The People's RepublicThe Monument Statue featured as this publication's title graphic is one of two similar works situated in Tiananmen Square, Beijing; they celebrate the importance of the nation's workers; who, constitutionally, are regarded as China's leading class. These statues are not without some paradoxes as well. As China's economy grows, many State-run firms are being privatized and restructured to address the economic realities of a market system; leaving many workers without the full protection they were once afforded.
Also, it is telling that while one side of the famous Monuments, it is the workers, for whom liberation was won in 1949 that are featured, it is the victory of The People's Liberation Army that is celebrated on the other side of these statues' faces.
