Visitors to view over 1.8M items from collections on Palace Museum's website

By Saimah Hanif

Correspondent, SAM Daily Times

The Palace Museum, known by many as the Forbidden City, has just finished taking stock of exhibited items. By the end of this year, visitors will be able to view over 1.8 million items from collections on its official website.

It's been seven years since the museum started to count its treasures. 90 percent of the items can be found in the catalogue of precious collections. The curator is certainly confident in it's standing and appeal

Shan Jixiang, Curator, Palace Museum, said, "The Palace Museum can stand right alongside the Louvre Museum in Paris, the State Hermitage in St Petersburg and the British Museum in London. And we’re much better than New York's Metropolitan Museum."

Shan says the Museum will feature a new display layout and set up permanent exhibitions on unique objects including bronze, jade and imperial items.

In order to prolong the visiting hours, the museum will also set up the Hall of Dagaoxuan and the Gate of Duan to allow digital tours, so that visitors can continue the see the exhibits after other areas close. The curator says they are also planning weekly culture seminars for visitors, starting this summer.

The Palace Museum is located in the heart of Beijing. It was built in 1420 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. It was home to many China's emperors and the highest center of power for about 500 years.