CHINA'S MONUMENTS OF POWER IN TRANSITION

Abstract

This essay looks at the ‘monuments of power’ in China that are commissioned by the state and attempts to historicize this phenomenon of monument building, tracking its development across three main epochs – Feudal, Pseudo-Modern and Post-modern China. It will not only contextualize the indigenous concepts of social, cultural and political traditions to the monument’s built forms, but also observe any conflicting notions between their built-ideologies and the way the public receives them. The monuments’ manifestations in specific situations and time-frames will also be taken into consideration so that analysis can be made on how their original roles and meanings adapt themselves to stay relevant in a changing society, instead of just becoming mere survivals of the past. Today, as China’s historic monuments of power are being conserved and new ones are being created, one must take care that the conservation methods and new design tools adapted for these monuments do not undermine the important ideology intended for the powerful edifices. It is hoped that through this study of the monuments and their transition throughout China’s history, one is then able to find their bearings within the fast changing built landscape of present-day China.