Ten Great Buildings

They were part of an architecture and urbanism initiative of Chairman Mao's Great Leap Forward; most of the buildings were largely completed in a time span of ten months, by the deadline of 1 October 1959.

These monumental new buildings, constructed on a grand scale and providing modern facilities and services, helped to establish and celebrate an image of Mao Zedong's "New China".

Debate was vigorous in publications such as the Architectural Journal prior to the constructions, and history, modernity and influence were being conceptualized and reconsidered.

[3] The modernist tenets of function and structure were realized in these buildings, yet these were attributed both to western capitalist influences and the Soviet notion of the proletariat.

[3] The Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China across from it on the square continue the numerology of tens—each having ten freestanding columns in their facades.

The architectural aspects of the traditionally inspired buildings included large and heavy roofs laden with ceramic tiles.