Forbidden City’s ‘relic hospital’ opens to public

Beijing’s Palace Museum’s ‘relic hospital’, a conservation center designed to preserve and treat ailing cultural relics, opened to the public on a trial basis.

The first batch of 40 visitors, who each made an appointment via the museum’s website, were invited to watch experts treating damaged ancient artifacts through windows, China News Service reports.

The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, was home to the royal court between 1420 and 1912. Today, it houses more than 1.8 million cultural relics.

According to Shan Jixiang, the museum’s director, the hospital covers 13,000 square meters and boasts the nation’s most advanced restoration workshops, as well as more than 100 professionals.

A laser technology lab, jointly established by China and Greece, has also been set up, alongside an ancient pottery research base and a joint synchrotron radiation and cultural relic conservation lab.

The facility features CT scanning equipment exclusively designed to display the interior of relics without harming their structural integrity.

Strictly selected from 871 applicants, 25 guide volunteers also started work. They are mostly made up of teachers, postgraduate and doctoral students, although a number of TV and radio hosts have also been signed up.

The official online reservation service for the general public will open soon and those interested can follow the Palace Museum’s website for more information.