Palace Museum gets some time off

The Forbidden City, or Palace Museum, is a must-see destination for those who come to the capital, receiving tens of thousands of visitors every day. Thankfully, it is finally getting a breather. It will be closed on Monday afternoons during the off-season.

At the heart of Beijing is the Forbidden City. For almost 600 years, it served as the home of emperors. It houses the largest collection of well-preserved ancient wooden structures in the world. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

But the Palace Museum has been extremely busy. Tourists from all over the world fill the site every day. In 2012, it received over 15 million visitors, on average more than 40,000 every day -- an all-time record! The city's one-day record reached a staggering 180-thousand visitors during the national holiday.

Li Ji, vice president of Palace Museum, said, "Massive streams of visitors have done some harm to the cultural heritage site. And as it's open every day of the week, we don't have enough time to take care of the buildings and relics. "

The Palace Museum is getting its much-needed rest. It is closing on Monday afternoons from January to March, the off-season for the museum; except for February 11th, the second day of the Spring Festival holiday.

Some will have to visit another day.

Visitor said, "We arrived yesterday and we were really looking forward to going inside but what can we do, just cry."

Tourist Chen Xi said, "I am on vacation, so I brought my parents to visit the Palace Museum. It's a pity that we couldn't make it today but I totally understand. The half day closure every week is important to preserve the 6-century-old royal palace. We'll return tomorrow."

But overall, the half day closure has not caused much inconvenience, as there are much fewer tourists during the off season. On January 7th, the first Monday, the Palace Museum received about 4,300 visitors; January 14th saw around 4,600 and January 21st about 5,200.

Feng Ganglin, deputy director of Security Department of Palace Museum, said, said, "We are fully prepared for the half-day closure. The tourists are well informed and are very cooperative. The first three Monday afternoons have gone well."

The museum gets rest, but the staff does not. They will provide maintenance of the ancient buildings and relics. And there is a lot more to be done, as the Museum gets ready to open more areas to the public in coming years.

Reporter:　"Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to film inside, as the museum was getting its much needed and deserved rest. Officials say they will keep this one afternoon closed over the long term if it works out well."