The Great Hall of the People, the seat of China's top legislature in downtown Beijing, is being decorated for the upcoming national congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) this month.

A brand-new Party emblem with a diameter of more than five meters will be installed above the platform ahead of the opening of the 17th CPC National Congress, slated for Oct. 15, China News Service reports.

Other facilities in the Hall would not undergo apparent change except that some of the existing bright red carpets will be replaced by brand-new ones, the news agency quoted an unidentified source as saying.

The Hall, also the venue for annual plenary sessions of the country's top legislature and political advisory body, and where Chinese leaders meet foreign dignitaries, will close to the public from Oct. 8 through the end of the congress, according to the source of the Hall.

As a popular tourism spot in Beijing along with the adjacent Tian'anmen Square, the Hall still opens to the public during the seven-day National Day holiday which began Oct. 1, the source said.

The construction, dubbed "luxurious parlor of the people" by late chairman Mao Zedong, was built in 1959.

Statistics show the Hall hosts more than 3,000 meetings and various activities such as movie premieres and news conferences each year.

(Xinhua News Agency October 6, 2007)