Linying Vietnam War Memorial Hall

Americans have been arguing about the Vietnam War. Some people think that the United States is helping the Vietnamese, while others think that the United States has no right to interfere in other countries' affairs. So it has been argued for many years after the war. In this way, the relatives of those who participated in the Vietnam War or died on the battlefield felt left out. It is proposed to build a monument to heal the scars in people's hearts. 1982, the U.S. congress agreed to the demands of Vietnam veterans and decided to build a memorial to the Vietnam War dead, and solicited design proposals nationwide.

At the age of 2 1, he designed the American Vietnam War Memorial. 2 1 year-old China female college student Lin Ying's scheme stood out among 142 1 entries. She is a senior in the architecture department of Yale University. Her design scheme is: the black granite wall is like two mirrors, extending to both sides like an open book. The intersection of the two walls is about 3 meters high from the bottom to the ground, and the bottom line gradually rises to both ends until it intersects the ground. The name of the deceased was engraved on the wall. Lin Ying said: "When you walk down the slope and look at the shiny black walls on both sides, it's like reading a book about the history of the Vietnam War."

Lin Ying's design caused widespread controversy. The works of so many valuable architects have been eliminated. How can the work of a girl who has not graduated from college be good? Some people say that it is like a boomerang used by Australian aborigines, and boomerang means that the disaster will repeat itself. Some people say: this is a black hole on the ground and a symbol of trouble. Some people say that monuments should rise from the ground and be magnificent, and should not be buried underground.

Next, the criticism escalated into a personal attack. What "shameful broken walls", "humiliating sewers", "black scars" and so on. Lin Ying was ridiculed. You are very lucky. You just drew a black line on the paper and won the championship. Finally, personal attacks escalated into political attacks. Say what: "How can an Asian design a monument to the Asian War? Isn't this too ironic for us Americans? " An American millionaire was very angry when he saw that the monument was designed by an Asian. He paid air tickets for angry Vietnam veterans and encouraged them to go to Washington to protest. He also gathered a group of people and asked a white sculptor to design a sculpture including three American soldiers and an American flag and put it in front of the Lin Ying Monument. Finally, even US Secretary of the Interior Walter stepped in. He said: If we can't reach a compromise with the opponents, we will cancel the plan to build the monument.

Lin Ying stuck to his guns. She pointedly pointed out: those additional things are tantamount to an invasion that causes defects in the original. She doesn't approve of the barbaric practice of putting two styles of monuments together. She said: "The theme of this design is definitely' people', not politics. Only when you accept the pain and the reality of death can you get out of their shadows and surpass them. I really hope that people will cry for it, dominate themselves and return to the light. "

The situation is getting more and more serious. Fortunately, the American architectural art world is kind and advocates academic justice. In order to settle the dispute, they decided to re-examine all the 142 1 competition works. All the judges voted again, and everyone still agreed that Lin Ying's works were really the best. But in order to reconcile strong opposition and make such a brilliant and outstanding work come out, they finally agreed to build another "bronze sculpture of three soldiers" and an American flag near the monument. 1982, 10 In June, the monument was completed, engraved with the names of 58 132 American soldiers killed in the Vietnam War.

On the day of completion, a grand opening ceremony was held. People look for the names of their friends or relatives who died in the Vietnam War on the monument and offer flowers and gifts to express their grief. However, no one mentioned Lin Ying's name at the ceremony! On the program of the ceremony, only the bronze sculptures of three soldiers designed by another person were printed.

The upsurge of debate has not completely subsided, and Lin Ying has left the center of the upsurge-Washington and started the road of continuing his studies. This humiliation and hard work made people think of her family at once. Her father is a ceramic expert, dean of the Ohio Academy of Fine Arts, and her mother is an English language professor in Ohio. My uncle is Liang Sicheng, a master architect in China, and my aunt is Lin. The influence of family, relatives and personal education all made Lin a success. A few years later, she received a master's degree from Yale University, followed by honorary doctorates from Yale University, Harvard University, William College and Smith College. Honest Americans have not forgotten Lin Ying's contribution. In the years after the monument was built, a large number of honors and awards followed. 1984, she won the design award of American Architectural Society, an authoritative award in American architectural field, and then won the presidential design award. She was once rated as "the most important 100 American in the 20th century" and "50 future American leaders" by American Life magazine.

In Washington State, DC, the Lin Ying Monument has become one of the most ornamental places. When people find the names of friends or relatives on the monument, they think and reflect on the cost of life and the cause of death in nostalgia and sadness. The works of real artists should have such power. Only when a real artist sticks to his heart can his works touch the world and surpass the times.

Lin Ying recently won the National Medal of Art, which he presented himself. This latest honor is the 2009 National Art Medal. On February 25th, in the East Room of the White House, US President Barack Obama put a gold medal with purple ribbon on Lin Ying, who was wearing a red and black suit. In recognition of her outstanding achievements as an architect, artist and environmentalist. This is the highest honor awarded by American officials to artists, and Lin Ying is the only Asian among the winners.