Forbidden City fights scalpers, unlicensed tour guides

BEIJING -- The Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, said on Thursday it will intensify crackdowns on ticket scalpers and unlicensed tour guides, especially during the upcoming peak tourist season.

The museum will cooperate with local police in the crackdown, as it does not have law enforcement power, it said in a statement.

Ticket scalpers, unlicensed tour guides and illegal vendors targeting the museum's tourists have grown into a vicious force in recent years, and several cases in which they intimidated tourists and assaulted security personnel were reported in the past three months alone, according to the museum.

In 2013, the Palace Museum punished over 14,000 people who posted illegal fliers as well as 2,896 unlicensed tour guides. It transferred 670 of them to the police and 58 were given administrative detention, which does not exceed 15 days in China.

Located in the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City was home to China's emperors and was the highest center of power from 1420 to 1911. It attracts more than 15 million visitors annually.