Chairman Mao Memorial Hall

The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, aka the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, is located on the south side of Beijing's Tiananmen Square. The mausoleum is a massive square building with a total area of 57000 square meters. On this precise site had previously stood the southern gate (aka the Gate of China) of the Forbidden City during the Ming (CE 1368-1644) and Qing (CE 1644-1911) Dynasties.

Chairman Mao, the revered founder of the People's Republic of China, passed away on September 9, 1976. In honor therefore of his many accomplishments, a Memorial Hall was constructed for Chairman Mao, the building of which began in November 1976, after a respectful mourning period, and which was completed in May of the following year.

The Hall of Mourning is the main focus of the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall. In the center of the Hall of Mourning rests a crystal-glass coffin on a black granite base. Inside this crystal coffin - which was fabricated by Chinese specialists using the Russian-made coffin of Dr. Sun Yat-sen as inspiration - the preserved body of Chairman Mao,  dressed in his characteristic gray suit and covered with the emblematic red flag of the Communist Party, lies in state (the main visual difference between the two coffins being that while only the top of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's coffin is transparent, both the sides as well as the top of Chairman Mao's coffin are transparent).

Chinese visitors, as well as tourists from the four corners of the earth, come in droves to the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong in order to view the preserved remains of the founding father of the Chinese Communist Party and founder of the People's Republic of China.

• Location: 11 Qianmen Dongdajie, Tiananmen Square, Beijing.
• Ticket Price: Free
• Opening Hours: From 8:00 – 12:00 AM on Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Mondays.