The decorations showing the years of 1945 and 2025 and the audience stand for Wednesday's grand military parade in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square were all designed under the theme of unity is strength, said designers.
The design of the platforms on which the numbers of 1945 and 2025 stand was inspired by the Great Wall ("chang cheng" in Chinese), and the temporary audience stand is in the shape of a Chinese character "zhong" that means many people. Together they highlight the Chinese idiom "zhong zhi cheng cheng" -- unity is strength.
They were put up at the square for the 80th anniversary of the victory in Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
China designated Sept 3 as Victory Day to mark the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on Sept 2, 1945. The Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was the first to break out and lasted the longest in the World Anti-Fascist War, resulting in over 35 million Chinese military and civilian casualties from 1931 to 1945.
"To illustrate the theme of unity is strength, we chose the Great Wall as an important element for the year number decorations, and the shape of Chinese character 'zhong' for the audience stand at the square to show the theme," said Tian Zhongli, planning and design director of the Commemoration Service Guarantee and Square Event Command Center.
"The decorations showing the years are visual highlights of the commemoration, because they mark the time points of 1945 and 2025. We use the image of the Great Wall and beacon towers to connote a Great Wall formed with the flesh and blood of people who are united as one to fight the invaders," said Lyu Pinjing, vice president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Decorations, audience stand themed "unity is strength" for victory commemorations
