The replicas of ancient lanterns, used by China's imperial families, have gone under the hammer at the Palace Museum in Beijing. They were put on display earlier this year, during the Chinese New Year season at the palace complex. The auction raised over 20-million yuan which will be used to support China's poverty-stricken areas.

At Forbbiden City, in the heart of China's capital, the frigid weather hasn't dampened people's fervor for lending a helping hand to China's poverty alleviation project. Dozens of bidders were bidding for several pairs of imperial lanterns created by the Palace Museum.  

All proceeds will be donated to those living in the country's poverty-stricken areas.

The most impressive lanterns auctioned on Tuesday were the replicated Heavenly Lanterns and Longevity Lanterns. Two pairs of them were auctioned off for 18.6 million yuan, or nearly 2.8 million US dollars.  

The four lanterns were part of the collections giving an unprecedented festive show up at the Palace Museum's 2019 "Celebrating the Spring Festival in the Forbidden City" exhibition earlier this year.

The original Heavenly lanterns and Longevity lanterns were created during the Qing Dynasty over a hundred years ago. Researchers and designers from the Palace Museum reconstructed them based on archives and collections at the museum.

The replicas were then erected in pairs in front of the Qianqing Palace, also known as the Palace of Heavenly Purity.

Five other pairs of lanterns were also auctioned off. They were among the nearly 1000 relics on display at the museum during the Spring Festival, aiming to reflect the ancient decoration of the palaces during the Chinese New Year.

The sale was supported by the China Guardian, one of the leading art-auction companies in China.

SHAN JIXIANG, DIRECTOR PALACE MUSEUM "Poverty alleviation is one of the most important missions for China. I think our museums should also do our part in eradicating poverty. The lanterns going up for auction tonight are among the 10 thousand cultural products created by the Palace Museum, all the money raised will be used to support educational and cultural enterprises in the country's poverty-stricken areas."

In recent years, the Palace Museum has continuously made progress in the areas of public services, exhibitions and cultural innovation.

Besides the "Celebrating the Spring Festival in the Forbidden City" exhibition, for the first time in 94 years, the museum staged a light show for the Lantern Festival earlier this year, drawing thousands of visitors.

The museum has also been working to use its cultural innovation to support poor areas, with the auction just as one example. CGTN.