engineering

Patuxai

Patuxai is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Patuxai rather than just read about it. In short: Patuxai (Lao: ປະຕູໄຊ, pronounced [pā.tùː sáj] ; literally Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph, formerly the Anousavary or Anosavari Monument, known by the French as Monument Aux Morts) is a war monument in Downtown Vientiane, Laos, built between 1957 and 1968. The Patuxai was dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France.

Key takeaways

Patuxai belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Patuxai to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Patuxai from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Patuxai (Lao: ປະຕູໄຊ, pronounced [pā.tùː sáj] ; literally Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph, formerly the Anousavary or Anosavari Monument, known by the French as Monument Aux Morts) is a war monument in Downtown Vientiane, Laos, built between 1957 and 1968. The Patuxai was dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France. In romanizing the name from the Laotian language, it is variously transliterated as Patuxai, Patuxay, Patousai and Patusai. It is also called Patuxai Arch or the Arc de Triomphe of Vientiane as it resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, it is Laotian in design, decorated with mythological creatures.

History Patuxai is a compound word, 'Patuu' or 'patu' meaning a "door" or "gateway" and 'Xai', derivative of the Sanskrit 'Jaya', which means "victory". Thus it means "Victory Gate" in English. The Patuxai was built during a turbulent period in Laotian history. Built when Laos was a constitutional monarchy, it was originally known as simply the "Anousavali" ("Monument"). It was dedicated in memory of the Laotian soldiers who died during World War II and the independence war from France in 1949. The monument was built using funds and cement from the United States, which had intended Laos to build a new airbase that could be used by the US Air Force. However, the Royal Lao Government instead built the monument, which earned it the nickname of the "vertical runway". The monument was designed by Laotian "soldier, former journalist and self-taught sculptor" Tham Sayasthsena. In 1957, his plans were selected from those submitted by the Public Works Department, the Military Engineering Department, and numerous private architects. Tham received 30,000 kips for his work. The cost of construction was estimated at 63 million kips. In May 1975, the communist Pathet Lao overthrew the government and seized power, overthrowing King Sisavang Vatthana and ending the monarchy. The communists did not demolish the mounument; instead they renamed it Patuxai in honor of the victory that was handed to them by the People's Army of Vietnam.

Geography

The Patuxai is at the end of Lane Xang Avenue in the heart of Vientiane. Patuxay Park surrounds the monument.

Architecture

The monument has five towers that represent the five principles of coexistence among nations of the world. They are also representative of the five Buddhist principles of “thoughtful amiability, flexibility, honesty, honor and prosperity”.

The monument has gateways on four sides oriented towards the four cardinal directions. The east–west gateways open to the Lane Xang Avenue, which is used during ceremonial national parades. In front of each gate, there is a pond. The four ponds represent the open section of a lotus flower (representing reverence of Laotians to the brave warriors of the nation). The four corners of the gateways are adorned by statues of a Naga King (mythical symbol of Laos), with a depiction signifying spraying of a jet of water (suggesting nature, fertility, welfare and happiness) into the ponds on the ground. Two concrete staircases wind up from inside the main structure, passing through each floor, right up to the top of the monument. Viewing galleries are provided on the upper floors. The first floor has mainly the offices of the management of the monument; the kiosks dealing with tourist paraphernalia (artefacts, souvenirs and refreshments) are also housed on this floor. The second floor is an important area where a museum is housed, displaying statues and pictures of the iconic heroes and heroines of the country. The roof design is also inspired by Taj Mahal of India.

The next level is an open space where four towers are built at the four corners. These towers have been decorated with frescoes of foliage. The towers are also fitted with electric lights, which are switched on during the national day and other important festivals. The small towers, with temple like ornamentation, are designed in the Laotian style and are provided with spires. Each tower has a stairway. Apart from the four corner towers, there is another central larger tower above this floor, which also has a staircase which leads to the top floor that has the viewing platform from where a panoramic view of Vientiane could be seen. A telescope is also fitted at that level to get a view of the city. Plans have been drawn to fit lifts from two diagonal corners of the monument, which are expected to be ready in 2010 when the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as the capital of Laos will be celebrated. On this occasion, the entire monument is proposed to be decorated with flowers and illuminated. The monumental building is not fully finished to this day, although the Laotian government have repeatedly authorized new funds. The musical fountain system fitted in the newly developed elegant garden was donated by the Chinese. It is a popular feature for visitors and local people who visit the monuments in the afternoons.

References

External links Laos Travel Guide.com Patuxai

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Patuxai

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Patuxai claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Patuxai before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Patuxai ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Patuxai

In research: Patuxai appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Patuxai in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Patuxai is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 20th century in Vientiane, Arches and vaults, Buildings and structures completed in 1968, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Patuxai outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Patuxai in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Patuxai means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Patuxai out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Patuxai in simple terms?

Why does Patuxai matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Patuxai?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Patuxai.