Chairman Mao's Mausoleum ( 毛主席纪念堂 )
Hours: Open 8:30-11:30 Tues-Sun and 2:00-4:00 Tues and Thurs
Address: Located in the center of Tiananmen Square
( 天安门广场 )

 

There is certainly something eerie about Mao’s preserved body lying in a crystal case.  Is it over the top to pay such high respects to a former politician or is it just creepy to see anyone’s corpse look almost alive 30 years later?  Perhaps it is the fact that Mao wished to be cremated.

 

Actually walking through the mausoleum is a very brief and orderly process that only takes five to ten minutes.  Bottles, bags, cameras and sandals are not allowed inside.  Guards assure that the lineup is maintained as visitors are ushered first past the marble statue of Mao then through the hall in which sits Mao’s embalmed body and finally to the souvenir store that sells all types of Mao Memorabilia.  It is not likely Mao would have wished for any of the souvenirs either.

 

 

Take subway line 2 to the Qianmen (前门) stop, go out through the northeast exit (exit A), and then walk straight north to find the queue to enter the mausoleum.