Beijing Great Hall of the People, China

> China Travel Tour Guide > Attractions

Great Hall of the People

The Great Hall of the People is located to the west of Tian'anmen Square, Beijing.

The Great Hall is the place where national conferences are held. The Standing Committee of the People's Congress of China (SCPCC) is located here as well.

The Great Hall is similar to the Capital Hill of United States, where many important national affairs are discussed. Currently, the Great Hall is also the place to hold important conferences and some large international events.

It is not at all exaggerating if you call the Great Hall magnificent. It covers an area of 171, 800 square meters, with 320 meters in length by 206.5 meters in width. The central part of The Great Hall is higher, with the highest part in 40.5 meters, while the two sides are a little lower and.

At the eaves of the main gate, there hangs a national emblem of People's Republic of China. Twelve 25-meters-high pillars set on two-meters-high marble foundation, which is really solemn and modern.

The Great Hall consists of three sections. The central of Great Hall is the "ten thousand people hall" with volume of 90, 000 cube meters.

The northern section is the banquet hall with an area of 7,000 square meters. It can hold 5, 000 people having banquet simultaneously.

The south part is office building of Standing Committee of People's Congress of China.

There are also halls named after the provinces and autonomous regions. Thirty-two provinces together with two autonomous regions each own its hall in the Great Hall. Each hall has its unique characteristics of the province. Besides, there is an auditorium containing 600 seats.

Built in September 1959, the construction of Great Hall of People took only 10 months in total although it is a mass construction, which is unprecedented in the architect history.

Now, some of the sections of the hall is open to the tourists. If you've been to the Capital Hill in U.S. or Parliament in other countries, it will be interesting to compare these congress halls with The Great Hall of the People.

Related Readings

Tian'anmen Square
Forbidden City
More Info on Beijing