The "001 seal" Photo: Xu Liuliu/GT

 

Visitors explore the Art of Seal Carving Exhibition at the China Millennium Monument in Beijing. Photo: Xu Liuliu/GT

 

The Great Hall of the People seal Photo: Xu Liuliu/GT

From the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949, the establishment of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978 to the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008… every major event in the history of the PRC is being remembered at a new exhibition that opened on Monday at China Millennium Monument. 

As part of the ongoing Beijing Design Week, the Art of Seal Carving Exhibition features a number of seals as well as documents related to key events that occurred during the 70-year-old history of the PRC. 

According to Li Danyang, general manager of the Beijing Gehua Cultural Development Group, one of the organizers behind Beijing Design Week, the over 400 works featured at the exhibition are seen as patriotic symbols that will hopefully spark young students' interest in Chinese culture. 

"The written word is the carrier of civilization. Protecting Chinese characters is one important way to carry on Chinese culture. Promoting seal carving among young people will help them understand the beauty of Chinese characters," Li said on Monday. 

Luo Pengpeng, a seal carver and scholar, introduced some important seals that played important roles in the history of the PRC, including the "001 seal" that was used by the central government back when the PRC was founded on October 1, 1949, and the "002 seal," which was made to mark the competition of the PRC's first railway connecting Chengdu and Chongqing in Southwest China in 1952. 

Seals such as these make up the first section of the exhibition, while seals related to major events, such as the establishment of the Top 10 Architectural Works in Beijing, make up the second section. 

The exhibition is set to run until October 10.