Chairman Mao Memorial Hall is to close from March 3 to September 20 for maintenance, according to the hall's administration.

 

Located in Tian'anmen Square in downtown Beijing, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall was built after Mao Zedong died on September 9, 1976 and completed in May 1977. Since the hall opened on September 9 the same year, it has received 158 million visitors, who came to pay respects to the late Chinese leader.

 

Mao Zedong (1893-1976), a native of Hunan Province in central China, was one of the founding members of the Communist Party of China. He served as chairman of the CPC Central Committee from 1945 to 1976, and he was also the first head of state of the People's Republic of China.

 

(Xinhua News Agency March 1, 2007)