去故宫不用排队买票啦！Forbidden City adopts online-only ticket model

 The Palace Museum in Beijing-China's former imperial palace, or Forbidden City(故宫)-announced(宣布) on Tuesday that it has begun(开始) to sell(卖) entry tickets(门票) solely(只) through(通过) its online(在线) booking(预订) system(系统), with few(少数的) exceptions(例外).

Workers take down a sign at the Palace Museum's ticket office in Beijing on Tuesday. [Photo: VCG]

Workers take down a sign at the Palace Museum's ticket office in Beijing on Tuesday. [Photo: VCG]

The move is designed "to avoid(避免) crowds at the box office, reduce(减少) waiting(等待) time(时间) and provide(提供) a more comfortable(舒适的) visiting(参观) experience(体验)", said Shan Jixiang, director of the museum.

online ticket booking is available on the official website, www.dpm.org.cn.

To relieve the heavy pressure and safety concerns brought by huge crowds, a daily visitor quota of 80,000 was set in June 2015, and an online ticketing system was launched. On launch day, about 7,500 of the day's 50,000 visitors-about 15 percent-bought tickets online. By 2016, the number had expanded dramatically to 40 percent. As of August, it has mushroomed to 77 percent.

A sign at the Palace Museum's ticket office in Beijing on Tuesday. [Photo: VCG]

A sign at the Palace Museum's ticket office in Beijing on Tuesday. [Photo: VCG]

Shan said web-only ticket sales worked so well during the recent(最近的) National Day holiday that a decision(决定) was made to make it permanent(永久的).On Oct 2, for example, all 80,000 entry tickets were sold in advance online.

It rolled out its web-only ticketing plan for public comment in May. Some people thought it might be an inconvenience for anybody unfamiliar with internet. But Shan said museum employees carrying a QR code(二维码) for the ticket-booking system walk around the square near the entrance to help people in need.One box office window remains-reserved for visitors with special needs, like overseas visitors who do not have Chinese online payment channels.

词汇 Words:

[mén piào] 门票 ticket

[yù dìng] 预订 booking

[xì tǒng] 系统 system

[lì wài] 例外 exception

[tǐ yàn] 体验 experience

[èr wéi mǎ] 二维码 QR code

[kāi shǐ] 开始 begin

[mǎi] 买 sell

[xuān bù] 宣布 announce

[cān guān] 参观 visit

[shǎo shù de] 少数的 few

[zuì jìn de] 最近的 recent

[yǒng jiǔ de] 永久的 permanent

重点词汇 Key word:

票 

<名词 n.> ticket

E.g. Píng piào rù chǎng。

凭票入场。

Admission by ticket only.

<名词 n.> invoice; receipt

E.g. Zhè shì zhǎo nín de qián hé fā piào。

这是找您的钱和发票。

This is your change and receipt. 

<名词 n.> vote

E.g. Zuì hòu dé chū de piào shù shì tā 17 piào,lǐ xiān shēng 31 piào。

最后得出的票数是她17票,李先生31票。

The final tally was 17 votes for her and 31 for Mr Lee. 

<名词 n.> banknote

E.g. Zài chāo piào shàng luàn tú luàn huà shì wéi fǎ de。

在钞票上乱涂乱画是违法的。

It's illegal to deface banknotes.