In May this year, a piece of glass inside the Palace Museum at the Forbidden City was shattered by tourists, causing damage to cultural relics. In response, on June 29, Director Shan Yuxiang of the Palace Museum announced that anti-shatter glass would be installed on the windows of the palaces to protect the displayed artifacts. The new glass is designed to withstand impacts, making it impossible for sledgehammers or other tools to break it.
The incident occurred on May 4th in the Qiankun Palace, located along the inner western route of the Forbidden City. A male tourist intentionally broke a windowpane in the main hall’s exhibition room, causing a Qing Dynasty bronze-plated water clock to fall and sustain damage. This artifact, classified as a secondary-level cultural relic, is currently undergoing restoration and will be returned to the public soon.
Director Shan revealed that over the course of the year, all glass displays on the windows of the East and West Palaces will be replaced with flood-resistant and impact-proof materials. More than 100 pieces of glass will be replaced, and the project has already been planned. Tendering processes and necessary procedures are now underway.
In addition to reinforcing the window frames, the original glass and wooden frames are considered cultural relics themselves. Therefore, every replaced glass panel will be carefully documented and stored. Each piece will be numbered and recorded with detailed information, such as which specific palace it came from. “There might be a chance of future changes,†said Shan, highlighting the importance of preserving historical integrity.
Regarding the replacement process, Shan emphasized that since the window frames are also cultural relics, they must be protected during installation. The new glass will not only be tamper-proof but also require structural reinforcement of the existing frames.
Beyond the window glass replacements for cultural relics, other windows in the museum will remain unchanged. “Our priority is to maintain the original condition of the cultural relics as much as possible,†Shan explained. “After all, the glass itself is also a historical artifact, including some old Qing Dynasty glass.â€
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