During Minister of Culture Cai Wu's latest inspection tour to some major museums in Beijing ahead of the Spring Festival, he urged upgrading security systems in order to better protect antiques in the Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City.

Besides demanding appropriate arrangements be made to ensure the security of antiques during the upcoming week-long holiday that starts on Sunday, Cai asked the museum to establish a security system that covers all the antiques, a ministry statement said Saturday.

"The Forbidden City houses first-class antiques and so it must have a first-class security management system and advanced security equipment and facilities to ensure the antiques' safety," Cai said.

A former residence of Chinese emperors for around 500 years, the Palace Museum is home to some of the country's most-valued cultural and historical relics and attracts over 10 million tourists annually from at home and abroad.

The Palace Museum has been under increasing public scrutiny, especially after it was hit by a string of incidents regarding the security of antiques or exhibition items over the past year.

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