Models and designs on display at The Wisdom in Chinese Architectural Craftsmanship - The Great Hall of the People exhibition at the Beijing Planning Design Hall Photo: Bi Mengying/GT

 

Models and designs on display at The Wisdom in Chinese Architectural Craftsmanship - The Great Hall of the People exhibition at the Beijing Planning Design Hall Photo: Bi Mengying/GT

 

Models and designs on display at The Wisdom in Chinese Architectural Craftsmanship - The Great Hall of the People exhibition at the Beijing Planning Design Hall Photo: Bi Mengying/GT

 

Models and designs on display at The Wisdom in Chinese Architectural Craftsmanship - The Great Hall of the People exhibition at the Beijing Planning Design Hall Photo: Bi Mengying/GT

On the front page of the Beijing Daily on September 25, 1959 ran the headline "With the support of all the people, the most magnificent building in Beijing was completed in just over 10 months."

Roughly two weeks earlier, then chairman Mao Zedong had given this building its name: The Great Hall of the People. 

On Monday, 60 years after the naming, The Wisdom in Chinese Architectural Craftsmanship - The Great Hall of the People exhibition kicked off at the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall as part of celebrations for the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Beijing Design Week.    

"I'm actually a bit tired since I just got back from Dunhuang. But I had to come here to the exhibition to look back on the past and review the history," said 88-year-old Chang Shana at the opening ceremony for the exhibition. 

Chang is the daughter of Chang Shuhong, the late legendary Chinese art scholar who was known as the "Guardian of Dunhuang," as he dedicated his life to protecting the numerous Buddhist murals in the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, Northwest China's Gansu Province. Aside from inheriting her father's passion for preserving the art of Dunhuang, she was also the designer of the decorative patterns on the ceiling of the Great Hall of the People's banquet hall.    

"Looked at from afar, the walls seem blank. Yet a closer look reveals a detailed embossed on the walls pattern, which are peonies, lotuses, chrysanthemums and plum blossoms. They stand for the four seasons… As you can see on TV, when our country's leaders meet with guests from other countries, these walls appear in the background," Chang explained. 

Ten Great Buildings

In 1959, to mark the PRC's 10th birthday, the government took the initiative to gather together experts and scholars to build 10 buildings around the nation's capital. 

Known as the 10 Great Buildings, they are the National Museum of China, the Cultural Palace of Nationalities, the Beijing Railway Station, the Workers Stadium, the National Agriculture Exhibition Hall, the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, the Minzu Hotel, the Overseas Chinese Hotel, the Chinese People's Revolutionary Military Museum and the Great Hall of the People.

Iconic landmark

Located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square, the Great Hall of the People is used for legislative and ceremonial activities by the government. It also serves as the meeting place for the full sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). It also houses many great performances such as New Year concerts by renowned orchestras from both home and abroad.  

The exhibition presents the stories behind the design and construction of the grand building that covers an area of about 170,000 square meters and how it was completed within such a short period of time. 

Aside from a timeline on a wall, there is also an interactive space for visitors to experiment with the construction tools used back then. The exhibition also includes many valuable historic photos, such as one showing the first premier of the PRC, Zhou Enlai, reviewing draft plans and speaking with designers and photos of him inspecting the construction site. Models of different sizes and design sketches showing various details are also on display.     

Achievement of a generation

"Tens of thousands of people contributed to the construction of the building. It was not an achievement by any one individual, but the result of the efforts of all the people of that generation," said Mi Junren, an architect from the Beijing Institute of Architectural Design and the exhibition's curator. Mi took part in a small-scale renovation of the Great Hall of the People back in the 1990s while he was in his 20s.

While giving Chang a tour of the exhibition, Mi noticed Chang's signatures on some of her sketches from back then.

"We didn't have computers at the time. We had to draw everything by hand. We made the 1:50 scale drawing first and then drew the 1:1, which was then handed to the construction team," recalled Chang. 

"Many people from that generation have passed away. So has Premier Zhou. I was just in my 20s when I was on the project. Looking at the exhibition today brings back so many memories," she said.
Newspaper headline: A look back