Forbidden City prepares for Three Tenors.

Tourists can still visit the Forbidden City even as China's largest stage is constructed ready for the Three Tenors and a record of 30,000 concertgoers. Chen Junqi, Forbidden City museum director assured reporters each and every brick of the World Heritage site will be protected when Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras perform at the Meridian Gate Square on Saturday, June 23,according to latest issue of Beijing Today.

Twenty-four hours a day for one week, museum authorities will watch over the entire process of construction to ensure the former imperial palace remains undamaged despite the throng.

Metal equipment will not be allowed to come into contact with the ground, meaning most of the auditorium will be paved with wooden tiles, although some carpeting will be rolled out for the various VIPs.

The nearly 700 square-meter stage area, 38 meters wide, will be the largest in the country's history so far, according to incomplete statistics. It includes a performance area, lighting, backstage makeup room, office and dining room.

(People's Daily 06/05/2001)