Every Sunday starting tomorrow, the National Museum of China will stay open until 9:00 p.m., four hours longer than before. Visitors can take their time enjoying the museum during night time until early September when students' summer holidays end.

This measure supports Beijing Municipal Government's latest plan to cultivate "Night Capital" landmarks. The government encourages public museums and art galleries to extend opening hours to develop after-dark museum culture.

Museums working at night is not common in Beijing or many other cities across the country. Among the 179 museums registered at the Beijing Cultural Heritage Bureau, only a few had offered this kind of experience before, usually at traditional festival holidays or special days like the International Museum Day.

'Museum Lates' not that easy

Visitors are embracing the "museum lates" stimulus, but for museums, it's not something accomplished in one stroke.

Original designs for many museums didn't include night service, putting them under high pressure at several levels, like security, illumination and fire control.

"The current lighting equipment in our museum can't meet the demand. It's difficult for us to monitor the environment and artifacts if a large number of visitors come at night," a staff member at the Capital Museum told Beijing Daily.

Meanwhile, extending opening hours increases the running costs for public museums where tickets are usually free.

"Opening at night requires higher running costs, either for paying staff or maintaining the museum," the Beijing Daily quoted a member from Beijing Museum of Natural History saying.

A mature museum market needed

According to Culture 24, a leading guide to museums in the U.K., income related to night events in the country's museums and art galleries reach nearly 10 million pounds every year.

According to the website, the museums don't just hold exhibitions, but also other cultural activities and concerts. The Tate Modern museum in London, for instance, welcomes more than 8,000 people on average every Friday night.

Experts suggest museums in China should also expand their services by developing more themed-activities at night, which is a good way to gain income and attract more visitors.