Real-name reservation required for National Museum of China visits

Starting April 22, the National Museum of China will enforce a new reservation policy that requires visitors to complete real-name registration to book entrance tickets.

The move aims to curb the growing problem of scalpers who snatch up reservation slots and resell tickets, disrupting orderly access to the museum.

Visitors can complete their real-name registration by using mobile phone numbers and ID card information for verification through either the national online identity authentication platform or WeChat. A trial period will run from April 22 to May 5, during which visitors can make reservations without completing the real-name authentication. From May 6, only accounts with verified real-name information will be allowed to make bookings. Unauthenticated accounts must finish the verification process before being able to secure reservations.

People visit an exhibition at the National Museum of China in Beijing on Dec. 3, 2024. Photo from Xinhua

The National Museum of China adopts the real-name reservation system as it faces enormous demand regardless of peak and off-peak periods. In the summer vacation of 2024, nearly 1.6 million people made daily reservations for the 26,000 tickets available each day. During the off-peak seasons, approximately 520,000 daily reservation attempts are made for the same ticket quota, leading to opportunistic scalping activity.

The National Museum of China houses an impressive collection of more than 1.43 million artifacts, including ancient relics, contemporary cultural pieces, and artworks. By the end of November 2024, the museum recorded over 63 million visitors, with more than 60% being people under the age of 35. Additionally, sales of the museum’s diverse range of over 5,000 cultural and creative products have generated revenues totaling 200 million yuan (US$27.42 million).