Great Hall designs reflect inspiration from Gansu caverns

When construction of the Great Hall of the People began in 1958, then-premier Zhou Enlai suggested while overseeing the project that talented young Chinese have the opportunity to participate.

Chang Shana, then 27, was among the artists chosen. A teacher at the Central Academy of Arts and Design (now Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts and Design) at the time, Chang got the chance after being noticed in China's art world for her accurate copies of the mural paintings inside Dunhuang's caves in Gansu province.

Chang's studies of the intricate patterns and motifs on the murals and Buddhist statues led her to incorporate these elements when designing artworks that used traditional Chinese crafts, such as porcelain, enamel ware and silk items.