"The night scene of the Palace Museum was even more marvelous than I thought," said Chang Zhifu, 77, a visitor who came to the museum on Tuesday night.
This extraordinary night was also an unprecedented experience for museum employees.
"I've regularly been on night shift in the palace over the past few years," said Wu Wei.
"I've never seen such a bright Forbidden City."
The lighting of the museum was also part of 17 lantern fairs all across Beijing on Tuesday. Other locations included Jingshan Park and Yuanmingyuan.