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Chairman Mao Memorial Hall
Immediately behind the Monument to the People's Heroes on the southern side of Tiananmen Square is the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall where the embalmed Great Helmsman lies at rest. Completed in May 1977, just 8 months after the death of Mao Zedong (1893-1976), it is over 30 meters (90ft) tall and covers an area of 57,000 sq meters.
There are 3 main halls on the ground floor - one to the north, one to the south and the hall of reverence in between. In the north hall there is a 3.5 meter (12ft) seated figure of Mao sculptured in white marble. The back wall of this hall is covered by a huge brocade landscape tapestry that is 24 meters (79ft) wide. The hall of reverence is where the body of Chairman Mao, draped with the red flag of China lies in a crystal coffin. Leaving through the south hall, visitors will find a marble wall where a famous poem written by Mao has been inscribed in gold by the great calligrapher Guo Moruo.
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