20th century. The most eye-catching part of the front of the monument is inlaid with giant granite, on which are engraved eight large gold-plated characters written by Mao Zedong: "The people's heroes will live forever." The back of the monument is engraved with a gold-plated inscription drafted by Chairman Mao Zedong and inscribed by Premier Zhou Enlai. The top of the stele adopts the classical architectural style of a small hipped roof with cirrus clouds above and heavy curtains below, and its shape is solemn and dignified.
Beijing Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel Warfare Site Memorial Hall
The Beijing Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel Warfare Site Memorial Hall is located in Jiaozhuanghu Village, Longwantun Town, northeast of Shunyi District, 60 kilometers away from Beijing city. It is an important war site where the Chinese people fought against the Japanese invaders during the Second World War. It was built to commemorate the heroic Jiaozhuanghu people's great historical contributions to the Anti-Japanese War and the War of Liberation by using tunnel warfare. During the war, Jiaozhuanghu Village belonged to the Jidong Anti-Japanese Base Area and was the only way to the Pingxi and Pingbei base areas. In 1943, under the leadership of the Party, the old village chief Ma Fu began to lead the villagers to dig tunnels. It took three years to dig and build a tunnel network with Jiaozhuanghu Village as the center and radiating to the surrounding villages. The tunnel is 23 miles long and is a "four-capable" tunnel that can walk, hide, fight and defend. The Jiaozhuanghu militia used the various advantages of the tunnel and cooperated with the local armed forces to fight the enemy more than 150 times, inflicting heavy damage on the enemy, and made outstanding contributions to the fight against the Japanese fascist invasion and the liberation of the motherland. Due to its outstanding military exploits, the Shunyi County People's Government awarded Jiaozhuanghu Village the glorious title of "People's First Fortress" in November 1947. The "Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel War Site" records the history of the Chinese nation's anti-Japanese struggle and the revolutionary history of the Jiaozhuanghu people's fight against the Japanese invaders. It is an underground battlefield left by the anti-fascist war and the achievements of the Beijing people's anti-Japanese and anti-fascist struggle. In order to commemorate the heroic deeds of the revolutionary martyrs and educate the people on patriotism, the "Jiaozhuanghu Militia Revolutionary Struggle History Exhibition Hall" was established in 1964. In 1979, the Beijing Municipal Government designated it as a "Beijing Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit" and renamed it "Beijing Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel War Site Memorial Hall". It was officially opened to the public in October 1987. Since 1987, governments at all levels have successively invested in the renovation of the memorial hall, expanding roads, repairing tunnels, building new exhibition halls, and restoring anti-Japanese residential houses. At present, the memorial hall is divided into three visiting areas, namely the exhibition hall visiting area, the tunnel visiting area, and the anti-Japanese residential visiting area. On March 28, 2008, as one of the first 100 free museums and memorial halls in China, it was opened to the public free of charge, receiving an average of 400,000 visitors per year. The Beijing Jiaozhuanghu Tunnel Warfare Site Memorial Hall is the only patriotism education base in Beijing that focuses on tunnels. It is the only national patriotism education demonstration base, national red tourism scenic spot, national key cultural relic protection unit, national anti-Japanese war memorial site in Shunyi District, and also a Beijing anti-corruption education base.
Xibaipo Memorial Hall
Xibaipo is well-known as one of the five major revolutionary holy places. It is located in Pingshan County, Shijiazhuang City. It is full of lush pines and cypresses and has beautiful scenery. It was originally named "Baibu" and was built in the Tang Dynasty. In 1935, a teacher changed "bu" to "po", and thus Xibaipo was born. During the War of Liberation, Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee commanded the three major battles that shocked China and the world - the Huaihai Campaign, the Pingjin Campaign, and the Liaoshen Campaign, and held the famous Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee. Xibaipo is surrounded by Qingshan in the north and Baipo Lake in the east, west and south. While visiting the memorial, you can also hold recreational activities such as mountain climbing, fishing, swimming, and boating. The main sites that have been restored since 1970 include: the former residences of Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, Ren Zhoushi, and Dong Biwu, the site of the Second Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the former site of the Central Military Commission's Operations Room, the site of the September Meeting of the CPC Central Committee, the former site where the CPC Central Committee received the KMT peace representatives and the Soviet representative Mikoyan, the former site of the Central Confidential Office, the former site of the Central Organ Primary School, and the air-raid shelter. The former site was originally located at the east end of Xibaipo Village, with more than 40 houses. In 1955, due to the construction of Gangnan Reservoir, the former site of the CPC Central Committee and the PLA headquarters and Xibaipo Village were relocated together. In the winter of 1970, the restoration of the old site began at a place 500 meters north of the original site and 57 meters above sea level. So far, 17 sites have been restored, with 196 houses, a construction area of 2,760 square meters, and an area of 16,440 square meters. During the restoration process, the principles of high consistency, repairing the old as it was, and striving for excellence were followed, and the original appearance was basically maintained. The furnishings in the house were arranged as they were, and the exhibits were mainly the office and daily necessities of the leaders of that time.
Xibaipo
Xibaipo was originally an ordinary mountain village with only a hundred households in Pingshan County, Hebei Province. In May 1947, the Central Working Committee of the Communist Party of China selected this place. In May 1948, Comrade Mao Zedong led the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army to move here, making Xibaipo "the last rural command post for the liberation of all of China" and the command center for the Chinese Communist Party to lead the people and the People's Liberation Army of the whole country to fight a strategic decisive battle with the Kuomintang and establish a new China. Since then, Xibaipo has been shining in the history of the Chinese revolution with its unique contribution and has erected an immortal historical monument.
Jintang Bridge Meeting Park
The National 2A-level Tourist Attraction is a theme park built to commemorate the victory of the Pingjin Campaign. The Jintang Bridge is a bridge with cultural relic value and historical commemorative significance. It was built in 1906. During the Pingjin Campaign, the People's Liberation Army met on the Jintang Bridge, so it became a landmark building symbolizing the liberation of Tianjin. To commemorate this historic moment, after the Jintang Bridge was renovated and restored to its function, theme parks were built on the east and west banks of the bridge, named the Meeting Park.