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Photo: Great Hall of the People, Tiananmen
Square
Located on the
western section of Tiananmen Square, the Great
Hall of the People was built in 1858 and
amazingly this grand building only took less
than ten months to be completed. The three major
areas in this great hall is the Grand
Auditorium, Banquet Hall and the offices of the
Standing Committee of the National's People's
Congress whereby these areas consists of over
three hundred halls and rooms. Most of the halls
are named after provinces and regions of China
and they are also decorated appropriately. One
of the main attraction here is the five thousand
seat banquet room where the President of the
United Stated Richard Nixon dined in the early
1970's.
The Grand Auditorium
is uniquely designed as a fan-shaped and the
rostrum can accommodate close to three hundred
people. It is also known as the Ten Thousand
Seat Auditorium because it has a total seating
capacity for ten thousand people. Besides being
the congress hall for the representatives of the
National People's Congress to hold meetings and
discuss national affairs, the Great Hall of the
People is also used by the central committee of
the Communist Party of China, the State Council
and other people's organizations to conduct
their political activities. This great hall will
only be open to the public when Congress is not
sitting. Visitors will surely appreciate the
exhibitions on displayed here which are donated
by the different provinces.
Opening times:
9.00am to 2.00pm
Admission: 15 yuan
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