A repair worker lays new glazed roof tiles identical to the original ones in the Palace Museum on April 23, 2008. [Photo: The Beijing News]

The main buildings in Beijing's Palace Museum are scheduled to reopen in June, concluding the first step of the major repair work on the most comprehensive museum in China.

Reconstruction will soon be completed on most of the buildings along the center line, including the Meridian Gate - the main entrance to the museum in the south, the Hall of Supreme Harmony - and the northernmost Gate of Military Prowess, Jin Hongkui, deputy director-general of the museum, told The Beijing News.

The repair work comprises the construction of a special route parallel to the center line for disabled visitors, as well as elevators on the sides of the main halls.

On Tuesday, against strong winds, repair workers busily laid new glazed roof tiles identical to the original ones.

Maintaining the original look was the basic principal of the project, Jin said.

The two billion yuan repair job on the 720,000-square-meter complex started in October 2002, and is projected to finish in 2020.

The Palace Museum was established based on the palace that was the ritual center of the Ming and the Qing dynasties. Designated by the State Council as one of China's foremost protected monuments in 1961, the Palace Museum was also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

(CRI April 24, 2008)