Palace Museum holds exhibition of festive royal traditions

An exhibition of nearly 900 cultural relics is getting underway at the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, as the 2019 Chinese Lunar New Year draws near. Visitors from across the globe, for the first time, can celebrate the festival in the former Chinese imperial palace.

Cultural relics are on display during the exhibition "New Year Greetings – Celebrating Spring Festival in the Forbidden City" to welcome the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year at the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, in Beijing, China, 6 January 2019. [Photo：IC]

A record-breaking number of antiques, along with music and fragrance, present vivid images of how the ancient royal families spent what the Chinese consider the most important time of the year, featuring blessing ceremonies, ancestor worship, and winter recreation.

A visitor said that she was impressed by the display of old traditions that match perfectly with our modern tastes.

"We are less familiar with the old folk customs now, not to mention the royal ones. But this historic gallery brings us back to the spectacular New Year's traditions two hundred years ago".

Tourists visit the Palace of Heavenly Purity during the exhibition "New Year Greetings – Celebrating Spring Festival in the Forbidden City" to welcome the upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year at the Forbidden City, also known as the Palace Museum, in Beijing, China, 6 January 2019. [Photo：IC]

Visitors can also enjoy Digital and interactive displays as well as a wide array of creative cultural products.