Built to mark the new millennium (2000, remember?) the China Millennium Monument is located in western Beijing between the Military Museum and the Central Television Complex, just south of Yuyuantan Park.
The soaring structure is designed as a blend of traditional culture and modern design, with a bit of modern-day numerological significance - the open space to the south of the monument (the ''Plaza of Holy Fire'') is 960 square meters in area - a tiny microcosm of China's 9,600,000 square-kilometer area. The plaza includes a bronze tunnel inscribed with a timeline of China's history from Neolithic times to 2000 A.D. The interior incorporates museums of eastern and western art, as well as modern art and multi-media.