Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
looks unreal, which it may well be; a wax copy was made in case the preservation went
wrong. Mechanically raised from a freezer every morning, it is said to have been embalmed
with the aid of Vietnamese technicians who had previously worked on the body of Ho Chi
Minh. Apparently, 22 litres of formaldehyde went into preserving his body; rumour has it that
not only did the corpse swell grotesquely when too much fluid was used, but that Mao's left
ear fell off during the embalming process, and had to be stitched back on.
Zhengyangmen
正阳门
, zhèngyángmén • Daily 8.30am-4pm •
￥
20
For a great view over the square head to
Zhengyangmen
, its south gate, which once marked
the boundary between the imperial city and the commoners outside. A squat, 40m-high struc-
ture with an arched gateway through the middle, it's similar in design to its northern coun-
terpart, Tian'anmen. Avoid the tacky souvenir stands and head to the top; you'll get a good
idea of how much more impressive the square looked before Mao's mausoleum was stuck in
the middle of it. There's also a small
museum
here, featuring a dull smattering of historical
exhibits.
Around Tian'anmen Square
More interesting than Tian'anmen Square itself are the various sights lying on its periphery.
Most notable are the
Great Hall of the People
and the huge
National Museum of China
,
which lie to the west and east of the square respectively. A little further south are the less
vaunted
Railway Museum
and
Museum of Urban Planning
, each of which merit a visit if
you have some time. The
Police Museum
,
just to the east, is also worth a look.
The Great Hall of the People
人民大会堂
, rénmín dàhuìtáng • Entrance off Tian'anmen Square • Daily 8.15am-4pm when not in session •
￥
30 (bring ID) • Tian'anmen West (line 1) or Qianmen subway (line 2)
Taking up almost half the west side of Tian'anmen Square is the monolithic
Great Hall of
the People
, one of ten Stalinist wedding-cake-style buildings constructed in 1959 to celeb-
rate “ten years of liberation” (others include
Beijing Station
and the
Military Museum
). This
is the venue of the
National People's Congress
, the Chinese legislature, and the building is
closed to the public when in session - you'll know whether it's accessible by the hundreds
of black limos with darkened windows parked outside. It's not really a sight as such, but you
can take a turn around the building; what you see on the roped-off route through is a selection
of the 29 cavernous, dim reception rooms, each named after a province of China (the extra
one, if you're wondering, is Taiwan). These are decorated in the same pompous but shabby
style seen in the lobbies of cheap Chinese hotels - badly fitted red carpet, lifeless murals and
armchairs lined up against the walls.
