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Forbidden City to open wider to public

Xinhua, September 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Almost all of Beijing's Forbidden City will be opened to the public, under plans announced by the administrators to make accessible many parts that have been off limits.

Eighty percent of the site, known in China as the Palace Museum, will be open from 2020, up from the current 65 percent, and the long-term goal is 85 percent, compared with 30 percent 13 years ago, curator Shan Jixiang said at an international eco-city forum in north China's Tianjin City on Wednesday.

Some administrative and ancillary facilities are being removed and old architecture renovated in preparation for the wider opening.

A storage facility is also being revamped to display to the public thousands of pieces of furniture crafted in the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1912). Made of precious wood, the furniture is scattered in more than 30 storerooms, without being exhibited or repaired, according to Shan.

He said all cars will be banned from parking in the Forbidden city within five years to protect its landscape. Endi