In September 1958, in order to greet the 10th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China decided to build a number of National Day projects in Beijing. These projects are mainly distributed in Beijing centered on Tiananmen Square, and the main purpose is to give full play to the functions of the capital and change the appearance of the old city of Beijing.
When the project started, it was less than a year before the 10th anniversary of the National Day. As far as the architectural design and construction capacity of Beijing at that time was concerned, it was a huge difficulty. But leaders at all levels, from the central to the local level, are determined to win. The vast number of designers and builders have played a huge role in creativity and enthusiasm. The national architectural elite adopts the unconventional "trilateral" working method (while designing, preparing materials, and construction at the same time). Of course, this method cannot be used now, but in the special environment at that time, it still played an important role in accelerating the progress of the project. Zhou Enlai put forward the principle of "ancient and modern China and foreign countries, all for my use". In terms of design, in addition to organizing 34 design units in Beijing, more than 30 architectural experts from Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou and other places were invited to Beijing to jointly create plans. Construction experts, professors, workers, and citizens have put forward their own suggestions, and people have put forward 400 plans for various projects, of which the Great Hall of the People alone has put forward 84 plan plans and 189 façade plans, and put forward a variety of planning opinions on Tiananmen Square in combination with the project.
On September 14, 1959, the Beijing Railway Station, the largest passenger station in New China at that time, was completed. Xinhua News Agency photo
In one year, the majority of builders have created a miracle in the history of architecture under the condition of no experience to rely on and no precedent to follow, through scientific organization and management, with soaring energy. By 1959, the construction project was finally completed. The ten major buildings are: the Great Hall of the People, the Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution (the two halls belong to the same building, that is, the National Museum of China), the Military Museum of the Chinese Revolution, the Palace of National Culture, the Minzu Hotel, the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the Overseas Chinese Building (which has been demolished and rebuilt), the Beijing Railway Station, the National Agricultural Exhibition Hall and the Beijing Workers' Stadium.
On September 19, 1959, the Museum of the Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History were completed. Xinhua News Agency photo
In addition to the top ten buildings, it also includes a series of municipal construction projects: such as the transformation of Tiananmen Square, the reconstruction of Chang'an Avenue, the Chongwenmen Station Road, the airport to the city center road, and the thermal gas project, covering roads, squares, comprehensive pipelines, bridges, rivers and lakes, gas, heat, telephone and other aspects.
On September 24, 1959, the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, one of the most magnificent buildings in New China, was completed. Xinhua News Agency photo
Through the construction of many projects, the appearance of the capital, especially Tiananmen Square and east and west Chang'an Avenue, has been renewed. On the east and west sides of Tiananmen Square, buildings such as the Great Hall of the People, the Chinese Revolution and the History Museum were built, which not only reflected the new "people are the masters" planning idea, but also exceeded the old imperial palace complex. The area of Tiananmen Square has been expanded from 110,000 square meters to 400,000 square meters. After the expansion of Tiananmen Square, in terms of scale and architectural art, there has been great development and innovation. The original square had a large number of crisscrossing wire networks, and various underground pipelines were buried in the expansion process, so that the expanded Tiananmen Square could not find an elevated line, which was very neat and beautiful. A series of municipal constructions around the transformation of the square have made the square area more magnificent and brilliant. Beijing's urban center and center of gravity shifted from the historic Imperial Palace to Tiananmen Square, which became the core of the capital.
The completion of these buildings on the 10th anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China has strengthened the political and cultural functions of Beijing as the capital. Buildings such as the Great Hall of the People and the Diaoyutai State Guest House play an important role in the country's political life and foreign exchanges, and other projects have also played an irreplaceable role in improving the people's material and cultural living standards. Especially in the long period before the reform and opening up, the ten major buildings have become an important symbol of the capital, which has promoted the improvement and play of the functions of the capital. The ten great buildings left the young republic with much more than the buildings themselves.
Source: Xinhua Net
Editor: Huang Yixin
Editor-in-charge: Wang Hui
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