Replicas of Forbidden City lanterns to go up for auction

The replicas of the Sky Lantern and Wan Shou Lantern on display in front of the Qian Qing Gong - the Palace of Heavenly Purity - at the Palace Museum will go up for public auction.

The Wan Shou Lantern in front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity at the Palace Museum in Beijing on February 14, 2019. [Photo: IC]

The money raised from the auction will be donated to students in China's impoverished areas, said Shan Jixiang, the president of the Palace Museum. He said that the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, will have another set of the lanterns made for next year's Spring Festival. The second pair will be kept and used for periodic displays.

The Sky Lantern in front of the Palace of Heavenly Purity at the Palace Museum in Beijing on February 14, 2019. [Photo: IC]

The original lanterns were removed from their original position 179 years ago.