Related stories

Decision on Amendments to the Law of Judges of the People's Republic of China Implementation Measures of the "Rules of the People's Republic of China on Customs Protection of Intellectual Property Rights" Zheng Jian Fa [2004] No. 67 -- Notice of the China Securities Regulatory Commission on Several Issues Concerning Regulation of Overseas Listing of Companies Affiliated to Domestic Listed Companies What's love to got to do with it? The vagaries of Valentine's Day in China Witnesses to Time: The Magnificent Trees of Beijing

Hall of Harmony to Get Face-lift

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most magnificent hall in the world-famous Imperial Palace in Downtown Beijing, was closed for renovation on January 5, 2006, with a scheduled reopening set for the end of 2007. The hall, decorated with thousands of dragons, symbols of imperial power, is considered the most important hall in the palace.

Meanwhile, the Hall of Complete Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, two other opulent halls, will stay open during the renovation, said Palace Museum officials. To now, only 250,000 square metres of viewing area, 38 percent of the palace's ground space, was opened to the public. But when it reopens, the area open to the public will increase by 12 percent to nearly 400,000 square metres, half of the palace's total area.