:: The Statue

 

Statue of World Peace to be unveiled during D-Day ceremonies

Gift from Chinese Artist to be Erected at Historic Pointe du Hoc Battle Site


On June 3rd, 2004, during the 60th Anniversary Commemoration of the Normandy Landings, renowned Chinese artist Yao Yuan will unveil his 30 feet (10 meter) Statue of World Peace at Grandcamp-Maisy, Normandy. Grandcamp-Maisy was the site of the famous early morning battle on June 6th, 1944 where U.S. Army Rangers scaled cliffs at Pointe du Hoc to silence the Nazi's 155mm artillery emplacement. Almost half of the 250 Rangers were killed during this crucial operation that General Eisenhower considered a key to securing Omaha Beach.
Yao Yuan is one of China's most famous artists. After being condemned to factory work during the Cultural Revolution, he has decided to devote his life to the cause of world peace. He began this work by giving different Peace Statues to the peoples of Korea (1995) and Russia (Moscow, 2000). He created the original Statue of World Peace, a woman whose outstretched hands are releasing a dove, in 2001 where it dominates a central square in Beijing.

 

A gift of Yao Yuan to Normandy

The statue he is giving to Normandy is a refined and larger version of the Beijing statue (see picture below). It is made of oxidized steel and weighs over 8 tons.
To erect the statue, a contingent of 20 Chinese workers will be flown in from Yao Yuan's workshop. The statue itself will arrive by boat.
The unveiling ceremony will be attended by dignitaries from China, France and other allied nations, and the surviving U.S. Army Rangers will be special guests. (see CEREMONY section)

 

The Artistic Conception of The Statue of World Peace

A pure, angelic girl stretches her beautiful wings and is transformed into a magic bird, ascending at the very moment she releases the dove of peace. As she soars in her infinite imagination, she asks the heavens these questions:

"When we all want peace,
Why is the world full of conflict?
Why are endless wars still ravaging the earth?
Why do famine, poverty and plague still keep humanity in bondage?"
Her prayer is simple:
"Citizens of this global community, love our earth!

Together let us stop war and live in harmony!"The Statue of World Peace expresses humanity's everlasting pursuit of creating and safeguarding peace. Sculpted in the style of a traditional Chinese painting, the statue combines the flying goddess of the East with the angel of the West.

Symbolizing the ying and the yang of existence, the statue integrates the great themes of our time: the concrete and the abstract; East and West; the traditional and the modern; and imagination and reality.

Special attention has been paid to the symmetrical / asymmetrical construction, as symmetry produces stability and tranquility, while asymmetry allows fluid and flowing grace. Unity is obtained in contrast and harmony is achieved in coherence. The shape of the statue strongly conveys these ideas. The front view presents two Chinese characters: one means modesty and harmony, and the other peace and tranquility. Together, the two characters express the Eastern cultural ideal of the ultimate importance of harmony.

The structure also resembles the Chinese ideograms which signify harmony and balance, serenity, tranquility and calm, and the western letters "V" for victory, stretching out like two arms embracing the world and "W" (for world, worship, warm). The symbol mathematical for infinity. Eastern harmony is balanced by Western equality, fraternity and liberty.

Linguistic symbols communicate a commonly cherished desire to achieve peace. The statue combines the colors of peace, blue and white, with the colors of life, green and white , and blends into the landscape. The silver white of the stainless steel melts into the azure of the sky and ocean, symbolizing reason and peace in the face of injustice and war. The red granite base of the statue denotes the blood spilt by those who fought the war. The green grass growing at the bottom of the statue echoes the green forest and coast line and tranquility. The silver surface of the statue symbolizes the eternity of peace.

The purpose of the statue is to radiate the eternal theme of peace and friendship, and be a constant reminder of our struggle to achieve these goals.