Beijing's Forbidden City, once home to Chinese Emperors and now a Palace Museum, is going to online-only ticket sales to clear up long lines and avoid disappointed visitors.
Since 2015, visits have been limited to 80,000 a day to avoid overcrowding and safety issues. At that time, an on-line ticketing system was set up; as the number of online tickets has grown, so has the number of people arriving and finding that there are no tickets left. Some days, the entire 80,000 has been sold out in advance.
Since the on-line tickets come with assigned times, it also means the end of morning crushes and afternoon lulls. As workers, above, remove box office signs, however, a single window will remain to accommodate those who have no access to internet, credit card or Chinese payment systems.
The museum is using technology in other ways as well: The Hall of Mental Cultivation, residence of the last eight Emperors, is undergoing restoration and conservation until 2020. In the meantime, a new virtual-reality based exhibit allows visitors to simulate visiting the closed hall.
Comments (0)