China Lantern Festival: Palace Museum stages unprecedented, spectacular light show

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01:27

For the first time in its 94 years, the Palace Museum in Beijing, also known as the Forbidden City, will shine at night today and tomorrow, for the celebration of the Lantern Festival. Thousands of visitors are lucky enough to witness it live. But don't worry if you don't have tickets, come with our reporter Zheng Yibing to check it out.

ZHENG YIBING THE PALACE MUSEUM, BEIJING "The Palace Museum is now lit up with lanterns and an amazing light performance for thousands of visitors. Now, this is Wu Men, or the Meridian Gate and the front gate on the south side. Unlike any other night, tonight, the 38-meter-tall gate is lit up in white, golden, and red.

After we enter Wu Men, we see the most important Gate in the palace museum. It's the gate of Supreme Harmony. Perhaps in its almost 600-year history, the structure is illuminated in such a capacity for the very first time. High-lumination projectors have decorated the gate in a stunning way.

A limited number of free tickets were made available online, for people to get a rare chance to see such a spectacular display. Now, they can climb up to the Meridian Gate, enjoy the exhibitions on how China's imperial households used to celebrate the Chinese New Year when they occupied the palace.

From here, night visitors can walk through the southern and eastern sections of the city wall, which are lit with red lanterns. Some areas near the walls are illuminated to offer guests a better night view. A digital rendition of two famous, ancient Chinese paintings are projected on some of the palace walls.

Hanging such lanterns is a tradition during the festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It was the same for the Forbidden City many years ago, and now the public can have the chance to view it in a more splendid way. Zheng Yibing, CGTN, Beijing."