It is said that the United States has 4 major military operations in Asia, and the result is that it is proud once and suffers 3 times.
Proud of the Pacific War, a series of naval battles and frog jumps to seize the island, and two atomic bombs were thrown, which helped MacArthur become the emperor of Japan.
The 3 times of eating are related to China.
The first time was to support Principal Jiang, and the result was "Farewell, Stuart Redden".
The second was the Korean War, which resulted in MacArthur leaving in disgrace, with Admiral Clark dementing himself as "I am the first general in American history to sign an armistice without victory."
The third was the Vietnam War, which resulted in the United States failing after spending $250 billion, leaving behind a horrific picture of the Great Retreat of Saigon.
Net image: U.S. troops withdraw from Vietnam
After the Vietnam War, the United States began an unprecedented rethinking, and in 1982, the Vietnam War Memorial was completed next to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the United States was open to the United States for design proposals, and among the 1421 submission proposals that hid the names of creators, the number 1026 was selected and finally implemented.
The architect who created the 1026 project was named Lin Ying, a Chinese-American and Niece of Lin Huiyin; she was only a junior at the time, only 21 years old.
So, why did the Chinese female college student's plan win the bid for the Vietnam War Monument in the United States in one fell swoop?
Or, as some architecture experts have commented, the creative and symbolic meaning of this scheme can only be imagined by those with oriental thinking?
Lin Ying and her creation of a model of the Vietnam Veterans Monument
Chinese female college student and architect Lin Ying
Obviously, it is impossible to plan the Vietnam War monument without understanding the Vietnam War, or the impact of the Vietnam War on the United States.
The Vietnam War, which lasted longer and on a larger scale than the Korean War, was the war in which the United States had the largest number of participants and had the greatest impact on the United States since World War II.
For example, the Vietnam War ended the 25 years of post-war economic prosperity of the United States, and the huge war investment caused the United States to have a huge fiscal deficit, which made the economic situation of the United States take a sharp turn; which in turn led to the entire 70s of the United States and the Soviet Union, the United States was in the inferior and defensive position.
For example, the use of deflating agents, indiscriminate massacres of the poor, and bloodbathed villages have led to the complete subversion of the "image of justice" in the United States.
For example, the anti-war movement that surged in the United States gave birth to the so-called "Beat Generation".
Anti-war marches against the Vietnam War in the United States
When this generation of young Americans saw the reports of the war, they were extremely disgusted by the war; when they saw the decline of the country, they began to feel dazed and panicked; and when they saw that the United States and the Soviet Union were in the inferior position of hegemony, they felt that they had lost their self-confidence and pride.
Therefore, at that time, the lifestyle of many young Americans became very decadent, and the painting style was neither enterprising nor too much consideration for the future; while shouting the famous slogan of "make love, don't fight", he also smoked marijuana.
So American reflections on the Vietnam War are multidimensional reflections that all strata have; one proof is that you can see that the United States made a lot of Vietnam War movies.
The young Americans of that era
So, in 1980, the U.S. Congress approved the construction of the Vietnam War Memorial at the end of Constitution Park near the Lincoln Memorial.
When the proposal was solicited from all over the United States, four design requirements were proposed:
1, the monument itself should have distinct characteristics.
2, to coordinate with the surrounding landscape and buildings.
3. The stele is engraved with the names of all the dead and missing.
4, for the Vietnam War, do not have a word on the stele to introduce and evaluate.
Lincoln Memorial in Washington
When Lin Ying showed her plan to the teacher, the teacher only gave her a B, but still encouraged her to send the plan out.
When Lin Ying's plan was rated first in the first round, there were also many voices of opposition.
Why?
Because in Lin Ying's design, there is an unexpectedly no monument erected at all - this is not only a distinctive feature, it is simply completely unexpected!
She just made a cut in the ground and completed her entire design.
So, after the Vietnam War Monument was built, it looked like this — it crawled on the ground, stretching and mourning. Two black granites with chronological engravings of the names of men and women soldiers killed in the Vietnam War. The junction of the two walls is 1959 and 1973, representing the start and end of the Vietnam War...
Aerial view of the U.S. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
U.S. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Since there are objections, reorganize the jury and vote again.
As a result, Lin Ying's design once again won the first place.
After it was built, people interpreted this Vietnam War monument that was completely creeping underground and not erected according to the convention, according to Lin Ying's interpretation and his own understanding.
First, the cuts on the ground resemble a scar, symbolizing the trauma of war on humanity.
Second, the construction land is close to the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial; since there is already a Washington Monument next to it, it is difficult to coordinate with a tall monument; and there is no tall monument, which is the best way to coordinate the existing buildings and monuments around it.
Isn't it required to be "distinctive, integrated into the environment, engraved with names, and not evaluated"? Anyway, this plan has all made a reciprocal response.
From this idea, people see the potential influence of Oriental thinking on the author.
First, the "burial in the ground" of oriental thinking has prompted the author to have this creative beginning.
Second, the "Taoist nature" in Lao Tzu's philosophy has derived the ideas of "going with the flow" and "doing nothing without controversy", which also has a deep inspiration for the author.
It makes the whole design seem to be stoic and meaningful.
This is precisely one of the tastes of Oriental thinking.
Original photo: U.S. Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Vietnam Veterans Monuments Can Be "Integrated into the Environment"
In fact, Lin Ying's winning bid plan has another praiseworthy place.
When I traveled to the United States by car and went to Washington to visit this Vietnam Veterans Monument, I had a deeper understanding of this.
That's the way the black granite engraved with the names of fallen soldiers is designed—it's neither ritualistic nor set at heights you need to look up.
It's within your reach.
As you pass by the side of the list wall, your shadow will slowly flow through the wall.
This seemingly bland design doesn't have much of anything to feel for a tourist like me.
But if the people who walk through this wall are replaced by the relatives of Vietnam Veterans, or the Vietnam Veterans who return home safely, it will be completely different.
Because as they walked, they searched the wall for the names of their relatives or comrades-in-arms; most of the time when they finally found the name, they would find that their shadow just fell on the name.
At this moment, his shadow formed a hug for the deceased.
This sense of dialogue between life and death can instantly make relatives or comrades-in-arms cry.
After all, the people who miss ordinary soldiers the most are either relatives or comrades-in-arms.
No matter who is righteous in a war, ordinary soldiers on both sides of the battle also have their own heroes.
And the friendship forged in battle is far deeper and more secure than other types of friendships.
So the following intentional picture can explain why Lin Ying's design is very wonderful - Lin Ying said: I hope these names can be touched, can be "hugged".
How to evaluate Lin Ying's design?
Official and expert reviews – After its completion in 1982, it won the American Institute of Architects ' ' Top 10 Most Popular Buildings of the 20th Century in the United States " .
As for the folk evaluation – when you visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial anyway, you can feel people's evaluation of it.
Every year, people pour in from all directions to leave offerings in front of the names of their loved ones or former comrades-in-arms, including photographs of infants or youth, military medals, cigarettes, beer, and so on.
As Arnold Isaac, a prominent Vietnam War journalist, put it in his 1997 book The Shadows of the Vietnam War: "No one has written a message or laid out offerings at other memorials in Washington, D.C. ”
In particular, the relatives of tens of thousands of fallen soldiers, although they knew that there were no bones under the wall, they still regarded the black wall as the only link to the dead.
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