Forbidden City birthday

The Forbidden City, though it was closed to the public for a while during the pandemic, is still a sensation.

Starting from April 5, a two-day live broadcast of the Forbidden City, also known as Palace Museum, has received more than 34 million views on Xinhuanet’s cloud livestreaming service.

Once the area of emperors and the royal court, the Forbidden City celebrates its 600th birthday this year. Built in 1420, the palace recorded lives of important people through various relics and documents. The museum can provide a large amount of valuable material for today’s historical research, as well as inspiration for literature and entertainment.

Apart from giving people a glimpse of history, the Forbidden City is also creative in terms of marketing. Over the last decade, the museum has produced more than 10,000 cultural products featuring the imperial palace and its exhibits, ranging from fans, notebooks to apps and cosmetics.

The most popular products are ones that feature the royal cats. The items are inspired by the real cats who call the Palace Museum home. More than 200 cats are living in the palace where they are being well cared for. These furry guys often roam around idly and pose adorably to the delight of visitors, who occasionally can interact with them.

“The fundamental reason why the Palace Museum has become so popular among people is that it strikes the right balance between preserving history, sharing knowledge, and providing interesting interactive displays,” Shan Jixiang, former director and curator of the museum, told China Daily.