Palace Museum opens northern wall

"That enabled more sections to be gradually opened," Ren said.

The opening of the northern wall section comes one day after the start of a major exhibition, Princess Sissi and Hungary: Aristocratic Life in the 17th-19th Century, on Wednesday.

The exhibition includes 149 cultural relics on loan from the Hungarian National Museum. They reflect the life of Queen Elisabeth of Hungary (1837-1898), who was commonly known as Princess Sissi, and the lifestyle of Hungarian aristocrats.

For the exhibition, the second floor of Shenwumen was also used as an art gallery for the first time, allowing visitors to have a close view of works originally painted on ceilings. The first floor has been opened to the public for temporary exhibitions starting in 2015.

Seven major exhibitions will be open for next week's National Day holiday.

The weeklong holiday is the annual peak time of visitors at the Palace Museum. On Oct 2, 2014, more than 170,000 people poured into the institution, generating safety concerns.

The 80,000 daily limit for visitors, set in 2015, will continue during the upcoming holiday. Online ticket reservations are recommended by the museum at www.dpm.org.cn (click on the middle tab on the top right side for English).

The Palace Museum has worked for years to provide more exhibition space within its ancient architecture to relieve overcrowding in its most popular areas.