Palace Museum to be more visitor-friendly

The Palace Museum covered under snow in this file photo. [Photo by Song Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

The head of the Palace Museum, Shan Jixiang, suggested parking lot and administrative offices be moved out of the Forbidden City as the museum is facing an increasing pressure of "space security," the Beijing-based Beijing Times reported.

Shan, also a member of the national committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said the museum is now "too crowed with visitors as well as cars."

The museum welcomed 15.34 million visitors in 2012 and more than 14.56 million in 2013, making it the most-visited museum in the world.

The parking lot of the museum accommodates more than 750 cars owned by museum staffers, and offers 650 more places for temporary parking.

Shan said that the parked cars have not only become an eyesore to the general view of the museum, but also posed a safety concern - cars passing across the museum could put visitors and the ancient buildings in danger.

Still, the museum has another problem unsolved: 194 rooms occupied as administrative offices mean a smaller visiting area for visitors.

Shan therefore proposed rebuilding surrounding houses, located between the moat and the outside walls of the Forbidden City, for administrative offices.