10 little known facts of the Palace Museum

10. Cats play an important role in guarding the Palace Museum.

A cat wanders around Forbidden City, Jan 20, 2014. [Photo/IC]

Cats and dogs are the most commonly seen animals in the empty lanes of the former royal palace. A total of 181 cats at the Palace Museum in Beijing patrol the Forbidden City at night to guard against rats and are considered the cutest employees of the museum by Internet users.

Cats have been living inside the palace since ancient times for probably 600 years, and some of the cats now are direct descendents of the original palace cats. While the rest are stray cats that have been taken in by the museum staff.

Though rarely seen by the visitors, the cats have played an important role in protecting the precious antiques, according to the museum staff.

So next time when you see a strolling cat in the Forbidden City, be nice to it, it may be a descendent of an original palace cat.