It’s the holiday season and, as always, Beijing’s Palace Museum is receiving massive numbers of tourists. To better protect the historic site while meeting the increasing demand, the museum has been closing every Monday afternoon, except on public holidays. After a trial period, it has decided to carry on with that policy.

An iconic, must-see destination in the capital,the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, used to be the home of emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. It has been open to the public since 1925.

The museum has announced it would be closed on Monday afternoons. Ticket sales on Mondays stop at 11am, and the museum closes at 12 sharp. This comes as a surprise to some unwary tourists.

"Last time I visited the Palace Museum, it was running a trial of the Monday afternoon closures. Whereas there have been some complaints, most tourists understand the situation and support the measure in aid of the restoration work taking place."

"I am on vacation, so I brought my parents to visit the Palace Museum. It’s a pity that we couldn’t make it today but I totally understand. The half day closure every week is important to preserve the 6-century-old royal palace. We’ll return tomorrow."

In 2012, the Forbidden City received a record number of visitors, some 40,000 per day, or 15 million over the year. The figure was an increase of 9% from 2011 and the numbers are set to keep on rising. The sheer volume of tourist traffic has cast a serious threat on the 600 year old historical site.

Dr. Gao Rui, a cultural sociologist, said, "We have to remember that the Palace Museum is unique in that the architecture itself is part of the collection. The floors will be subjected to severe damage by enormous number of visitors."

The Palace Museum will stay open during public holidays, as well as in July and August. So in 2013, the museum will have 39 afternoons of rest, or roughly 20 days. The closure means that in 2013, the number of tourists could reduce by up to 1 million.

Li Ji, Deputy Director of Palace Museum, said, "Generally it would not affect the tourists very much. But that time is very precious for us. It allows us to undergo maintenance, upgrade the security system and train our staff. "

It’s not unusual for museums to close on work days. The Louvre in Paris, one of the world’s most visited museums, closes on Tuesdays and national holidays for maintenance. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York also closes on Mondays, as well as for public holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

For the Palace Museum, which covers an area of over 700,000 square meters and houses numerous historical treasures, it seems only fair to take one afternoon off a week. And that is all done to provide a better tourism experience at this massive historic site.