SPECIAL EVENT AFTER NEARLY A CENTURY
For the first time since 1925, China's palace museum, the Forbidden City (Beijing), opened its doors to visitors after 5 p.m. and for two nights only. The Forbidden City usually closes around 4:30 p.m. in winter and 5 p.m. in summer. Until now, only a few important heads of state have enjoyed the privilege of visiting the palace at night, one of them being US President Donald Trump during his visit to China in 2017.
On Tuesday evening, about 3,000 lucky visitors were allowed into the Forbidden City to watch impressive displays, including lantern shows, symphony orchestra performances and ancient Chinese paintings projected onto the roof. Among them was Zhang Zhifu, a 77-year-old public security volunteer who received a free ticket from the government as a thank you for her volunteer work. "I grew up in Beijing and I visit the Forbidden City every year, but I have never seen it at night until today."
During this Beijing Lantern Festival, only certain areas of the Forbidden City will be open to the public at night, including Ngo Mon Gate, Thai Hoa Palace, East Wall and Than Vu Mon.
Tickets to visit the Forbidden City and attend the festival quickly sold out as soon as they went on sale. The official website of the Forbidden City management board also crashed on February 17 due to overloaded traffic.
At this year's Lantern Festival, organizers are planning to replace candle lanterns with LED lights, to avoid the risk of fire and protect the ancient relic site.
'There will be more events like this'
Despite the cold winter night - and without tickets - visitors still crowded outside the Forbidden City to get a glimpse of the light show on the first night.
"For 2,000 years, there has been a tradition of lighting up the Chinese Lantern Festival, which is an extension of the Lunar New Year," said Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum. "We want to continue that tradition and light up the ancient architecture, giving people more of a festive experience. Tonight is an experiment. If the response is positive, there will be more events like this in the future."
The Forbidden City has long been a symbol of Chinese culture. This place is also the filming location of many popular historical dramas. The magnificent landscape and long-standing cultural values have made this place a popular tourist destination. Therefore, the event of this place opening to the public in the evening has attracted the attention of both local people and international tourists.
Completed in 1420, the Forbidden City was the home of the emperors and the political center of China for more than 500 years. In the past, holding the Lantern Festival in the Forbidden City was a tradition reserved for the Imperial family. But concerns about protecting the ancient architecture – much of it made of wood – from fire hazards arose, causing the tradition to disappear. Today, the festival is popular among the general public.
