Artifact hospital treats ailing relics

The Hospital for Cultural Relics, a state-of-the-art preservation center designed to protect and treat national treasures at Beijing's Palace Museum, opened to the public on a trial basis on Saturday, coinciding with China's Cultural and Natural Heritage Day.

The first group of 40 visitors, who made reservations in advance via the museum's website, were able to see for themselves how experts preserve precious objects.

More than two dozen volunteers recently finished training and began explaining the preservation process in detail to visitors.