Palace Museum needs to design landmark souvenirs

Beaded earbuds sold at the Taobao store of the Palace Museum, Oct 22, 2014. [Photo/Taobao store of the Palace Museum]

Forbidden City's Taobao store hot on the Internet

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Beaded earphones, imperial robe T-shirts and sword stationery - these are just a few of the latest and "fashionable" merchandise offered by the Palace Museum.

Ranging from 10 yuan ($1.63) to nearly 1,000 yuan ($163), these Palace-inspired items are sold on Taobao, China's largest online shopping website, founded by Chinese entrepreneur Jack Ma. The much-talked about beaded earphones, an item that mimics the beads worn by officials in the past, sell for 120 yuan ($19.61.)

Sina Weibo user Zhao Jiayu said: "This is very creative and I give it a thumbs up! They are so cute!"

The official Sina Weibo account of People's Daily said: "Looks like the Palace Museum is trying really hard! The Museum recently introduced creative (and somewhat weird) items that are becoming a big hit."

In 2012, Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum, said the gift shops in the Palace would begin selling souvenirs that are not so closely related to the palace. His idea was to offer visitors a chance to take the culture of the Forbidden City home. To date, the palace offers nearly 6,000 types of souvenirs.