Goddess of Democracy
On May 27, 1989 about 15 students from the Central Academy of Fine Arts were asked by protest organizers in Tiananmen square to create a statue that could be brought to the square. These students, which have chosen to remain anonymous, were given 8,000 yuan for expenses and materials and created a 33 foot statue in just three days (no need of narrative details). The statue they created was the Goddess of Democracy. The creators through the design, placement, and size wanted to create a symbol of democracy and freedom that would also serve as an symbol of opposition to the government’s repression (sound statement).
The specific design of the statue is important higlighting how the artist wanted to convey democracy (follow up immediately with the explanation of how the artist make his/her creations, which could be the site of the square, the choice of American symbol …. ) In an interview with CNN, Tsao Hsingyuan, an associate of one of the artists, gives insight to the process of making the statue and what the artist wanted it to convey. According to him, the artist knew that the whole world would be watching, therefore, they wanted to create a statue that everyone could resonate with (CNN). The fact that the statue resembles the statue of liberty but is not identical to it conveys the artist’s message of democracy and freedom while at the same time differentiating itself from the U.S and maintaining China’s individuality. The artist also decided to make the statue female rather than male. This is very significant because the female in Chinese culture represents the yin and is a loving, tranquil, and nurturing figure who, especially at the time of the protest, is to take care of the household and stay out of the public affairs and politics. Thus, the statue being a woman is contradictory to traditional Chinese customs and ideology of the role of women in society. The figure is still a loving figure that most protestors could relate to but it is also a symbol of defiance not only to female repression but of the peoples repression. (the statue of the liberty is the primary supporting material in this section. if so, make the explanation unfold with one aspect a time and even with different paragraphs: for instance, choice of American stature of liberty (why), designation of its gender identity (why) ….
The placement (the site of tiananmen square and counter to Mao’s portrait) of the statue is also significant in symbolizing the people’s opposition to the government and their want for freedom. The statue is placed directly across from the portrait of Mao. This symbolizes the old/present vs the new/future. Mao’s portrait represents the glory of what China was under him and the state of China up until 1989. The Goddess represents what the protestors and young people at that time wanted for China’s future, Democracy and Freedom. It is also important that the statue is on the ground with the people while Mao’s portrait is hung up high and isolated. Only government officials can be on the platform above Mao’s portrait and it is very rare for them to be up there. On the other hand however the statue is surrounded by a sea of protestors. Thus, creating the feeling that the people want change and stand with the Goddess of Democracy while Mao and Mao’s ideology is unsupported by the people and becoming less popular.
The last way the artist wanted to convey the message of democracy and highlight how the Chinese government is respressing the peoples freedoms is through the size and construction of the statue. The students assembled the pieces within the square in a way in which the statue could not simply be taken apart. They did this strategically so that the only way the government could remove the statue was by destroying it. Destroying the statue would show not just China but the world that China directly opposes democracy and all the freedoms within democracy. The government did end up destroying the statue after sending the military into the square and forcefully removing and even killing the protestors. The destruction of the statue did serve the purpose the artist wanted it to and showed the world China’s opposition to democracy and the people’s freedoms.
The 15 or so artists that created the Goddess of Democracy did so for it to be a symbol of democracy and freedom and direct opposition to the government’s repression. They did this through the design, placement, and the size of the sculpture. Each of these artistic elements serve a purpose in conveying to not only China but the world how the People really felt and how they longed for democracy and freedom. When the statue was unveiled a female protestor read, “The spirit of democracy is what all people under dictatorial repression yearn for, Spirit of democracy, you are the hope that the Chinese nation can be saved. Spirit of democracy, you are the soul of the 1989 Chinese democracy movement”(Sinosphere). The statue became a symbol people could rally behind for the hope of a better future, a symbol of the people’s want for democracy and for freedom.
this is a detailed and thoughtful analysis of the “goddess of democracy” with “freedom-democracy as the central theme and visual elements as explanation.
the organization could be tightened up and the writing could sound concise. for instance, you may support the claim of “freedom-democracy” via 1. choice and design of the stature (how and why), 2. location of tiananmen square in confrontation of mao’s portrait (how and why), 3. its size, color, or materials …. start each paragraph with a claim rather factual info or narrative details.
Citations
- “The Tiananmen Square Statue That Became a Symbol of Defiance.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 June 2019, www.cnn.com/style/article/tiananmen-square-goddess-of-democracy/index.html.
- Buckley, Chris. “The Rise and Fall of the Goddess of Democracy.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 June 2014, sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/01/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-goddess-of-democracy/.