The Forbidden City, with its 600-year history, stands as a testament to the Ming and Qing Dynasties and a unique symbol of Chinese culture. In July last year, the Forbidden City launched a new restroom revolution, revitalizing traditional culture through technological products. After months of renovation and upgrading, the Forbidden City’s public restrooms have been completed and handed over!
Chinese manufacturing helps upgrade services at the Forbidden City
In today’s booming cultural tourism economy, public service facilities in tourism are both part of the ancient architectural landscape and a component of the audience’s cultural experience. The Forbidden City, a first batch of national key cultural relic protection units and China’s earliest national museum listed in the World Heritage List, is the only museum in the world with an annual reception of over 10 million visitors.
This massive influx of tourists constantly tests the public services at the Forbidden City and exposes issues between cultural relic protection and tourism development. To help improve the public service experience and promote the historical culture of ancient architecture, the “Ancient Architecture Beauty and Chinese Soul” public welfare initiative, co-sponsored by the China Cultural Relics Protection Foundation Luo Zhe Wen Fund Management Committee and Jomoo, arrived at the Forbidden City in July 2020.
Raysgem, as a strategic partner of Jomoo, assisted in the intelligent renovation and upgrading of the Forbidden City’s public restrooms.
Leveraging technology to rejuvenate traditional culture
Now, two public restrooms featuring unique Forbidden City cultural elements have been put into use, offering high-quality public service experiences while presenting a different cultural experience. The renovated restrooms are equipped with a fresh air system, exhaust vents in all toilet stalls to remove odors, and energy-saving devices in the central air conditioning system.
Smart magic mirrors replace traditional mirrors above the washbasins, allowing visitors to access weather, news, music, and more with a simple touch. The magic mirror serves as an information exchange window, providing more thoughtful services for tourists.
In terms of decoration, the restrooms showcase Forbidden City elements with a beige color scheme, retro partition doors, “blue and white porcelain” sinks, and imitation court decorative paintings. The renovation and upgrading of the Forbidden City’s public restrooms will strongly support the overall improvement of service facilities, meeting the needs of diverse audiences. The intelligent assistance to services will further upgrade the tourism service system, enhancing visitors’ experiences through cultural and “smart” restrooms.