Introduction:
To the west of Tian'anmen Square (tiān ān mén 天安门) lies the Great Hall of the People (rén mín dà huì táng 人民大会堂), one of the truly grand modern structure of Beijing. Its green and yellow glazed-tile roof, magnificent portico and colonnades, and rows of pines and cypresses create a look both solemn and immense. Construction was completed over a 10-month period in 1959. Through the great bronze doors is a spacious lobby leading to the Central Hall (zhōng yāng dà tīng 中央大厅). The Auditorium, with simultaneous interpretation equipment for each of its 9,700 seats, lies to the west, the Banquet Hall (yàn huì tīng 宴会厅) to the north, and the offices of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to the south.

History:
Inside the main auditorium.The Great Hall of the People was built in September 1959. It was one of the "Ten Great Constructions" completed for the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic. It was built in 10 months by volunteers.

Architecture:
The Great Hall of the People was designed by Zhang Bo. The building covers 171,800 square meters of floor space, it is 356 meters in length and 206.5 meters in width. The center peaks at 46.5 meters. At the eaves of the main gate hangs the national emblem of People's Republic of China.

The Great Hall of the People consists of three sections. The central section principally includes the Great Auditorium, the Main Auditorium, the Congress Hall(Standing Committee of SCPCC meets in conference), the Central Hall, the Golden Hall and other main halls. The northern section consists of the State Banquet Hall, the Salute State Guest Hall, the North Hall, the East Hall, the West Hall and other magnificent halls. The southern part is the office building of the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of China. Each province, special administrative region, autonomous region of China has own its hall in the Great Hall, such as Beijing Hall, Hong Kong Hall and Taiwan Hall. Each hall has the unique characteristics of the province and is furnished according to the local style.

The ceiling of the main auditorium of the Great Hall of the PeopleThe Great Auditorium, with volume of 90,000 cubic meters, seats 3,693 in the lower auditorium, 3,515 in the balcony, 2,518 in the gallery and 300 to 500 on the dais. Government leaders make their speeches; and the representatives do much of their business. It can simultaneously seat 10,000 representatives. The ceiling is decorated with a galaxy of lights, with a large red star is at the centre of the ceiling, and a pattern of a water waves nearby represents the people. Its facilities equipped with audio-visual and other systems adaptable to a variety of meeting types and sizes. A simultaneous interpretation system is also provided with a language booth.

The State Banquet Hall with an area of 7,000 square meters can entertain 7,000 guests, and up to 5,000 people can dine at one time (as was done on the occasion of Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972). Smaller gatherings can be held in the Main Auditorium, with larger groups having the use of one or more of the conference halls, such as Golden Hall and North Hall, and the smallest assemblies accommodated in one or more of the over 30 conference halls that are named after provinces and regions in China.

Function:
The Great Hall of the People is the political hub of Beijing and home of the National People's Congress. Every year, in March, the Great Hall of the People plays host to the liang hui (liǎng huì 两会) event, where both the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (quán guó zhèng zhì xié shāng huì yì 全国政治协商会议) and the National People's Congress (quán guó rén mín daì biǎo dà huì 全国人民代表大会) meet in sessions lasting for two to three weeks at the Great Auditorium. The Communist Party of China (zhōng guó gòng chǎn dǎng 中国共产党) also holds its National Congress every five years in the Great Hall of the People. This enormous building is open to the public when national conference is not in session, and visitors are shown in a selection of routes. In recent years, some non-political conventions and concerts have also been held in the Great Hall.

Tips:
No bags are allowed inside the building, but a bag depository is located outside the East Gate of the Great Hall;
The East Gate is the only place for visitors' entrance;
Guides are available in the hall, but the tour is only in Chinese.

                                    (Click above picture to view the map)

Attractions Nearby:
Tian'an men Square
Forbidden City
Zhongshan Park

Address: The west of Tian'an men Square.
Tel: 010-63096935 (Chinese only).
Public Transportation:Take bus No.1、2、4、5、7、9、10、20、22、37、52、44、48、53、59、54、110、120、337 and get off at the west of Tian'an men Square.
Or you can easily get there via Subway Line 1 and get off at the west of Tian'an men Square.
Admission fee: 30 yuan (half-price for student ticket)
Opening hours: The visiting hours greatly depend on the meetings scheduled in the hall. If some important national or international meetings are going on in the hall, visitors are usually asked to wait until the meeting ends.
Jan-Mar, Dec 9:00-14:00          Apr-Jun 8:15-15:00
Jul-Aug         7:30-16:00          Sep-Nov 8:30-15:00

tags: Travel in Shanxi      Travel in Tibet