Government Ministries
2 =
The
Government
|
85
ministries
which we visited were
housed in a variety of buildings ranging from heavy
Stalinist 'socialist-realism'
style complexes, such as the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to converted imperial palaces,
such as the Ministry of Health. Unlike many other capitals
elsewhere in the world, Peking does not have a Government
quarter, with the exception of the Zhonanghai complex and
the Great Hall of
the People, and the various ministries
are scattered throughout the city.
the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs
Some of then, such as
Office are located in
rather unprepossessing areas which can only be entered by
minor roads and back alleys.
negotiating
complex of a
While this pattern, or rather
been
forced on the Chinese
circumstances, it
lack of it, has doubtless
Government
by force of
cannot help the overall coordination and
efficiency of the Government machine.
3.
In all our
official visits, we were taken to the
relevant meeting
deliberately)
ΠΟΛΙ
which was situated
(probably
very close to the entrance so that it was not
possible to see any of the ministry's staff at work. With
hardly any exceptions, the
furniture, heavy curtains, thick
decor was the same: heavy
carpets and huge plants
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