The Great Hall of the People

The Great Hall of the People is located on the western edge of Tian'anmen Square. It was one of ten structures built in Beijing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the People s Republic of China in 1959. In order to be ready for the anniversary, construction of the hall was completed in less than one year.

The Great Hall of the People has a total floor space of more than 170,000 square meters. That is divided into three, main sections: a 10,000-seat auditorium, a banquet hall where 5,000 people can dine at one time (as was done on the occasion of Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972) and the offices of the Standing Committee of the National People s Congress and reception halls named for each of China's province.

The Great Hall of the People is 336 meters long from north to south, 206 meters wide from east to west, and 46.5 meters high at the highest point. The facilities inside the hall are very sophisticated, including the language booth for simultaneous interpretation. The Great Hall of the People is now open to both domestic and foreign visitors.