Mausoleum of Mao Zedong — Attraction in Beijing

The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (simplified Chinese: 毛主席纪念堂; traditional Chinese: 毛主席紀念堂; pinyin: Máo Zhǔxí Jìniàn Táng), commonly known as the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, is the final resting place of Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the Chairman of the Communist Party of Chinafrom 1945 until his death in 1976.

Although Mao had wished to be cremated, this was ignored and his body was embalmed. The construction of a mausoleum as his final restplace began shortly after his death. This highly popular attraction is located in the middle of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It stands on the previous site of the Gate of China, the southern (main) gate of the Imperial City during the Ming and Qingdynasties.

The remains of the Great Helmsman, as he is sometimes known, are on display for public viewing (though some claim this is a wax sculpture placed over the...

Arrived around 7:30 (a bit before the 8am opening) as I predicted the queues would be quite long since it was a sunday and hot day in the middle of summer. However I underestimated the popularity of the exhibit and even at this time it was extremely busy. I would recommend arriving as early as possible. For me the queue took just under 4 hours. The time allowed in the Mausoleum was maybe only a minute or two as they wanted to keep the flow of people going but I would say that it was worth it if you have any interest at all in Chinese history and culture. The atmosphere in there was amazing. Also just a word of warning - you are not allowed to take bags inside but there is a place to drop them off near the side of the mausoleum furtherst away from the forbidden city and it's not...

It’s a very special and different experience. You must remember that you are watching a dead person, a person that is VERY important to a lot of people in China. 5 stars for the unique experience, less stars for the fact that we was ushered through the hall, you are not allowed to linger. The whole thing was over in less than five minutes. We were there in December, go there 30-45 min after opening time to let the tour groups go through first. We experienced no queues at all. I suspect it’s different during summertime though. Still, don’t queue up with the tour groups. If there’s a line, it will move fast. Chinese security control times two before entering the mausoleum, it doesn’t get better than that, it’s an...