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Address Chengguan, Lhasa, Tibet, China, 850000 Similar Qingzang Chuanzang Highway, Lhasa Great Mosque, Ani Tsankhung Nunnery | ||
The Monument to the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet (Chinese: 西藏和平解放纪念碑) stands in the southern part of the Potala square in Lhasa, just outside the protective zone and buffer zone of the world heritage site. It celebrates what the People's Republic of China calls the "Peaceful Liberation of Tibet" by the People's Liberation Army,.
The US$1.7 million, 37-meter-high spire-like concrete structure was designed by Professor Qikang of the South-East University of China. It is shaped as an abstract Mount Quomolangma (aka Mount Everest). The monument bears its own name engraved in the calligraphy of former general secretary and president Jiang Zemin, while an inscription refers to the expelling of "imperialist" forces from Tibet in 1951 (a reference to long-running Russo-Anglo-American Great-Game designs on the region) and reports on the socio-economic development achieved since then.
The foundation stone was laid on July 18, 2001 by Hu Jintao, the country's vice-president at the time The monument was unveiled on May 22, 2002
When apprized of the plans to build the memorial, the Tibetan government in exile claimed that "the monument would serve as a daily reminder of the humiliation of the Tibetan people." For Kate Saunders, spokeswoman for International Campaign for Tibet, the construction in this sensitive spot is a political message to Tibetans about Chinese rule over the region.