The Palace Museum (the Forbidden City) recently has started the construction of its new branch in the northern part of Beijing for relics' exhibition, repair and storage.
The northern branch will cover a total of 102,000 square meters, including 33,000 square meters for cultural relics' exhibition, 25,000 for storage, 16,000 for restoration and 9,900 for digital exhibition.
The most important function of this new branch is the restoration of cultural relics, and addressing issues concerning relics that are relatively large in size, such as furniture, carpets and large paintings, which have been ineffectively protected or displayed due to space limitations.
Visitors will also be able to observe the traditional techniques used in cultural relic restoration, which have been listed as intangible cultural heritage.
Construction of the new branch is expected to be completed in 2025, in time to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Palace Museum.