Great Hall of the People - Definition and Overview

Great Hall of the People by Day. In the foreground is the Monument to the People's Heroes.

Great Hall of the People by Night

The Great Hall of the People (Simplified Chinese: 人民大会堂, Hanyu Pinyin: Renmin Dahuitang) is located at the western edge of Tiananmen Square, Beijing, People's Republic of China. It was built in 10 months by volunteers in 1958 and 1959. With floor space of more than 170,000 sqare meters it has 300 meeting halls, lounges and office rooms. Each meeting hall is named after a political division of China and furnished according to the local style. The National People's Congress meets at the 10,000-seat auditorium annually and its Standing Committee meets in another room.

Every year, in March, the Great Hall of the People plays host to the liang hui event, where both the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and the National People's Congress meet in sessions lasting for two to three weeks. The Communist Party of China also holds its General Meetings every five years in the central hall, and the event is given plenty of fanfare and attention.

The building is often given prominence in China. In the 3rd Renminbi series, the Great Hall of the People appears in shades of black on the back side of the CNY 10 bill (then the largest demonimation). In the current 5th series, it appears in shades of red on the back side of the CNY 100 bill (currently the largest denomination).

Facing the Great Hall of the People is the National Museum of Chinese History.