Museum antique clock damaged as window vandalized

Beijing's Palace Museum Curator Shan Jixiang talks to journalists at the museum's Palace of Blessings to Mother Earth (Yi Kun Gong) on Sunday after an antique clock was damaged by a tourist on Saturday. Lin Hui / For China Daily

Palace Museum Curator Shan Jixiang said: "This incident will speed up the process of the Safe Palace Museum Project."

In April, Shan announced an eight-year project aimed at removing all potential safety hazards. The short-term goal of the project will focus on eliminating threats from fire, theft, extreme weather and stampeding crowds by 2015. More than 75 percent of the reconstruction of the security system has been completed. It is expected to be finished by the end of this year.

Shan said on Sunday that a new type of detachable compound glass is being installed and tested at the Hall for Receiving Celestial Favor (Cheng Qian Gong), which will be opened as the exhibition hall of bronze ware in one or two months.

"It is a thinner-version of bullet-proof glass, which is anti-ultraviolet and anti-puncture," said Ma Jige, deputy director of the museum's exhibition department.

This glass is expected to be widely used in the complex after testing to avoid security incidents, he added.

At the same time, more high-resolution security cameras will be installed, leaving no blind spots within the museum.

Shan said the museum has experienced several problems such as a leak from a heating installation. They have all been dealt with properly, he added.

"We are facing all sorts of strange situations every day but the Palace Museum definitely cannot be threatened by potential crises," Shan said. "This latest incident will not stop the Palace Museum from opening up more areas to the public."