Embracing the world

When Christopher Allen from Britain paid his first visit to the Palace Museum in 2008, he was overwhelmed.

"It felt like you were hit by hundreds of years of history," he said. "With so much to see, one visit is not enough."

Since then, the Beijing-based English teacher has paid more visits to the museum and grown to love its history and culture.

"The Forbidden City is becoming more open and friendly to visitors," he said.

As the world's largest and best preserved wooden palace complex, the Palace Museum attracted about 3.5 million visitors from abroad last year.

The museum also sends its exhibitions overseas.

More than 200 exhibitions and cultural events have been held by the museum in over 30 countries and regions, attracting over 100 million visitors as of now. Nine overseas exhibitions were held in 2018.

"The Palace Museum exhibition becomes a cultural phenomenon everywhere it goes," said former curator Shan Jixiang. "It plays an irreplaceable role in promoting Chinese culture."