Palace Museum teams up with ancient county in cultural business

 The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, has partnered with the UNESCO world heritage site of Pingyao County to develop "cultural products."

The Palace Museum will open a research and development center for cultural products in Pingyao, north China's Shanxi Province, on March 25, according to an agreement between the museum and the county government.

The two sides will cooperate on design, marketing and sales of cultural products, capitalizing on the strong brand image of the museum and the fame of the world heritage site.

The museum is doing well selling souvenirs, ranging from stationery and accessories to jewelry. It has developed more than 9,100 products, with annual sales exceeding 1 billion yuan (158 million U.S. dollars).

Pingyao was chosen as the center's location for its long history and rich culture. It was built to its current form in the 14th century, and was named a world heritage site by UNESCO in 1997, as "an exceptionally well-preserved example of a traditional Han Chinese city."