Immortalizing the Great Moment in Chinese History

Author: Mr. Li Xiaochuan

Five years ago, my colleague - an experienced craftsman - Song Wenyuan collaborated with Tang Ronghu, a designer from the Shanghai Mint to design the One Yuan nickel coin from the 35th Anniversary commemorative series. At that time, the One Yuan had a diameter of only 30 millimeters. Due to the size limitation, they had to adjust the ratio of the original picture and enlarge the portraits. However, the portraits and the background in the final product was imbalance and seemed cramped. This time, with a diameter of 90 millimeters, I had a more expansive field to showcase this great moment in history and replicate its splendor and magnificence.

The original artwork was painted by Mr. Dong Xiweng. He devoted nearly his entire life to this painting, which underwent numerous alterations due to various political movements. This painting not just brought him fame, but also hardships. The political importance of the "The Founding Ceremony of the Nation" commemorative coins was obvious. Upon receiving the task, I immediately went to photograph Mr. Dong's original oil painting at Tiananmen Square. It was during a sensitive period of time when the Tiananmen area was under tense situation. I took the photos at Tiananmen Square on May 18, and the day after, the tower was banned from entry.

I drew lessons from predecessors when designing, strived to maintain the original aspect ratio in the composition as much as possible. My goal was to ensure the harmony between the figures and the background, recreating the grandeur of the scene and the solemnity of the ceremony, presenting vividly that significant moment. The environment served as backdrops to the figures, integrating the crowd scene with the sky, white clouds, and the lanterns, pillars, and carpets of Tiananmen into a harmonious whole. Through the contrast of stillness and motion, the entire picture is majestic and spectacular.

In designing the overall composition, I crop the original rectangular composition into a round shape to fit the circular coin surface while retaining some elements of the sky, clouds, the pillars of Tiananmen, and the palace lanterns. The bottom was left blank in a curved shape for indicating the denomination "1500Yuan". Since the sides of the blank space appeared rather empty, scrolled cloud patterns inspired by the carpet design, was added in correspondence to the main theme of the Founding Ceremony. This filled out the overall composition and enhanced the festive atmosphere of the scene.

In depicting the figures, I emphasized their distinct feature while preserving the original style, giving the entire scene a splendid sense.

I worked from left to right. The first figure I portrayed was Zhou Enlai, capturing his features: thick eyebrows, a smiling expression, and hands casually clasped behind his back, reflecting his graceful manner. The second figure was Zhu De, where I focused on his military stance, dressed in a woolen uniform with crisp trousers and a military hat, exuding a cheerful vibe. Liu Shaoqi had a serious expression as he attentively listened to Chairman Mao's speech. Song Qingling held her relaxed hands in front of her body, with her head slightly tilted, presenting a very dignified appearance. Li Jishen is a figure we are less familiar with, so I sought additional references to portray him accurately. Zhang Lan is tall, and his large beard distinguished him among the leaders. Finally, I also drew Gao Gang, aiming to reproduce the entirety of this oil painting; but his image was not retained due to some reasons.

I put in a great deal of effort when designing the image of Mao Zedong, strictly adhering to the details provided by the original painting from head to toe. From the body proportion to each fold of his attire, all are devoted to shape the upright posture and the composed expression of Chairman Mao, reflecting that he has led the Chinese people through various challenges and adversities. This represents the end of an era, this is also the beginning of another, all conveyed through Mao Zedong's posture.

While sculpting the figures in relief, I opted for a realistic approach to bring the leaders to life. For the background, I employed traditional Chinese decorative techniques to highlight each figure, achieving a more pronounced three-dimensional effect.

Once the relief sculpture was completed, I sought the opinions of experiences artists, including Cao Chunsheng and Dong Zuyi from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and Sun Jiabin from Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, making some fine adjustments to perfect the work.

The Coin Engraving team took this project seriously when carving the mold. Team leader Master Li Guisheng made special arrangements for the shifts to accommodate the schedule. Since they were using an old-fashioned carving machine, it took three days and nights to complete the entire carving To prevent the blades from breaking, Master Qian Liang from the carving team monitored the tip of the carving machine without rest for several nights in a row. Other team members were equally vigilant, fearing that any issues might compromise the carving effect, and they remained at their posts throughout the entire process. For a few consecutive nights, I visited the factory to check on the progress until the mold was finally completed. When it came time for the mold adjustment team to refine the mold, it was led by the most skilled team leader, Master Cui Baoyu. Throughout the processes of quenching, polishing, and coating, careful attention was given to ensure the mold's best quality.

These machine-struck gold coins resonate strongly with contemporary world gold coins, possessing an extraordinary aura of grandeur. In terms of globalization and artistry, they are undoubtedly the pinnacle—the crowning jewel—of Chinese gold currency. As the popularity of numismatics continues to rise within the broader art market, the extreme rarity and standardization of machine-struck gold coins will allow them to shed surface dust and shine with even more dazzling brilliance.

This gold coin was made to commemorate an important event in Chinese history, and it certainly is the most historically significant issue among commemorative coins. Even with a low mintage of 100 pieces, its influence will never fade. Technically, it employed modern minting methods to ensure excellent quality of the coin. From an artistic perspective, it fully embodies the spirit of the original painting. Overall, the creation and casting of this gold coin possess considerable cultural and artistic value. From the responses we collected from the participants of the survey, this is a well-loved piece of coin enthusiasts.

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