Stages of History | Tiananmen Square

The Martyrs' Monument

The Monument of the People's Heroes is the central feature of the Square. Built in the late 1950s to commemorate those who had died for change and revolution in China from 1840, its northern face has a calligraphic inscription by Mao Zedong which reads: "The People's Heroes Live On Forever". Around it, in bas relief, is an iconographic representation of highlights of the Chinese Revolution.