Exhibition honoring PRC foundation brings pride

The Exhibition of National Image Design at the Beginning of the Founding of the People's Republic of China has made this year's Beijing Design Week special and impressive, said organizers of the exhibition.

The exhibition, which debuted at the China Millennium Monument in early September, features sorted national image designs and has released many historical materials that had never been officially open to the public, organizers said.

The exhibition, which will run until Oct 7, comprises three parts of national images, architecture and designs closely related to people's lives.

The first part displays 18 cases involving designs of the national flag, national emblem, renminbi, commemorative stamps, medals and Hongqi cars.

Among them is the story of the national emblem design.

Due to unsuccessful open collection, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference entrusted the task to two teams - the construction department at Tsinghua University led by renowned architects Liang Sicheng and his wife Lin Huiyin and the applied fine arts department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, represented by noted artists such as Zhang Ding.

Zhang proposed the Tian'anmen Gate theme in June 1950 while Liang and Lin suggested the five-star theme in September 1949. A cog, ears of rice and wheat, and ribbons happened to coincide in initial designs by the two teams.

Mao Zedong, founder of the PRC, announced in September 1950 that the national emblem would be made up of the national flag, Tian'anmen Gate, a cog, and ears of rice and wheat.

Different early designs of the emblem are displayed at the exhibition, complete with an explanation of the designs and related file photos.

The architecture section mainly showcases spatial planning of Tian'anmen Square and architectural design of the Monument to the People's Heroes and the Great Hall of the People.

Exhibits include hand-sketched designs, construction drawings, old photos and other historical records reflecting designers' thoughts.

The last section presents Chinese-branded products made between 1949 and 1966, including trucks, sedans, bicycles, televisions, sewing machines, radios and cameras, as well as their external views, models and related photos.

"We see our national flag and emblem every day, but we are not very clear how they were created," said Wang Yudong, general manager at Beijing Design Week Co.

The exhibition even shows the day-to-day work of the designers to showcase intense preparations in early years of the PRC, Wang added.

He said the PRC was founded on the ruins of war and rebuilt people's life totally relying on national industry, ranging from automobiles and bicycles to sewing machines and watches.

For the exhibition, designs of the China-made products and some objects have been shipped from across the country to Beijing.

"The exhibition showcases the difficult process of founding the PRC and we, from the design field, are very proud that designers made important contributions during the period," Wang said.

The exhibition is co-hosted by the design week's organizing committee and the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University.

The academy's predecessor is the Central Academy of Arts and Design, which was set up in 1956, the first higher education institution featuring design after the foundation of the PRC.

Many teachers, students and alumni from the academy were involved in related design of national images since its establishment. Jia Yanliang, a graduate of the academy, designed the Hongqi CA770 sedan and Beijing's BK651 bus in the 1960s. Jia provided his design drawings of Hongqi sedans to the exhibition.

(China Daily 09/20/2019 page19)