The Great Hall
by Muhammad Shakil Hossain
Yes, you read it correctly: it is called the Great Hall, not Great Wall. The modern architectural marvel is the political hub of China. Its plays the main role in hosting the annual sessions of the National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the National Peoples Congress (NPC), Chinas equivalent of parliament sessions.
The building of the Great Hall is considered as a modern structure, with both Chinese and Western architectural features. Its green and yellow glazed tile roof, magnificent portico and colonnades, and rows of pines and cypresses create a look both solemn and immense.
The decision for constructing the Great Hall of the People was made by the government in August 1958, and it was named by Mao Zedong in recognition that the people are masters of the country.
The Great Hall is one of the Ten Great Buildings completed in 1959 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). It lies at the west of Tiananmen Square, along south of West Changan Street. More than 30,000 people took part in its construction in groups, among whom were 7,000 first-rate technicians and workers from 20 provinces. This magnificent structure was completed within 10 months by working around the clock from November 1958 to September 1959.
The Great Hall is huge. The building covers an area of 150,000 square metres. A birds eye view of the building looks like the character 山, with the centre wing higher than the two outer wings. It has doors on four sides, the main is the East Gate, the lintel above which is beset with the national emblem of PRC. In the front, there are 12 grey marble colonnades, each one two metres in diameter and 25 metres high. The building comprises of 300 meeting halls, lounges and office rooms. Each of the halls is named and decorated after a province, a municipality, or an autonomous region, such as Beijing Hall and Hong Kong Hall. They are all different and contain many beautiful artworks.
Principally, the Great Hall is divided into three sections _ central, northern and southern. The central section includes the Great Auditorium, Main Auditorium, Congress Hall, Central Hall and Golden Hall.
The Great Auditorium, measuring 76 by 60 metres and 33 metres in height, can simultaneously seat 10,000 representatives of Chinas parliament, every one of whom gets an unobstructed view of the podium. The most impressive part of the auditorium is above head _ a swirling ceiling decorated with an illuminated huge red star, surrounded by a galaxy of lights.
The northern section consists of the State Banquet Hall, the Salute State Guest Hall and other magnificent rooms. The southern part is the administrative building of the Standing Committee of the Peoples Congress of China. The banquet hall rests on the second floor and it is the second largest room in the building, with an area of 7,000sqm that can hold 7,000 guests, and dine up to 5,000 people at a single sitting.
Every year in March, the Great Hall hosts the Two Sessions _ the annual meeting of CPPCC, the top political advisory body, and NPC, the top legislature. The Communist Party of China (CPC) also holds its national congress there every five years. In recent years, some non-political conventions and concerts have also been held there.
Visitors can enjoy the enormous buildings beauty when national events are not taking place; and they are shown around selected routes.
The writer is an engineer.
