Guo Moruo (guō mò ruò 郭沫若) (1892-1978) was an outstanding Chinese writer, poet, dramatist, historian, archaeologist and paleographer. He wrote several historical plays and one of them is "Qu Yuan"(qǖ yuán 屈原) (1942), telling the story of a dissident poet of the 4th-century BC. He also wrote lots of studies on Chinese archaeology, history, and literature. He worked as a government official from 1949 until his death. The courtyard where Guo had lived for 15 years, from November 1963 until his death, was formerly a prince's garden during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). It was listed as an important cultural relic under state protection in 1982, on Guo's 90th birthday, and officially opened to tourists in 1988.

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.