Forbidden no more as visitors return

Leisurely visit

Last year, over 19 million visitors poured into the Palace Museum. That number would probably have been exceeded this year, especially with the added draw of the venue's 600th anniversary, but COVID-19 pushed the "emergency brake" on the flow of visitors.

The museum has maintained an 80,000-people daily cap since 2015. It has largely eased the problem of overwhelming crowds, which reached a peak of 182,000 people on Oct 2, 2012. However, for most visitors to the museum before the outbreak, it was probably still difficult to find a corner to take a breath amid the constant flow of people.

Experiencing the chaotic situation of being overwhelmed during that record day in 2012, Zhuang says the temporary 5,000-people cap is a rare gift for fans of the Forbidden City.

"I can stroll in the compound and take the time to notice the areas I used to neglect," she explains, enjoying a fresh feeling for the old place, despite being a frequent guest.

Guo Meixia, deputy director of the publicity and education department of the Palace Museum, says that visitors now have the time and space to view details close-up and feel the subtly differing atmospheres of various courtyards, allowing them to better resonate emotionally with historic figures.

"There are too many objects on the routes, which people used to hastily pass with little time for scrutiny," Guo says. "But there are many interesting stories hidden in their patterns and shapes, and slower steps will provide surprises for people."

During the Qingming Festival Holiday in April, Guo's team launched a day-and-a-half livestreaming tour of the closed Palace Museum. Many online viewers were amazed by the close-up details in the architecture and on artifacts in "familiar" spaces of the empty compound.

It was the first ever live broadcast officially initiated by the Palace Museum, and Guo reveals to China Daily that it will become routine in the future.

"A second show will come soon," she says.