Wu Poh-Hsiung visits KMT birthplace

The Chairman of the Taiwan-based Kuomintang is promoting cross-strait ties on the Mainland. And Wu Poh-Hsiung has just paid a special visit to Beijing's renowned Huguang Assembly Hall. Not only is the 200-year-old building a cultural landmark, but it's also the birthplace of the KMT Party. Gui Xiaozeng has the details.

Wu Poh-hsiung (2nd R, Back), Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman, poses  with performers of Beijing opera while visiting the Huguang  Guildhall in Beijing, capital of China, on May 25, 2009. A KMT  delegation headed by Wu arrived in Beijing on Monday for an visit  on the mainland.(Xinhua/Xing Guangli)

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In a few hours, Wu Poh-Hsiung will meet Hu Jintao in his capacity as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. We'll bring you the story as it unfolds.

A cup of fragrant tea enjoyed along with opera selections.

Wu Poh-hsiung and his delegation took in the history and glory of the Huguang Assembly Hall.

Built in 1807 during the Qing Dynasty, the hall once served as a banquet venue for society's finest.

The place was later converted to a Peking Opera and Drama Exhibition Hall, where performances were held.

And in August 1912, the building made history when Doctor Sun Yat-sen hosted the founding conference of the Kuomintang Party.

Wu said, "Five political parties and groups joined together to form the KMT. This is an important page in the party's history. Although Doctor Sun Yat-sen has left us, still the people on both sides of the Straits will always respect him and follow his path to promote peace and common development."

The Huguang Assembly Hall has witnessed profound changes in Chinese history.

This occasion marks the friendliness and cooperation between the Communist Party of China and the KMT, as well as people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.