Forbidden City spends 440m yuan to step up security and conservation

The Forbidden City, the former imperial palace in the centre of Beijing, is spending 440 million yuan (HK$552 million) to increase security, improve conservation and help build another museum in the suburbs, a mainland newspaper reported.

Part of the cash has been spent on a security system that sprays a chemical on thieves if they try to take an exhibit, the Beijing Times reported.

Seven pieces of artwork worth millions of dollars were stolen from the palace in May 2011, triggering doubts over its security and management.

A man from Shandong province later confessed to the thefts, saying he hid in the museum after it closed and broke into an exhibition hall.

The cash will also help maintain equipment that is being used to monitor termites that pose a threat to the palace's wooden beams.

The museum monitoring centre also collects data on humidity and temperature to help protect artefacts in the building.

The projects at the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, were approved by the State Council, the mainland's cabinet, said the building's head Shan Jixiang.