To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Forbidden City Museum, the Hall of Military Prowess (Wuying Dian)will open to public on Saturday after it completes two years of renovation.

A cultural exhibition will also be held in the hall where some of the classic and Buddhist books of the Qing dynasty will be on display.

The renovation work started in October, 2002. In the two-year renovation, workers have repaired the roofs of the hall and its subsidiary building.

The wooden components on the roof are re-placed to the right position and most of the glazed tiles have been taken away with new ones.

Preparation work has also been done to the white marble stones destroyed by weathering and the color paintings in the hall. The renovation work is nearly completed.

The Hall of Military Prowess was built in 1420 and was a group of enclosed buildings covering an area of 12,000 square meters. The peasant leader, Li Zicheng, who overthrew the Ming dynasty in 1644, was enthroned at the hall.

2005/08/27
Source: Chinanews.cn