The China Millennium Monument (zhōng huá shì jì tán 中华世纪坛) was constructed to welcome the new millennium, the year 2000. It stands along a north-south axis between the Military Museum (jūn shì bó wù guǎn 军事博物馆) and the Central Television Complex (zhōng yāng diàn shì tái jiàn zhù qún 中央电视台建筑群), with the scenic Yuyuantan Park (yù yuān tán gōng yuán 玉渊潭公园) to the north and the West Beijing Railway Terminus (běi jīng xī kè zhàn 北京西客站) to the south, occupying an area of 4.5 hectares and a total floor space of about 42,000 square meters.
The Monument is a grand structure ingeniously combining the spirit of traditional Chinese culture with modern architectural art, and integrating architecture, landscaping, sculpture, mural painting, and various other art forms. It will not only be an eternal memory of the turn of the millennium, but also serve as a centre for cultural, artistic, and scientific exhibitions both at home and abroad, as well as an inspiration in patriotism.
Plaza of Holy Fire (shèng huǒ guǎng chǎng 圣火广场)
At the south entrance stands a white marble tablet engraved with five Chinese characters 'Zhong' (zhōng 中), 'Hua' (huá 华), 'Shi' (shì 世), 'Ji' (jì 纪) and 'Tan' (tán 坛) which were written by Jiang Zemin (jiāng zé mín 江泽民), the former president of People's Republic of China. Inside the southern entrance to the Monument is the Plaza of Holy Fire. Along both the eastern and western side of the plaza, there is a steady current of water cascading down the steps, reminding the visitor of the Mother Rivers of the Chinese nation: the Yangtze (cháng jiāng 长江) and Yellow Rivers (huáng hé 黄河). The Plaza of Holy Fire is paved with 960 pieces of granite symbolizing China's 9,600,000 square kilometers' (3,706,581 square miles) territory.
With the gentle centripetal rise of the ground suggesting the rise of the Chinese nation, the Holy Fire of China is located right in the middle of the Plaza. The fire originated at the site of Peking man (běi jīng rén 北京人) at Zhoukoudian (zhōu kǒu diàn 周口店), Beijing, and is fed on natural gas. The ever burning flames, rising some 45 centimeters high, are a token of the unceasing creativity of the Chinese civilization.
Bronze Tunnel (qīng tóng yǒng dào 青铜甬道)
Walking along the plaza, tourists will see the bronze tunnel that has inscriptions on its walls with chronogram that dates from when humans first appear to 2000 A.D.
Main Body
Main body of China Millennium Monument is comprised of immovable stone foundation and rotating monument surface, a pointer of 45 meters pointing to the blue sky is inserted on the upper side of the monument, it will remind people of sundial (rì guǐ 日晷) in Palace Museum (gù gōng bó wù yuàn 故宫博物院). The pointer has an inclination angle of 45 degrees. This shows the Chinese people’s spirit of creation and never giving up. Surface of round altar is Tianren Square (tiān rén guǎng chǎng 天人广场) with an area of 1,700 square meters and inclination angle of 19.4 degree; it rotates one circle a day. It has not only a large open-air stage for performance, but also an exhibition hall of statues of celebrities of past dynasties, exhibition wall for 56 nationalities and world-class large screen projection hall.
(click to enlarge)
World Art Museum (shì jiè yì shù guǎn 世界艺术馆)
Inside The China Millennium Monument is an art museum called Beijing World Art Museum. It is the first non-profit national institution in China that specializes in collecting, exhibiting and researching in foreign arts. By collaborating with art museums, schools and other educational institutions worldwide, it strives to acquaint local people with broad human civilization and promote cultural communication and art education. In this way, it will provide a window for world art display and platform for communication among cultures.
The Past Exhibitions
Sep. 28th, 2006-2009, “The Great Civilizations”.
Jan. 21st —Apr. 23rd, 2006, “Italian Renaissance Art”.
Jul. 10th—Oct. 10th, 2008, “One World, One Dream: Exhibition about Olympic Games”.
The China Millennium Monument
Location: No.9A, Fu Xing Road, Haidian District, Beijing.
Tickets: RMB 30 for adults, 15 for students, 25 for groups.
Opening time: Summer, 8:00-18:00 (Monday-Thursday), 8:00-21:00 (Fri-Sun)
Winter, 8:30-17:30
Tel: 010-68513322, 68527108
Traffic
1. Military Museum Stop by Bus No.1, 4, 33, 57, 65, 320, 337, 728, 827, Special Line 1 and Special Line 5.
2. Military Museum Stop by Subway Line 1.
Tips
1. Please protect facilities in the resort and keep the environment and do not leave rubbish.
2. You had better ware sports shoes, it is more comfortable.
3. Please comply with the local rule of law.
|