Beijing's Palace Museum, or Forbidden City, has disclosed its ticket revenues for last year in order to boost transparency and squash public concerns about the scandal-ridden museum's operation.
The museum took in 650 million yuan (102.9 million U.S. dollars) in ticket revenues last year, all of which was handed over to the state treasury, according to a Wednesday report by Chinanews.com.
The museum also pulls in money by selling souvenirs to visitors, museum curator Shan Jixiang was quoted as saying in the report.
The Palace Museum came under fire by the public in the wake of a May 2011 theft that resulted in the loss of artwork valued at 10 million yuan.
Criticism was stirred up again after the exposure of an exclusive club in the Forbidden City's Jianfu Palace, where memberships were reported to cost 1 million yuan.
The museum deals with significant operating and maintenance costs every year, Shen said, adding that the museum's budget is based on its developmental needs.
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