Palace Museum's first night opening in 94 years crashes website

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‍The Palace Museum in Beijing is undertaking an unprecedented move to celebrate the Lantern Festival. The prestigious institution, housed in the former imperial residence, plans to dazzle visitors with a spectacular show.

For the first time in nearly a century, China's Palace Museum, also known as "Gugong", is extending its opening hours into the evening.

The light show is to celebrate China's traditional Lantern Festival in Beijing, February 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

Magnificent lights will light up the sprawling palace complex to commemorate this year's Lantern Festival, and the tickets have been snapped up like hot cakes. A grab for tickets, which went on sale at midnight on Sunday, even momentarily crashed the museum's website.

Gugong's director Shan Jixiang said that, during the evening shows, over 300 red lanterns will be strung together to form a red dragon that will link the pavilions. The museum will also display some of the best-known ancient Chinese paintings on its walls.

The Palace Museum's light show rehearses in Beijing, February 18, 2019. /VCG Photo

Gugong served as the residence of the imperial household for almost 500 years, and consists of nearly a thousand buildings.

In recent years, the museum has become one of the most popular ancient icons in Beijing. This year's record-breaking event aims to give visitors a taste of what it was like to usher in Chinese New Year at the imperial court.