Light finally shed on some of the wonders of Beijing’s Forbidden City

The grand but usually dim halls in the Forbidden City in Beijing woke up to beams of sparkling, warm light on Wednesday morning when a new lighting system was installed to give visitors a better view of the interior of the former imperial palace, according to a newspaper report.

A ceremony to launch the new lighting system was held at the Palace Museum on Wednesday as scores of tourists watched halls with nearly 600 of years history be illuminated, the Beijing Daily reported.

The halls were kept dim in the past to protect the paintings, furniture and antiques from light and heat.

They used to be so dark that tourists often had to press their faces onto the windows in order to have a better view of indoor exhibits, leaving cleaners busy to wipe off fingerprints on the glass, the report said.

But heritage preservation experts have worked out a solution to avoid potential damage to artefacts. The newly-installed lights were all cold, LED lights, with special ultraviolet and infrared proof filters, according to the report.