The Great Hall of the People

The Great Hall of the People is situated on the west of Tiananmen Square, the world's largest open square, opposite the Museum of Chinese Revolution and the Museum of Chinese History on the east. On the north and the south are located Tiananmen and Zhengyang Gate in Tiananmen Square. It is 46 meters high, 336 meters long and 206 meters wide. The gross floor area of it is seventeen thousand square meters, bigger than the Forbidden City. This is the place where holds national political, diplomatic, and cultural activities of China.

Structure

In Front of The Great Hall of the People, there are twelve light-gray marble gate posts. Each marble gate post is two meters in diameter and up twenty-five meter high. The central hall of it is pink marble floors and marble pillars, with crystal glass lanterns hanging on the top roof. In the back of the central hall is an auditorium lobby that can accommodate more than ten thousand people. The lobby is elegantly decorated, with pleasant lighting. In the north of central hall is a ballroom that can accommodate five thousand people, as big as a football field, with magnificent and grand decoration. It retains all the traditional Chinese architectural style, but also absorbed foreign architectural essence, decorated tastefully elegant, very unique.

Main attractions 

• The Central Hall
The east gate is the main entrance to the Great Hall, also the entrance to the auditorium. At the top the hall hangs a huge national emblem. In front of the central hall, there is a wide open square, in which holds welcoming ceremonies for the Ambassadors and reviews a military honor guards.

• Auditorium
The auditorium here is 76 meters long north to south, 60 meters wide and 33 meters high. It is in the central area in the Great Hall of the People. It has dome roof, large span and is a column-free structure. The auditorium is fan-shaped. Sitting in any one seat, you can see the podium. There are three layers: the first layer with 3693 seats, the second layer with 3515 seats and the third layer with 2518 seats. And the podium can offer 300-500 seats. So the whole auditorium can accommodate a total of 10,000 people.
• National Reception Hall
The National Reception Hall is located in the south of the Great Hall. It is a national reception hall used to receive VIPs or foreign envoys for national leaders. This hall covers an area of 550 square meters. The design of it is rich in ethnic traditional style. The roof of it hangs 4 crystal chandeliers.

• Welcome Hall and Ballroom
The Welcome Hall and Ballroom is used to receive foreign ambassadors. Ballroom is located on the second floor. This hall is 102 meters long from east to west, 76 meters wide from north to south and 15 meters high. It covers an area over 7000 square meters.

Travel Guide

• Opening Hours
9:00 to 14:00 in January, February, March, December; 8:15 to 15:00 in April, May, June; 7:30 to 16:00 in July, August; 8:30 to 15:00 in September, October, November.

• How to get there
Visitors can take Buses No. 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 17, 20, 22, 37, 44, 48, 52, 59, 66, 67, 69, 71, 82, 90, 99, 120, 126, 201, 203, 205, 209, 210, 212, 301, 337, 608, 626, 646, 673, 690, 692, 723, 728, 729, etc. to get there. Or you can take Metro Line 1 and get off at Tiananmen West Station, or Metro Line 2 and get off at Qianmen Station.

Recommended Beijing tour: 4 Days Best Beijing Tour
(Attractions: Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall, Changling Tomb)