Beijing’s Forbidden City has given the green light to guide dogs, with the first visually-impaired guest touring the museum, canine guide in tow, on May 25.

Several days ago, the guest, surnamed Wang, shared on Weibo his unsuccessful negotiations with the Forbidden City museum to obtain entry for his guide dog. In 2015, Beijing began allowing guide dogs to board the subway with their owners, but blind rights advocates said accessibility for the dogs is still quite restricted in the city.

The museum told media that it had never handled this request before. It needed more time to work out a plan to make sure everyone could be kept safe, because the large number of visitors and certain building features (for example, stairs, slopes and thresholds) could prove dangerous to Wang and his dog.

On May 23, the museum informed Wang that the guided tour was ready, and he could come to the museum in two days' time. With the help of museum staff and volunteers who kept curious visitors out of the dog’s way, Wang finished the whole tour without a single stumble.

The museum said it would like to provide assistance to all disabled visitors, but nevertheless urged the visually impaired to make a reservation at least one day in advance if they plan to bring a guide dog. The Summer Palace said guide dogs are still forbidden in the park, but blind and visually impaired visitors will be given a free guide starting from next year.