Copper fences and barriers in Beijing's Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, used to be put in place around historical items to stop tourists from touching them. However, sections of the copper fences were replaced by marble last week, prompting netizens to ask if the appearance of the UNESCO World Heritage Site had been damaged. /CFP
As these new marble barriers look similar to historic carved marble elsewhere in the palace, people questioned if tourists may mistake them for being original to the historic complex, which dates back to 1420, during the Ming Dynasty. /CFP
But this criticism was not supported by everyone. Netizens in favor of the new marble barriers praised them for being in keeping with the rest of the palace. /CFP
One officer in the palace explained to Beijing Youth News that previous fencing was easily eroded, resulting in high maintenance costs. /CFP
This morning, the Palace Museum released an official statement, noting that the marble barriers were used after an online poll. Also, the statement said stone fencing is more effective at maintaining a distance between tourists and cultural relics. /CFP
