As the 2019 Chinese Lunar New Year draws near, an exhibition is getting underway at central Beijing's Palace Museum. Over the next few months, visitors from across the globe can celebrate the festival in the former Chinese imperial palace. CGTN's Feng Yilei has more.

Scenes of royal celebration from ages past are coming to life in Beijing. The palace gates open and for the first time ever, ordinary people can enjoy Spring Festival in the Forbidden City. It all begins on the first day of the twelfth lunar month, a time of year when ancient emperors of the Qing Dynasty started writing words of blessing for good fortune. That handwriting still lives on today, on display for all to see at this festive exhibition.

ZHU JIWEI, ASSOCIATE RESEARCH FELLOW EXHIBITION DEPARTMENT, PALACE MUSEUM "This is a comprehensive exhibition with various kinds of exhibits, not restricted to paintings, gold or silver wares. For example, The Palace Museum showcases its largest-ever number of jade bowls in a single exhibition to recreate scenes of the royal New Year feast."

A record-breaking number of over 800 cultural relics present vivid images of blessing ceremonies, ancestor worship, kinship gathering, and winter recreation. That is how the ancient royal families spent what the Chinese consider the most important time of the year. But it's not just relics on offer here, there's music, fragrance, and even a pack of lucky money.

REN WANPING, DEPUTY DIRECTOR PALACE MUSEUM "It feels real to you. We have the same traditions as our compatriots. And all human beings share the common pursuit of a better life and family harmony. That is how traditional Chinese culture can reach the rest of the world."

The festive air is not just limited to the exhibition hall. Signs of the season can be seen all across the historic palace.

FENG YILEI BEIJING "Walking around the Forbidden City, one can see Spring Festival couplets and pairs of gate-gods pictures placed on doors and gates as a New Year tradition. Lanterns, for the first time in some 200 years, will decorate palace halls and corridors, embracing the unique characteristics of the imperial etiquette and offering an immersive experience to visitors."

Curators believe an increasing number of people are choosing this special way of marking the holiday.

XU WANSONG VISITOR "We are less familiar with the old folk customs now, not to mention the royal ones. But this historic gallery brings us back to the spectacular New Year's traditions of two hundred years ago. And it matches perfectly with our modern tastes."

The museum has plans for more traditional events like these to add to the prosperity and happiness of attendees. Digital and Interactive displays - as well as a wide array of creative cultural products that visitors can take home - will keep the celebration going, all season long. Feng Yilei, CGTN, Beijing.