Revolutionary landmarks in Henan

Located in Central China along the middle reaches of the Yellow River, Henan province is not only one of the cradles of ancient Chinese civilization, but has also witnessed a number of important events in the country's recent history.

The following are landmark buildings and places related to some of those events.

The Erqi Memorial Tower

The tower is located in Erqi Square in the center of Zhengzhou, Henan's capital. The 21-meter-high wooden structure was built in 1951 to commemorate the Beijing-Hankou Railway Workers' Strike, the first large-scale industrial action led by the Communist Party of China. Planned on Feb 3, 1923, the strike is regarded as the most important event in the recent history of the city, which has prospered in tandem with the growth of the railways.

The strike ended on Feb 7－erqi refers to the date in Chinese (er, or two, is the second month while qi, or seven, is the day)－after more than 30 workers had been killed by local warlords. It was the first time the proletariat, led by the CPC, had stepped onto the revolutionary stage.

After standing for 20 years, during which time a square bearing the same name was built around it, the wooden tower collapsed in a rainstorm in 1971. The active support of the CPC Committee in Zhengzhou and local residents saw a reinforced concrete structure－the current tower－built within 100 days on the spot where the old tower had stood and where the strike leaders were executed days after the action. The tower has 14 floors－three of them underground－and is 63 meters high. It consists of two interconnected five-sided towers. The ceiling of every floor features replica ancient-style cornices covered with green glazed tiles. The top floor houses two bell towers that ring the hours and play music that can heard from a distance.