Visitors use a selfie-stick to take photos outside of the Palace Museum in Beijing. (File photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) -- Visitors are encouraged to take photographs of the treasures at the Palace Museum in Beijing, as long as they do not harm the cultural relics, but flashes, tripods and selfie sticks are still forbidden in exhibition halls, said curator Shan Jixiang.
"The museum encourages visitors to share as much information as possible about the cultural relics with their relations and friends," said Shan. "It's also good publicity for us."
Many visitors to the museum, whether locals or foreigners, are enthusiastic about taking pictures.
"It's not easy to make a trip here, so we must take some photos," said a visitor surnamed Wang, who came from northeast China with his family.
A female student surnamed Zhang in Beijing said she chose a sunny day to visit with her boyfriend "just for taking photos." "We have looked for many places here to take photos, in the hope of creating the feeling of 'one person's Palace Museum'," she explained.
However, according to Shan, flash photography can be harmful to the cultural relics and can also disturb other visitors.
As for the ban on tripods, Shan said they occupy too much space and photos taken using a tripod are more likely to be used for commercial purposes.
Meanwhile, a selfie stick is capable of "hurting the cultural relics or other visitors," he noted.
The museum imposed a ban on selfie sticks in 2015, saying they might pose a threat to the security of other visitors and relics.
