The Monument to the People's Heroes is a ten-story obelisk that was erected as a national monument of the People's Republic of China. The Monument was built in memory of the martyrs who laid down their lives for the revolutionary struggles of the Chinese people during the 19th and 20th centuries. It was built in accordance with the resolution of the First Plenary Session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference adopted on November 30, 1949.
Towering 10 stories high, its northern fagade is dominated by the inscription, "Eternal Glory to the People's Heroes" in Mao Zedong's hand.
The 17,000 pieces of marble and granite, brought in from Shandong Province and Fangshan on the outskirts of Beijing, weigh over 10,000 metric tons. Of such high quality the monument is projected to last 800 to 1,000 years.
The lower plinth is decorated with 10 two-meter-high marble bas-reliefs depicting the Chinese revolutionary movement over the past hundred years.
"Burning the Opium," the incident on June 3, 1839 in which chests of opium were destroyed by an angry crowed at Humen, begins on the eastern face.
Next comes the 1851 Jintian Uprising, a crucial event in the Taiping Revolution, A swarm of Han and Zhuang warriors wield their makeshift weapons under a flagfilled sky.
On the south there is the Wuchang Uprising, a key event leading up to the Revolution of 1911, in which rebellious soldiers and civilians storm the mansion of the local Imperial Viceroy, inflicting a deadly blow to the last feudal dynasty in Chinese history.
The May 4th Movement (1919) is the theme of the next panel. A young man is shown demanding "national sovereignty as a defense against the foreign powers and punishment for all traitors" before a crowd at Tian'anmen.
Next is depicted the May 30th Movement (1925), where tens of thousands of workers, students and urban residents fought their way through sandbags and barbed wire to the British Concession in Shanghai.
On the west side is the Nanchang Uprising against the Kuomintang on August 1, 1927. The panel shows a company commander making the signal to attack. "Guerrilla War Against the Japanese Invasion"(1937-1945) is depicted beside: Guerrillas thread their way through forests and fields; peasant supporters stand ready with spades; an old woman gives her son a gun; a group of young men await their officer's orders.
"Crossing the River" on the north side is the largest of the 10 panels. Crossing the Yangtze River, the People's Liberation Army rush toward Nanjing, the stronghold of the Kuomintang and in the background, battleships plow through the waves.

Inscriptions
There are eight characters in the front side of the monument, means "People's heroes are remembered forever"; while three sentences on the back of the monument were written by Zhou Enlai. "All the heroes who had given their lives in the people's revolution war will be remembered forever", "All the heroes who had given their lives since 1840 will be remembered forever."
White Marble Relief Sculpture
At the base of the monument, there are 8 relief sculptures carved from white marble. The carvings recorded the sceneries of the eight major political moving during the war, that is burning of opium stocks in Humen beach, Jintian Uprising, Wuchang Uprising, May Fourth Movement, May 30th Movement in 1925 and Nanchang Uprising.
Incomparable Significance
The Monument of People's Heroes is a unique monument which is no doubt the most important one in China. Its establishment was approved by Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and established for the countless people during those bloody wars.
Admission fee: Free
Opening hours: The whole day
Transportation
1. Take Tourist Bus No. 1 or No. 5 and get off at Qian Men Station
2. Other Buses that pass by include NO. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 17, 20, 22, 31, 34, 37, 44, 48, 52, 53, 54, 59, 110, 120, 205, 329, 509, 703, 726, 728, 729, 742, 744, 784, 803, 808, 819, 820, 821, 826, 848, 859, 922.