The Palace Museum is ready to invite its first-ever public group to enjoy a grand exhibition during the Spring Festival, also known as the Chinese New Year, in the royal palace, China Youth Daily reported on Jan. 2, 2019.
Scheduled to last from Jan. 6 to April 7, 2019, the exhibition, titled “Celebrating the Spring Festival in the Forbidden City,” will allow people to enjoy a royal Spring Festival, including access to all open areas of the imperial palace and presenting a total of 885 antiques.
The palace will be transported back into the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912) over the Spring Festival period. Palace lanterns have been restored for the exhibition for the first time since being removed in 1840. The whole process of placing various lanterns throughout the palace and then removing them took the efforts of over 8,000 people, which used to be one of the most magnificent events during the early and mid-Qing Dynasty.
145 China Time-honored Brands from 10 Chinese provinces and cities will also showcase special food, silk clothing and accessories, articles for daily use, stationery, jewelry, creative cultural products, and intangible cultural heritage handicrafts at the exhibition from Jan. 28 to Feb. 12.
The Chinese character “Fu” meaning happiness, blessing, and good fortune, in the calligraphy of five emperors of the Qing Dynasty, will be exhibited in the Hall of Mental Cultivation (Yangxin Dian) during the exhibition.
In the past, people usually spent the Spring Festival watching the Spring Festival Gala, or strolling around temple fairs, while in recent years, “enjoying the Spring Festival in the museum” has gradually become more common, said Shan Jixiang, the curator of the Palace Museum.
“In ancient times, the emperor was the symbol of a country, and the Spring Festival in the imperial palace was of significance to both the royal family and the country,” explained Shan, disclosing that visitors will not only see familiar settings and articles of daily life during the exhibition, but will also have the opportunity to discover new things.
