(XINHUA)

Tourists visit the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, in Beijing on October 7.

The museum will be closed to the public every Monday for renovation and maintenance from next year, it announced on November 18.

The former imperial palace has been closed every Monday afternoon in 2013, with the closures to extend to cover the whole of Monday from January 1 onward.

On public holidays and Mondays during July and August, the museum will be open for normal hours, the spokesman said.

The Forbidden City was once home to China's emperors and was the highest center of power for around 500 years up to the early 20th century. It attracts more than 14 million visitors annually.