forbidden city.jpg (Photo : Reuters)
The Forbidden City, the ancient imperial palace in the center of Beijing, seeks to attract more visitors by selling one-year passes for tourists.
Tourist guides always include a visit to this magnificent ancient palace in their itinerary to give tourists a peek at the rich history and culture of China.
Visitors who avail these passes can visit 10 times a year, except on the seven-day National Day holidays. For regular customers, an annual pass costs 300 yuan ($49); a discounted rate for senior citizens and students is available at 150 yuan ($25).
The regular pass that costs 60 yuan ($10) allows holders a one-day tour of the grand structure.
For almost five centuries, the Forbidden City became the home of 24 emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties. It was also a venue for ceremonial and political affairs of the Chinese government.
The palace structure depicts traditional, cultural and architectural influences from East Asia. It also houses imperial collections of artworks and artifacts built during the time of the two dynasties.
The Forbidden City covers an area of about 72 hectares and is considered the largest palatial structure in the world. It also has a total of 90 palaces and courtyards, 980 buildings and 8,704 rooms.
The tourist site was declared by UNESCO in 1987 as a World Heritage Site, bearing the largest collection of well-preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
According to CCTV, the sale of annual passes will allow the administrators of the Forbidden City to improve the tourist service for the Palace Museum and the entire walled city.
