The famous Beijing "Forbidden City" closed for renovations

BEIJING - The former imperial palace in Beijing, also known as the Forbidden City, will be closed to the public starting Friday due to restoration work. It will reopen in 2008 during the Summer Olympics, reported the China Daily.
The entire structure will be covered with a canvas measuring 40 meters wide and 70 meters long during the work. "(The city) needs a surgical procedure. Many of its wooden parts are collapsing," said Li Yong-ke, director of the restoration center of the Forbidden City.
After reopening, the public area will be expanded by 12 percent, bringing it to approximately 400,000 square meters. The project is part of a broader effort that began in 2001 to restore the imperial grandeur of the complex, which is nearly 585 years old and was home to 24 emperors. The overall renovation of the area, including painting, will last until 2020.
The complex, which attracted seven million tourists annually, was the most popular residence of rulers from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Its three main palace buildings are the best-preserved examples of traditional Chinese architecture. They contain a total of 9,000 halls and rooms housing collections of antique paintings, porcelain, and bronze artifacts.