Published : 09/09/2025
On September 9, 1977, the completion ceremony of Chairman Mao Memorial Hall was held, and the hall was officially opened to the public.
The construction of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall began in November 1976. Located on Beijing's Tiananmen Square, it covers an area of 5.72 hectares, with a total floor area of 33,867 square metres.
Its main structure is a colonnaded cube, and 44 square granite columns form the outer colonnade, standing majestic and solemn. The north and south facades feature white marble plaques inscribed with six golden Chinese characters "毛主席紀念堂", which means "Chairman Mao Memorial Hall".
As the highest memorial hall of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the nation, the interior of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall features the North Grand Hall, the Hall of Tribute, and the South Grand Hall on the first floor.
The North Grand Hall serves as the entrance for paying tribute and hosting commemorative ceremonies.
At the centre of the hall stands a seated white marble statue of Chairman Mao, with a large velvet-embroidered mural titled "Motherland's Vast Lands" as its backdrop, depicting China's magnificent and splendid landscapes.
The Hall of Tribute occupies the central position, where visitors pay their respects to the remains of Chairman Mao. Mao Zedong rests in a crystal coffin, dressed in a grey Mao suit and draped with the flag of the CPC.
The black granite base of the crystal coffin is encircled by the Party emblem, the national emblem, and the military emblem.
The South Hall serves as the exit hall for visitors. The northern white marble wall bears the gilded calligraphy of Mao Zedong's poem Manjiang Hong: In Response to Comrade Guo Moruo (《滿江紅．和郭沫若同志》).
The second floor of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall houses memorial rooms dedicated to the revolutionary achievements of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai (周恩來), Liu Shaoqi (劉少奇), Zhu De (朱德), Deng Xiaoping (鄧小平), and Chen Yun (陳雲), along with a cinema hall.
The memorial rooms showcase the revolutionary journeys of these six leaders, allowing visitors to learn about and commemorate their monumental contributions, brilliant ideas, and noble conduct.
The cinema hall screens the documentary A Glorious Undertaking (《千秋偉業》), which vividly presents the nation's rise to prosperity through rare historical footage. It comprehensively illustrates the evolution of Mao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Important Thought of the Three Represents, the Scientific Outlook on Development, and Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.
Over the past 40 years, China has held grand commemorative events at the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall on the 90th, 100th, 110th, and 120th anniversaries of Mao Zedong's birth, as well as during the celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Since its opening in 1977, the hall has received over 230 million visitors paying their respects, including more than 180 foreign heads of state and government leaders.