Despite not being on the front line of the battle with the novel coronavirus, Zhuang Jingwen, a Beijing-based engineer who is in charge of maintaining medical instruments at a hospital, has been much busier than normal for the past few months.

Because of her tight schedule, Zhuang did not have much time to fully relax and her thirst for culture was never quenched.

On April 29, as she was riding her bike home, a long-awaited message popped up on her cell phone－the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, would reopen on May 1.

Closed for 98 days as part of containment measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, it has been the heritage site's longest shutdown in decades.

The museum, which acted as China's imperial palace from 1420 to 1911, celebrates its 600th birthday this year.

"Finally, it's back open," she tells China Daily. "I rushed back home to book the ticket. It's so exciting."