The Palace Museum in Beijing has blacklisted more than 2,500 people indefinitely since instituting a real name ticketing policy this June, according to Chinese media reports. Authorities at the Forbidden City have so far has targeted scalpers, unlicensed vendors and tour guides, and people distributing flyers, using ticket window surveillance and by tracking individuals who repeatedly buy tickets.
This system, however, does little to protect against vandalism of objects at the site. Last month, police were called into the Palace Museum to investigate the carving of a heart with the names of a couple onto a 300-year-old Qing Dynasty Qianlong-era bronze vat.
The museum’s director Shan Jixing told the Beijing Times (Jinghua Shibao) that though security has been tightened recently, they do not have the resources to supplement this with adequate camera surveillance. Shan said he hoped that public awareness and individual restraint would instead suffice to stop vandalism.
