bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

The Forbidden City is to get its biggest facelift for almost a century ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games.

At least three major buildings long removed from view will be opened and more of the city's 930,000 relics will go on display.

An official with the Ministry of Culture's Cultural Relics Bureau said: 'Among areas now off limits, we are most concerned with restoring and opening to the public Wuyingdian [Hall of Martial Valour], Cininggong, and Shoukanggong [the Palace of Longevity].'

The official said he was most excited about opening Wuyingdian because of its significance as the site where the leader of the peasant uprising, Li Zicheng, holed up for several days before overthrowing the Ming dynasty in the 17th century.

Cininggong, the once austere hall where empresses slept, is said to be overgrown with thick grass and overrun with rabbits.

The Palace of Longevity was where important officials met Ming and Qing emperors. Built in 1420, the structure has been renovated several times in piecemeal fashion, but officials say a project of this scale has never been tried before.

'While we are most concerned with opening those three buildings by 2008, this is part of an overall plan lasting until 2020 that will strive to open the majority of the currently sealed-off areas to the public,' the official said.

'I cannot even begin to give you an estimate of what the renovations will cost, but we are confident the Government supports our plan and will foot a large portion of the cost.'

The most complicated part of the renovation will be finding wood to match the original materials and replicating the construction methods.



Olympian facelift for the Forbidden City