To the west of Tian'anmen Square lies the Great Hall of the People, 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.
The Auditorium, with simultaneous interpretation equipment for each of its 9,700 seats, lies to the west, the Banquet Hall to the north, and the offices of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress to the south.
Entry ticket: 30 yuan.
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.
Note: 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.
Tel: 86-10-63096935 (Chinese only).
(China.org.cn)
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