Smog damages ancient architecture: Museum director

The air pollution in Beijing causes damage not only to people's health, but also to the city's cultural heritage, said Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

The smog can cause corrosion of the colorful paintings and components of the wooden architecture in Beijing, Shan, a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, was quoted as saying at the annual session of the national political advisory body.

Shan also reiterated that the Palace Museum would not raise its ticket price as a way to cut down on the number of visitors, the paper said.

"The problem is how to reduce the number of visitors in busy seasons and raise it in off seasons," he was quoted as saying.

The museum held a consultation meeting last week to gather public opinions on fixing its ticket prices. The resulting plan will be put in place after the sessions, he was quoted as saying.