Free admission to the Palace Museum will be given to more than 5,700 people on designated days in a bid to inspire more people to visit the establishment and encourage them to engage in social education.
The museum announced in November that it will be waiving admission fees for special groups including students, teachers, soldiers and policemen as well as medical workers and volunteers on special dates.
According to the announcement, each group will be given free admission to the museum every first Wednesday of the month beginning December.
The first group given the special privilege on Dec. 3 included school teachers who had registered in advance on a reservation website prior to their tour to the museum.
After reserving a slot at www.gugong.228.com.cn, 5,708 teachers presented credentials like the Chinese teachers' certification upon their arrival at the museum.
Next in line for the Palace Museum free admission are college students scheduled for Jan. 7, uniformed personnel on Feb. 4, medical workers on March 4 and volunteers on April 1, all of whom will be given one free entry each.
The Palace Museum, located within the Forbidden City in Beijing, is considered one of the most visited museums in the world, even receiving over 14 million visitors in 2012.
Established in 1925, it is a national museum built inside the imperial palace of the Ming and the Qing dynasties to hold collections of calligraphy, ceramics, paintings and decorative objects, making it one of the most prestigious museums in both China and worldwide.
It was declared as one of China's most protected cultural heritage sites by the State Council in 1961 and was named a UNESCO World Heritage site by 1987.