The Chongqing Great Hall of the People, also known as the Chongqing People’s Hall, has been rated as one of the top ten classic Asian buildings of the 20th century and a classic century old Chinese building of the 20th century. So, how did you miss this milestone on your trip to Chongqing? If you don’t stroll around this 65 year old building and firmly grasp its construction history, you won’t truly understand how magnificent it is.
1998 marks the first anniversary of Chongqing becoming a municipality directly under the central government. To celebrate this day, China Philatelic Corporation has launched a set of two stamps, one of which is for the auditorium.
Classic Chinese century old architecture
The Great Hall is located in Yuzhong District, which is Chongqing’s business card and one of the most magnificent halls since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Mr. Liang Sicheng, an authoritative figure in the Chinese architecture industry, called it “the most classic building among the epoch-making Chinese classical architecture of the 1950s”.
In 1987, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the University of London jointly completed the authoritative book World Architecture History, which for the first time included 43 projects built after the founding of the country, with the auditorium ranking second. Listed as the seventh batch of national key cultural relics protection units (usually abbreviated as national treasures) in 2013, it became the youngest national treasure “in Chongqing. At the same time, it is also one of the 98 projects of” the first batch of 20th century Chinese architectural heritage “released by the Chinese Cultural Relics Society and the Chinese Architectural Society in 2016.
The Great Hall has won the Zhan Tianyou Civil Engineering Award and the Luban Award, and has been named one of the “Top Ten Buildings Since 1949”.
This ancient ethnic architectural complex is also an important venue for Chongqing’s cultural exchanges with foreign countries. In addition, it has witnessed various large-scale gatherings and performances, as well as important international conferences, including the Chongqing Party Congress, People’s Congress, People’s Political Consultative Conference, and plaque unveiling. Richard Clayderman, Prince of Piano, Vitas, Cai Qin, Qi Qin, Mo Wenwei and other famous Chinese and foreign artists have performed there.
Previously served foreign VIPs
The project started in June 1951 and the main structure was completed in January 1954. This auditorium opened in April 1954, when Chongqing was the capital of the southwestern administrative region of China after liberation.
The newly built auditorium received over 100 delegations from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or North Korea, who were the first foreign guests to visit.
As the third splendid oriental building after the Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties in Beijing and Shenyang, it has won the unanimous praise of experts from the former Soviet Union who supported the economic construction of southwest China. The foreign delegation will choose this auditorium as their accommodation in Chongqing and consider it an honor.
260000 pieces of gold foil make the roof even more magnificent
In order to better protect and utilize the auditorium, a principle of five years of minor repairs and ten years of comprehensive renovation was established before it was put into use. The first day of August 2006 was the largest maintenance since completion.
Due to the decay and insect infestation of the supporting wooden structure, maintenance personnel have dismantled the entire roof. Cover the roof with glazed tiles instead of roof tiles to better restore its original state. Each metal is made from a different formula and weighed on a balance to make the color of peacock blue close to its original color. The stone pillars are painted with golden flowers from Hexi, symbolizing “peace and harmony”. This pattern represents the highest level of decoration in Chinese royal architecture during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Gold foil with gold content up to 98% is used for pillars, capitals, arch of wooden architecture and sparrow supports. The bright and durable colors match the lacquerware in dark blue, dark green, and crimson, making it look even more brilliant.
In May 2007, the auditorium completed a nine month restoration work with a total investment of 81256300 yuan. The indoor roof is composed of 260000 gold pieces, each worth 10 yuan.
Address: No. 173 Renmin Road, Daxigou, Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China
Phone：+86-23-86527617
Ticket: 10 yuan
Business hours: 9:00 AM to 14:00 PM