Located at No. 173 Renmin Road, Yuzhong District, People’s Assembly Hall is one of the landmark buildings of Chongqing City. The building boasts the perfect combination of classical Chinese palace and western construction styles.
After the founding of PRC, Chongqing was the political, economic, and cultural center of the southwestern of China, but there was not a decent reception room for important guests. Therefore, Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng and He Long, the major leaders of southwestern China Military and Administrative Commission, made the decision to build the assembly hall in 1951. The construction was started in June 1951 and was completed in April 1956.
The hall covers an area of 25,000 square meters (29,899 square yard) and is 65 meters (213 feet) high in total. There are 5 floors inside the hall, which can hold an audience of 4,206 at once. As the classical Chinese constructions were built of timber, but the major building could not be very large due to timbers’ limited sizes. Therefore, most ancient Chinese constructions are complex buildings making up many connecting parts. The hall consists of the main building, South and North towers. The main building follows the style of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, with a spire covered with green glazed tiles and red columns supporting the building. The belvedere in the middle follows the style of the Tiananmen Tower. The South and North towers are attached symmetrically at the two sides of the main building.
The People’s Assembly Hall Hotel is an important part, which is one of the oldest hotels in Chongqing City. There is a luxury banquet hall, 12 unique private rooms, a multi-functional hall, and a presence chamber, which can meet all kinds of commercial and business needs.
Nearby Attractions:
People’s Square – The hall was surrounded by wall when it was first built. In 1997, when Chongqing became a municipality, the wall was torn down and a square, the People’s Square was built. Covering 30,000 square meters (35,879 square yards), the square is paved with granite. With a musical fountain in the center, the square is also dotted with small gardens full of colorful flowers and ever-green plants. Many flourishing Ficus Virens, the city tree of Chongqing, provide shelters for visitors around the square. A large archway of traditional Chinese style stands on the square. Tall red pillars support it with green and blue glaze tiles on the top. The square is now a good place for the locals to spend leisure time, especially after dinner time, there are sometimes over 1,000 people dancing and doing exercise on the square. On the other side of the square opposite to the People’s Assembly Hall is the China Three Gorges Museum which is now open freely to public and where you can learn about and see relics of the world famous Three Gorges Project.
Travel Tips:
Entrance Fee: CNY 10
Opening Hours: 08:00 - 18:00
Recommended Time for a Visit: Half an hour
Transportation:
A. Take Bus No. 103, 104, 105, 111, 112, 122 or 215 and get off at Dalitang stop;
B. Take Mini Bus No. 181 or 503 and get off at Dalitang stop.
More Tourist Attractions in Chongqing:
Ciqikou Jiefangbei Dazu Rock Carvings China Three Gorges Museum
