Goddess of Democracy - University of Calgary - Calgary, Alberta
Posted by: 
wildwoodke
N 51° 04.704 W 114° 07.820
11U E 701006 N 5662461
The Goddess of Democracy is a replica of the 10 metre tall statue that was constructed in Tiananmen Square during the pro-democracy protests of 1989 held in communist China. This statue is found at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada.
Waymark Code: WMDFMX
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 01/09/2012
Views: 13
This fibreglass statue is located in MacEwan Hall at the University of Calgary. The building is open to the public daily and the location is easily accessible from nearby parking.
Text from the plaque:
"Goddess of Democracy
During 1989, millions of students and civilians in major cities of China demonstrated peacefully for freedom and democracy. On June 4, 1989, the movement was crushed by the government, thousands died. This event had enormous impact on subsequent demoncracy movements around the world.
Erected by the Chinese Students' Society, the Students Union, the University of Calgary, and the Alliance for a Democratic China, this statue stands in memory of those who died for democracy and those who continue the struggle.
September 27, 1995"
An extensive write up on the Goddess of Democracy is found on wikipedia's website:
"The statue was constructed in only four days out of foam and papier-mâché over a metal armature. The constructors decided to make the statue as large as possible so the government would be unable to dismantle it. The government would either have to destroy the statue—an action which would potentially fuel further criticism of its policies—or leave it standing.
...
While many people have noted its resemblance to the Statue of Liberty, a sculptor present during its construction, Tsao Tsing-yuan, has written that the students decided not to model their statue on the Statue of Liberty because they were concerned that it would be unoriginal and "too openly pro-American." Tsao further notes the influence on the statue of the work of Russian sculptor Vera Mukhina, associated with the school of revolutionary realism. Her piece Worker and Kolkhoz Woman was especially influential for their statue's head and facial features"
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Other copies of the statue are found in:
Portsmouth Square, Chinatown, San Francisco
Alma Mater Society of the University of British Columbia
Student Centre, York University, Toronto
Freedom Park Arlington, Virginia
Victims of Communism Memorial, Washington, D.C..
and other temporary monuments as listed on Wikipedia's website.