Forbidden City will open more to tourists

BEIJING, May 1 (UPI) -- Beijing's Forbidden City will open the doors to crucial parts of the Inner Court, never before accessible to tourists, officials said.

In order to cater to the interests of increasing amounts of visitors, the residences of empresses and imperial concubines, west of the Longzong Gate, will be opened to the public. Unlawful entrance into these sections of the Forbidden City was once punishable by death, China's Xinhua news agency reported.

"We received 14 million guests last year and expect to have 1 million more than that figure this year," said curator Shan Jixiang. "We plan to expand the visiting zones from nearly half to two-thirds in the near future."

The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and listed by UNESCO as the world's largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures. Since 1925, it has been known as the Palace Museum, after Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, was evicted from the Inner Court.