# Great Hall of the People, Beijing

> The Great Hall of the People is China's parliament building on the west side of Tiananmen Square, open to visitors when no meetings are on. Tickets are ¥30, booked 1–3 days ahead in a WeChat mini-program; visits run 9:00–15:00, last entry 14:30. It shuts for sessions and state events, often at short notice. Allow an hour.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/great-hall-of-the-people

- City: [Beijing](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing), China
- YesGo score: 51/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 1 h
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Ticket: ¥30; students ¥15
- Free entry: Under 18 and 60+, with an ID the mini-program accepts; not confirmed for tourists on a passport
- Where to book: Only the WeChat mini-program 人民大会堂参观预约 — no authorised resellers
- Booking window: 1–3 days ahead; a new day opens daily at 17:00 Beijing time; no ticket office, no same-day tickets
- Hours: 9:00–15:00, last entry 14:30; some sources say from 8:30
- Closed: During sessions and state events; sources disagree about Mondays
- ID: The original passport you booked with
- Not allowed in: Water and any liquids, food, lighters; sources disagree on power banks
- Entrance: From Tiananmen Square, at the building's southeast corner, to the east entrance
- Metro: Tiananmen West (Line 1), Exit C; Qianmen (Lines 2 and 8), Exit C
- Address: West side of Tiananmen Square, West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District
- Coordinates: 39.90333, 116.38750
- Facts checked: 04.11.2026

## Key facts

- **¥30** — adult ticket; students ¥15 (source: Visit Beijing (Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism); Beijing Bendibao)
- **1–3 days** — ahead, in the WeChat mini-program only; each new day opens at 17:00 (source: Xinhua, 2025; Beijing Bendibao; Visit Beijing)
- **≈ 1 hour** — for the fixed route through the halls (source: TravelChinaGuide; Visit Beijing)
- **1959** — opened in September for the 10th anniversary of the People's Republic (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Visit Beijing)
- **≈ 10 months** — to build, from autumn 1958 to September 1959 (source: English Wikipedia; Visit Beijing (Russian Wikipedia says about 11))
- **171,800 m²** — of floor space (source: English Wikipedia; Visit Beijing)
- **46.5 m** — at its highest point (source: English Wikipedia; Visit Beijing)
- **10,000 seats** — in the Great Auditorium, over three tiers and the dais (source: English Wikipedia; Visit Beijing)
- **5,000 diners** — can sit down at once in the State Banquet Hall (source: English Wikipedia; Visit Beijing)
- **30+ halls** — named after provinces and regions, each in its local style (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1979** — reopened to the public on 15 July (source: English Wikipedia)

> **It's a working parliament** The Great Hall isn't a museum. Tours stop for the annual March sessions, other meetings and state receptions — sometimes with a day's notice or less. If that happens, your booking is refunded automatically or through the mini-program. Don't build a whole day around it; have a fallback on the square.

## Can you visit the Great Hall of the People?

Yes, on days when nothing official is happening, with a **paid real-name booking**. Tickets cost **¥30**, students ¥15. The only way to book is the WeChat mini-program **人民大会堂参观预约** (it shows up in English as “The Great Hall of the People Visit Reservation”), 1–3 days ahead. There's no ticket office, no same-day tickets and no group sales.

Each new date is released **daily at 17:00 Beijing time**, so log in exactly three days before your visit at five. Weekends and school holidays sell out fast.

Xinhua and China Daily have warned about fake tickets and scalpers: the Great Hall has authorised no one else to sell tickets. Agencies and resellers listing “Great Hall tickets” for $25 or more are booking the same ¥30 slot on your behalf — fine as a service, but there's no guarantee if the hall closes.

## Can foreigners book with a passport?

Yes. Choose passport as your ID type and enter it exactly as printed; staff check the **original passport** at the door against your booking. The mini-program is in Chinese, and guides report that some foreign phone numbers fail validation — try again later or with a different number, or let a tour guide or your hotel book for you.

You pay inside the mini-program with **WeChat Pay**, which accepts foreign Visa and Mastercard once linked. Under-18s and over-60s enter free according to Bendibao and TravelChinaGuide, but the ID list Bendibao quotes covers Chinese ID cards, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan permits and foreigners' permanent residence cards — not ordinary passports. Expect to pay full price.

Children under 14 must come with an adult who has their own ticket.

## Opening hours and closures

Sources agree that tours finish at **15:00** and ticket checks stop at **14:30**. Start times differ: Bendibao and a 2024 Visit Beijing article say 9:00, TravelChinaGuide says 8:30, and an older Visit Beijing listing gives seasonal hours. Go by the slot in your booking.

Mondays are unclear. Visit Beijing's English article says the hall is closed on Mondays; the more recent TravelChinaGuide and Bendibao pages describe it as open daily. The mini-program simply won't offer dates that are closed.

Closures mostly follow parliament's calendar. In **early March** the annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the CPPCC take over the building and there are no tours. It also closes for other meetings, official ceremonies and visiting delegations. Notices go out in the mini-program, by text message and on screens at the entrance.

## What's inside the Great Hall of the People?

- **Central Hall** — the first room you enter: about 3,600 m² of coloured marble and twenty vermilion columns over 10 m tall.
- **Great Auditorium** — the 10,000-seat chamber where the National People's Congress meets, under a ceiling with a red star ringed by concentric circles of lights. This is the highlight.
- **Provincial halls** — Hunan, Liaoning, Shanghai, Guangdong, Sichuan and others, each decorated in its region's style. Which ones are open varies.
- **Reception Hall** — home to the building's largest traditional Chinese painting, “This Land So Rich in Beauty”.
- **State Banquet Hall** — about 7,000 m², used for official banquets.
- **Press Conference Hall** — where the route ends.
- The route is **fixed** and signposted. A separate exhibition hall sits to the right of the main building, entered through a semi-basement.

## Where is the entrance?

The building fills **the whole west side of Tiananmen Square**. Its colonnade and national emblem face east across the square to the [National Museum of China](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/national-museum-of-china). [Mao's Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/mao-mausoleum) is to the south, [Tiananmen Gate](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-gate) is north across Chang'an Avenue, and behind the hall to the west is the egg-shaped dome of the [National Centre for the Performing Arts](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/national-centre-for-performing-arts).

Visitors go in **from the square side**. Bendibao puts the entrance at the building's southeast corner; TravelChinaGuide routes you through square security checkpoint 07 and a two-minute walk north to the east entrance. Either way you clear the [Tiananmen Square](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-square) check first, then a second one at the hall.

Visit Beijing and TravelChinaGuide say a Great Hall booking also gets you onto the square. The square booking is free, so make one as well in case the checkpoint wants it.

> **No water, food or lighters** Water, milk, soft drinks and any other liquids, food and lighters are confiscated at security. An **empty bottle** is fine — there's free drinking water and paper cups inside. Sources disagree on power banks, so leave yours at the hotel. Drunk or scruffily dressed visitors are turned away.

## How to get to the Great Hall of the People

1. **Tiananmen West** (Line 1), **Exit C** comes up on the south side of Chang'an Avenue by the north end of the hall. Walk to the square's security checkpoint and south along the east facade — about 10 minutes.
2. **Qianmen** (Lines 2 and 8), **Exit C**: follow the underground passage to square checkpoint 07 — about 13 minutes — then two minutes north to the east entrance, as TravelChinaGuide describes it.
3. **From Capital Airport (PEK)**: Capital Airport Express to Beixinqiao, Line 5 south to Dongdan, then Line 1 west to Tiananmen West.
4. **From Daxing Airport (PKX)**: Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao, Line 10 to Gongzhufen, then Line 1 east to Tiananmen West.
5. Taxis can't stop at the square, so get dropped near Qianmen or Tiananmen West and walk. Allow half an hour for two security checks, more at weekends.

## Is it worth it, and how long does it take?

The tour itself takes **about an hour**, ninety minutes with security. The halls are vast and formal — marble, chandeliers, carpets and that star on the auditorium ceiling. It's 1950s state architecture, not antiquity, and there are few exhibits to read.

It's worth it if you're curious about how modern China presents itself, or you've already done the [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city) and the square and want to see rooms you normally only glimpse on the news. On a short first trip the Forbidden City and the [Temple of Heaven](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/temple-of-heaven) come first.

If you can't get a booking, the colonnade and emblem make one of the best photos from the square anyway.

## A short history

The hall was approved in summer 1958 as one of the “Ten Great Buildings” for the People's Republic's 10th anniversary. It went up in about ten months and opened in **September 1959**, alongside the rebuilt square and the museum on its east side.

It hosts the National People's Congress, the CPPCC, Communist Party congresses and state receptions; Richard Nixon was given a banquet here in 1972. The hall has been open to the public in its current form since **15 July 1979**.

## Before you go

- [ ] Booking for today in 人民大会堂参观预约
- [ ] No session or state event on your date
- [ ] Tiananmen Square booking as a backup
- [ ] Original passport you booked with
- [ ] No water, food or lighter; bottle empty
- [ ] Arriving by 14:00 — last entry 14:30
- [ ] Neat clothes
- [ ] Plan B if the hall closes

## Great Hall and its neighbours on the square

|  | Great Hall | Mao Mausoleum | National Museum | Tiananmen Gate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Entry | ¥30 | Free | Free | ¥15, concession ¥5 |
| Booking | 1–3 days, from 17:00 | 1–6 days | Up to 7 days, from 17:00 | Up to 7 days, from 17:00 |
| Hours | ≈ 9:00–15:00 | 8:00–12:00 | 9:00–17:00 | Morning to mid-afternoon |
| Monday | Sources disagree | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Sudden closures | Sessions and state events | Events on the square | Rare | Events on the square |

A good day: the mausoleum at 8:00, then the National Museum or the Great Hall, and Tiananmen Gate into the Forbidden City after lunch. The Great Hall is the only one of the four likely to shut without warning.

## Beijing history: compare and choose

Beijing's historic sights rated by YesGo.

- [Tiananmen Square](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-square) — YesGo score 68/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free, passport booking
- [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h 30 min · ¥40 Nov–Mar, ¥60 Apr–Oct
- [Chairman Mao Memorial Hall](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/mao-mausoleum) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free, booking required
- [Temple of Heaven](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/temple-of-heaven) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ¥10–15, ¥28–34 with halls
- [Great Hall of the People](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/great-hall-of-the-people) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · ¥30, students ¥15; WeChat booking
- [Tiananmen Gate](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-gate) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥15, concession ¥5, booking only
- [National Museum of China](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/national-museum-of-china) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free, passport booking
- [Wangfujing Street](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/wangfujing-street) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
- [Beijing hutongs](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-hutongs) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free; rickshaw about ¥100–200
- [Nanluoguxiang](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/nanluoguxiang) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, open 24 hours
- [Houhai Lake and Shichahai](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/houhai-lake) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free
- [Jingshan Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/jingshan-park) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥2, ¥10 during exhibitions
- [Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/lama-temple) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥25, booked in WeChat
- [Drum and Bell Towers](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-drum-and-bell-towers) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ¥30 for both towers
- [Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/old-summer-palace) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥10, ¥25 with the ruins
- [Beihai Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beihai-park) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ¥5–10, ¥15–20 with the island
- [Confucius Temple and Imperial Academy](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-confucius-temple) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ¥30, one ticket with the Guozijian
- [Summer Palace](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-summer-palace) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h 30 min · ¥20–30, ¥50–60 through ticket
- [Prince Gong's Mansion](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/prince-gong-mansion) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥40, book ahead with passport
- [798 Art Zone](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/798-art-zone) — YesGo score 32/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free; some exhibitions charge
- [Great Wall at Badaling](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/badaling-great-wall) — YesGo score 27/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ¥40 entry; ¥35 November–March
- [Beijing Zoo](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-zoo) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ¥10–15, ¥14–19 with pandas
- [Ming Tombs](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/ming-tombs) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥20–40 per site, ¥30–60 in summer
- [Great Wall at Juyongguan](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/juyongguan-great-wall) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥35 entry; ¥40 April–October
- [Great Wall at Mutianyu](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/great-wall-mutianyu) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥40–45 entry; cable car ¥100–140
- [Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/gubei-water-town) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥140 entry; ¥170 with Simatai wall

## Half a day around Tiananmen Square

The square in the morning, the mausoleum before noon, the Great Hall after lunch and the theatre dome behind it. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.

1. [Tiananmen Square](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-square) — YesGo score 68/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free, passport booking
2. [Chairman Mao Memorial Hall](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/mao-mausoleum) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free, booking required
3. [Great Hall of the People](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/great-hall-of-the-people) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · ¥30, students ¥15; WeChat booking
4. [National Centre for the Performing Arts (The Egg)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/national-centre-for-performing-arts) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥40 building visit, half price ¥20

## Tips

- Log in at 17:00 exactly three days ahead — that's when the next date opens.
- Screenshot your booking; mobile data around the square can be slow.
- Bring an empty bottle and fill it inside.
- Arrive by 14:00: last entry is 14:30 and there are two security checks.
- Skip early March — the annual sessions close the hall.
- If your foreign phone number won't validate, a guided tour can handle the booking.

## Questions

### Can foreigners visit the Great Hall of the People?

Yes, on days without official events. Book 1–3 days ahead in the WeChat mini-program 人民大会堂参观预约 with your passport and bring the original. Tickets are ¥30.

### How much are Great Hall of the People tickets?

¥30 for adults and ¥15 for full-time students. Under-18s and over-60s go free with an accepted ID, but it isn't confirmed that an ordinary foreign passport qualifies.

### Do I need a reservation?

Yes. There's no ticket office and no same-day sale; the mini-program is the only official channel, with new dates released daily at 17:00.

### What are the opening hours?

Roughly 9:00–15:00 with last entry at 14:30; one guide says from 8:30. Sources disagree on whether Mondays are closed, and the hall shuts for sessions and state events.

### When is it closed?

During the National People's Congress and CPPCC sessions in early March, and on days with meetings, ceremonies or foreign delegations — often at short notice. Bookings are refunded.

### What's inside?

The Central Hall, the 10,000-seat Great Auditorium with its red star ceiling, several provincial halls, the Reception Hall, the State Banquet Hall and the Press Conference Hall, on a fixed route.

### How long does the tour take?

About an hour inside, plus half an hour for the square and building security checks.

### Can I bring water or a bag?

No liquids or food — bring an empty bottle and refill it inside. Keep your bag small; lighters are banned and sources disagree on power banks.

### Which metro station is closest?

Tiananmen West on Line 1, Exit C, or Qianmen on Lines 2 and 8, Exit C, then through square checkpoint 07.

### Does a Great Hall booking get me onto Tiananmen Square?

Visit Beijing and TravelChinaGuide say yes. The square booking is free, so make one too as a backup.

## How we checked

The mini-program 人民大会堂参观预约 as the only official booking channel is confirmed by Xinhua and China Daily. The ¥30 / ¥15 prices agree across Visit Beijing, Bendibao, TravelChinaGuide and Ruqin Travel. The mini-program can't be opened outside WeChat, so hours, booking window and entry rules are marked checking. Start times conflict: Bendibao and Visit Beijing's 2024 article say 9:00, the current TravelChinaGuide page says 8:30, and an older Visit Beijing listing gives seasonal hours from 7:30 to 9:00; we show 9:00 with a caveat. Mondays: Visit Beijing says closed, the newer TravelChinaGuide and Bendibao pages don't — we don't claim either. Power banks: Bendibao (2025) bans them, Visit Beijing (2024) allows them. Free entry for under-18s and over-60s appears everywhere, but Bendibao's list of qualifying IDs leaves out ordinary passports. We don't give the building's length: English Wikipedia says 356 m, Visit Beijing and Russian Wikipedia 336 m. Construction took about ten months per English Wikipedia and Visit Beijing, eleven per Russian Wikipedia. Ctrip blocks bots and wasn't opened. Figures for neighbouring sights come from YesGo pages checked against official sources.

## Sources

- Xinhua and China Daily, 2025, citing China's Joint Internet Rumour-Refuting Platform — booking only via the WeChat mini-program 人民大会堂参观预约, no authorised resellers
- Visit Beijing (Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism), attraction page and English article from 2024 — price, 17:00 release, route through the halls, liquids, square access, hours, Mondays, building dimensions
- Beijing Bendibao (bj.bendibao.com), 2025 article and recently updated attraction card — 1–3-day booking, no ticket office, 9:00–15:00, last entry 14:30, southeast-corner entrance, concessions, banned items, closures and refunds
- TravelChinaGuide, current version — 8:30 start, route from Qianmen via checkpoint 07, east entrance, about an hour, halls
- Ruqin Travel — passport, WeChat Pay; Wild Great Wall, 2025 — 17:00 ticket release
- English and Russian Wikipedia: Great Hall of the People, Дом народных собраний; Wikidata Q72891
- Chinese Wikipedia, 天安门西站 — Exit C for the Great Hall
- YesGo pages on Tiananmen Square, the Mao Mausoleum, the National Museum of China and the Forbidden City — for comparison

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