A new branch of the Palace Museum has been under construction since December 30, 2022, set to be a brand-new addition to the national museum complex housed in the Forbidden City, in Beijing. Until now, the first section of the entire branch is under construction smoothly, covering over 40,000 square meters. The whole construction area of the new branch is more than 100,000 square meters. Work is expected to be completed in 2025, in time to mark the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the Palace Museum.

Located in Xibeiwang Town's Xiyuhe Village, Haidian District, about 30 kilometers from the main museum, the new branch was designed to house 12 exhibition halls within a display area of around 35,000 square meters. Its architectural style will combine the original style of the Palace Museum with modern design.

The Palace Museum now has over 1.86 million cultural relics in its collection. However, only about 10,000 pieces are able to be displayed every year due to space constraints. The new museum will offer more space to unveil these precious relics in public. What's more, a range of advanced facilities will be used to better preserve relics, such as seismic design of exhibit structures, constant temperature and humidity installations, lighting systems and other high-tech facilities.

"For example, many of the cultural relics at the Palace Museum, such as calligraphy and painting, can only be exhibited seasonally. They can't be displayed during the rainy season, either in winter or summer, because calligraphy and painting works are sensitive to temperature and humidity. Many textile and cotton relics can not be exposed for exhibition due to environmental conditions. It was therefore necessary to build a modern museum," Du Haijiang said, the Deputy Director of the Palace Museum.

The new branch of the Palace Museum will be a modern exhibition space with multiple functions to provide relic preservation, restoration work, and visitor services.