The "Safe Palace Museum" project launched: The Palace Museum in Beijing to close on Mondays starting January 1, 2014

▲Starting January 1, 2014, the Palace Museum in Beijing will be closed on Mondays for “rest.” (Photo / Official website of the Palace Museum, Beijing)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Palace Museum in Beijing receives around 15 million visitors annually, breaking the record of 180,000 visitors in a single day last year. Even an old palace gets tired too. To ensure the smooth implementation of the "Safe Palace Museum" project, which focuses on heritage preservation and improving the visitor experience, the Palace Museum has announced that starting January 1, 2014, it will be closed every Monday. Exceptions will be made for national holidays and during the peak summer vacation period in July and August. On all other Mondays, the Emperor will not be receiving guests.

The "Safe Palace Museum" project is an initiative aimed at expanding and maintaining the buildings and artifacts of the Palace Museum. It mainly includes seven components such as the construction of the museum’s North District, anti-seismic protection for the collections, and the renovation of underground storage facilities for relics. In addition to building new areas for more fulfilling visits, it also involves setting up safety facilities to guard against fires, earthquakes, and other disasters.

The Palace Museum was once home to 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It currently houses about 2,631 structures covering an area of approximately 725,000 square meters — equivalent to 1,015 football fields. All the buildings are constructed with yellow glazed tiles, red walls, gold decorations, and white stone. The yellow tiles symbolize the emperor, making it a must-visit sacred site when touring Beijing.


▲The Palace Museum in Beijing spans a vast area with 2,631 structures, covering a total area equivalent to 1,015 football fields. (Photo / Official website of the Palace Museum, Beijing)