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Stephen Chen

More “secret” courtyards in Beijing’s Forbidden City are to be opened to the public, according to a recently released government plan, bringing the total open area to 85 per cent of the total by 2025, The Beijing News reported on Thursday.
At present, about one third of the ancient Imperial Palace remains behind shut behind doors.
These mysterious locations have prompted speculation over the years, such as the government kept them closed because they were haunted.
How China’s tumultuous history shaped the Forbidden City, the most visited museum in the world
But the Forbidden City administrators offer a more prosaic explanation: the areas have stayed closed mainly due to their poor state of preservation, making them an eyesore for tourists and diminishing the glorious image of ancient Chinese civilization.

One closed location is the Jianfu mini-palace, home to Pu Yi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1912) after Nationalist soldiers overthrew the throne.
The overall purpose of the government’s plan is to protect and restore the Forbidden City to its original condition.
Ruins found at Beijing’s Forbidden City may be part of lost Ming palace
A building occupied by the People’s Liberation Army to shield a swimming pool in the Zhongnanhai leaders’ compound next to the Forbidden City from public view would be demolished, according to previous reports.
Some of the newly opened areas will limit the number of daily visitors as they contain valuable artifacts in fragile conditions.
According to the authorities, the biggest challenge to restoring the Forbidden City was not money, but the loss of craftsmanship.


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More ‘secret’ courtyards in Forbidden City to be opened to the public

The Forbidden City complex was built between 1406 – 1420 and consists of 980 buildings on a 72 hectare site. Photo: Shutterstock

(170102) -- BEIJING, Jan. 2, 2017 (Xinhua) -- Tourists visit the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 2, 2017. The number of visitors to the Palace Museum in Beijing for 2016 hit 16 million. The record number of visitors is an increase of 6.19 percent from 2015.   (Xinhua/Li Xin) (wx)

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China

People & Culture

Plan is to have 85 per cent of iconic ancient complex available for viewing by 2025, Beijing says
