Palace Museum implements half-day opening every Monday

The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, will be closed to the public every Monday afternoon for renovation and maintenance, it announced Monday. The museum launched a pilot plan to close every Monday afternoon from Jan. 1 to March 31, 2013. The time was used to examine and renovate ancient architecture, historic relics and safety facilities, as well as train museum staff. The museum has decided to carry on with the Monday half-day for the rest of the year for further renovation and maintenance. The official half-day opening will start on April 1, except public holidays and Mondays during the summer months of July and August. The opening time will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12 a.m., with last entry at 11 a.m..