Travelers who’ve been fortunate enough to visit Beijing, China have a plethora of sites to partake in. It can be said without much argument that the Forbidden City, long closed off to the public before recent times, qualifies as a prime destination for tourists. Subsequently, there will be soon be more incentive to visit.
The Beijing Palace Museum, which is the new designation for the complex that composes the Forbidden City, has announced their overall program to mark their 90th anniversary. The most integral part of this new program is that the museum will further open itself up to visitors; presently, only 52% of the total palace grounds were open to the public. The museum will increase that access number to 65%.
This expansion of areas available to visit will include the garden of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, where the empresses resided. The western section of the palace, where concubines resided will also be open to the public. This major expansion of access will include 400 relics for viewing, and even some that will be displayed without any covering as part of the 180 million plus-collection that is already there. The Palace Museum also plans to host 18 brand new exhibitions over the course of the year, supplemented by a permanent digital display that will play out information over an exterior wall screen when the museum is closed. The massive screen will be situated at the main watchtower on the museum complex’s southern border, and will be operational in October.
The outreach doesn’t stop there, however. The museum looks to boost attendance during their slower months in a couple of different ways. First, they’ve launched their own app in the iTunes Store. This will enable users to peruse the artifacts on display at the Palace Museum. Furthermore, they’ve already begun to waive entry fees on Wednesdays until April. This incentive has already been in place since last December. The nation’s teachers, university students and military personnel have also been treated to free admission to the Palace Museum, with doctors and nurses set to enjoy this benefit beginning on March 4th. Admission is normally US$9.80 during the peak months of April to October and US$6.40 during the other months. This news is certain to make sure that citizens and tourists alike revel in centuries of wonder and grace locked away behind the palace doors.
