Backgrounder: the Great Hall of the People

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, February 21, 2002

Backgrounder: the Great Hall of the People

The Great Hall of the People is an imposing structure standing on the west of the vast Tian' anmen Square in the center of China's capital city of Beijing.

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The Great Hall of the People is an imposing structure standing on the west of the vast Tian' anmen Square in the center of China's capital city of Beijing.

Built in 10 months in 1959 with a total floor space of 171,800 square meters, the Great Hall of the People is the meeting place for the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislative body, and its standing committee.

Its main gate faces the Tian'anmen Square to the east, propped up by 12 25-meter-high light-gray marble columns and with a huge national emblem adorning the lintel.

The central hall is just inside the main gate, behind which is a 76 meter by 60 meter conference hall able to accommodate 10,000 people. On the north of the hall is a banquet hall able to accommodate 5,000 people, while the southern wing are offices of the NPC Standing Committee.

The hall also has smaller rooms named after China's provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions and special administrative regions and decorated in their respective local styles.

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