The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (máo zhǔ xí jì niàn táng 毛主席纪念堂) commonly known as the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong (máo zé dōng 毛泽东), or the Mao Mausoleum, the final resting place of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death.

Although Mao had wished to be cremated, his body was embalmed, and construction of a mausoleum began shortly after his death. This highly popular attraction is located in the middle of Tiananmen Square, in Beijing, the capital of China. On this site had previously stood the Gate of China, the southern (main) gate of the Imperial City during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The remains of the Great Helmsman, as he is sometimes known, are on display for public viewing. People queue up for hundreds of metres every day to see the former chairman, many paying tribute to him with flowers that can be rented at the entrance on the north side. There is a souvenir shop at the exit on the south side.

The memorial hall is about 260 meters long, 220 meters wide and 33.5 meters high. The remains of the Chairman Mao Ze Dong in a crystal coffin are on display. The Chairman Mao's Mausoleum has five parts - the Memorial Hall, the North Hall, the South Hall, the Viewing Hall and the Courtyard.

For the construction of Mao Zedong Mausoleum Beijing, material was brought from all over the country. Granite was brought from Sichuan Province, pine rocks from Jiangxi, color pebbles from Nanjing, porcelain plates from Guangdong Province, milky quartz the Kunlun Mountains, rock samples from Mount Everest, and many more materials. This mausoleum and memorial hall is a major highlight that attracts every visitor.
Red Sichuan granite at its base and trees around the hall is designed on principles of symmetry and "centrality." Sculptures north and south supplement the artistic rendering of national struggle presented on the Monument to the People's Heroes.

The first floor is open to the public. Behind the white marble status of Chairman Mao is an immense tapestry of China's mountains and rivers.

In the Hall of Mourning, the heart of the mausoleum, lies Mao (1893-1976) in his usual gray suit, draped with the red flag of the Communist Party, in a crystal casket. The rare Phoebe nanmu wood of the doors and walls was carted north from a peak on Hainan Island under the supervision of Zhou Enlai (zhōu ēn lái 周恩来).

Mao's poem Reply to Comrade Gao Moruo in his own hand covers the white marble face of the last hall to the south.

Out the back is a small open area, formerly known as Chessboard Street, which served as a busy hub of commerce in the Ming Dynasty. The Qianmen area, one of the Beijing's busiest commercial districts.

In the Viewing Hall, the remains of Chairman Mao are displayed in a crystal casket. The casket is mechanically raised from a freezer for viewing during the day and then lowered again at night. It can be viewed on most mornings.

In the North Hall there is a white marble statue of a seated Chairman Mao. Behind it hangs a woolen tapestry with an inspiring phrase embroidered on it: Our motherland is such a great beauty. The hall also has an upper floor containing exhibits which describe in great detail the revolutionary careers of Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai, Marshal Zhu De (zhū dé 朱德) and Chairman Liu Shaoqi (liú shào qí 刘少奇 ). These are the same men whose pictures are printed on the current 100-yuan note.

This sculpture right in front of us is entitled "Great Achievements." The statue is 8.7 meters tall and presents some of the great achievements the Chinese people made under the leadership of Chairman Mao. At the back of the mausoleum there are two similar sculptures with the theme: "Carry the cause of our revolution through to the end."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Address: Tiananmen Square (right in the middle), Dongcheng (dōng chéng 东城)
Travel: Metro Tiananmen East or Qianmen (qián mén 前门)
Opening: 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.; 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m on Tue and Thur
               8:00 a.m. - 11.30 a.m. on Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun
Phone: 6513 2277
Admission: free
Tips:

• To get into the mausoleum, you have to stand in that line.
• If you are wearing a hat, please take it off before going into the building.
• No cameras or handbags are allowed inside the hall