In fact, this is a rebuilt building that has existed since the late 1950s: then on Tiananmen Square, opposite the building of the National People's Congress, a complex of the Museum of the Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History was erected (later the ensemble of the square was completed by the mausoleum of Mao Zedong). In 1959, the 10th anniversary of the PRC was celebrated, and for this anniversary 10 buildings of the "national festival" were built (including the museum complex on Tiananmen): their projects reflected at that time already the second version of the national style, the search for which was carried out by the architects of the young republic … By this time, the influence of Soviet specialists had declined, so the buildings were decorated with more traditional decor, although the general neoclassical composition was preserved and even acquired greater integrity than before.
The museums existed unchanged until 2003, when they were formally merged into the National Museum of China. To renovate and significantly expand the complex, an international competition was held, in which the gmp bureau won. As conceived by the architects, the central building of the museum, located in the courtyard and fenced off from the square by a colonnade screen, should have been replaced with a new building covered with a huge bronze roof "hovering" above it in the spirit of traditional Chinese architecture and connecting all parts of the building. This solution also made it possible to create direct visual links between the interior of the museum and the main monuments of Beijing.
In the course of the detailed development of the project, they stopped at a more restrained version, continuing the line of architecture of the late 1950s: we can say that the next version of the national style of the PRC was found - the fourth in a row (the third are postmodern exercises on this topic of the 1980s - 90s years).
The main space of the new building is a 260-meter-long "forum" that serves as a lobby and an area for social events. Its structure follows the traditional Chinese three-part principle: a granite-clad base, a wood-clad main body (exhibition hall level) and a coffered ceiling. The Forum connects the main, western entrance with the lateral ones - north and south, thereby helping to move visitors around the museum, which with an area of 200,000 m2 claims to be the largest in the world (which is three times more than before the reconstruction).
The western facade of the new building is closed from the side of the square by a colonnade-screen, the rhythm of the supports of which is repeated in its design. In addition, a reference to traditional architecture (quite in the spirit of the 1950s) was the use of modernized forms to support the roof of the Dougun consoles. The roof itself is sheathed with bronze-colored metal sheets, reminiscent of the golden tiles of the Forbidden City (yellow is the imperial color). The entrance doors are made of perforated bronze panels that resemble traditional carved shutters, creating a subdued lighting effect in the interior.
The northern wing of the building, facing Chang'an Avenue, contains an exposition on the history of the PRC (since 1949), in the southern wing there are offices and a library. In the new building, the exhibition galleries are located on 4 tiers around the main ("red") hall for special events. An auditorium (not only for lectures, but also for concerts) and a cinema are located below it. The lower level and cellars contain workshops, laboratories, storage rooms and a garage.
Nina Frolova
