Forbidden City joins the 21st century

China's Palace Museum, better known as the Forbidden City, opened a fan club on Saturday and a Wechat account will go live on New Year's Day.

Curator Shan Jixiang said on Saturday that the Forbidden City needs a greater social network presence and wants more fans online.

The Palace Museum presence online will feature microtopics and micro-exhibitions through WeChat, a hugely popular Chinese messaging app with more than 400 million users, to help viewers better appreciate the imperial buildings and cultural relics.

Since it opened its microblog account on Jan. 1, 2011, the Forbidden City has won more than 4 million followers, according to the curator.

Located in the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City was home to China's emperors and was the highest center of power for about 500 years. It attracts more than 14 million visitors annually.