Footage of the US secretary of state giving a thumbs-up to a ceiling in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People has gone viral
The candid footage catches Rubio in the East Hall of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, his gaze fixed upwards on the ceiling’s ornate decorations. The sprawling Great Hall near Tiananmen Square is used for ceremonial and legislative events.
Spanning over 1,120 square metres (12,055 sq ft) on the building’s second floor, the design of the East Hall’s ceiling draws inspiration from traditional Chinese architecture, notably thedou gongstructure of interlocking wooden brackets andzao jingsunken ceiling panels that are often given intricate decorations.
The hall’s ceiling features three large sunken octagons with detailed wood carvings, each of which surrounds a large crystal chandelier.
On the wall behind where the US delegation sat hangs a 16-metre-long (52 feet), 3-metre-wide Chinese painting titledYouyan Golden Autumn,which depicts autumn scenery in northern China and is inscribed with chairman Mao Zedong’s calligraphy.
Source: News - South China Morning Post
