Photo:Xinhua

The Forbidden City's first livestream in 2020 was launched on Sunday after the site has been closed for more than 70 days amid the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing netizens to experience what the palace museum is like in spring.

The series of online visits of the Forbidden City has three livestreams with three different tour routes. Audiences can visit several classic attractions inside the Forbidden City with two staff members who introduce the background knowledge of these palaces in the videos.

The livestream video has been viewed more than nine million times as of press time on one platform of People's Daily and has become one of the hot search hashtags on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

In the first livestream video, two commentators without face masks enter the Forbidden City from the Meridian Gate that has five openings and needs four men to be opened. 

Amid the pandemic, the whole museum is empty. The camera follows two staff members to scenic spots such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony and the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, and also explores spring scenery in the ancient royal city.

The livestream sparked a passion of travelling among Chinese netizens, whom also said it made up for their longing of the Palace Museum when staying at home. "Spring has come to Beijing. I cannot wait to visit the Forbidden City in such a beautiful season," one Sina Weibo user commented.

"Everything has come back to life in April and flowers in the Palace Museum have been blooming. China will recover from the pandemic soon," another netizen wrote.

The livestream was also condemned by some netizens for its boring picture effect and form.

"The images during the live broadcast did not capture the ideal Oriental classic beauty, and they were not even as attractive as some vlogs from travel bloggers," Shi Wenxue, a culture critic and teacher from Beijing Film Academy, who agrees that the quality of the livestream is not very high.

He said the long introduction made by two staff members is easy to make netizens feel bored and the experience rather dull. 

"To make it more attractive, you should at least have a unique perspective, novel route and a sense of history. Of course, it is better to integrate VR, AR and other technologies to add some freshness and a sense of technology," Shi said offering suggestions to the museum.

The Palace Museum has been closed due to the coronavirus crisis since January 25 and the opening date has still not been confirmed.