Contrary to many people's expectations, Shan Jixiang, the director of the Beijing Palace Museum, actively encourages museum visitors to take photos. Shan was very clear about the value of photography in a recent interview he did with China News.

Taking photos is an indispensable part of visiting the museum for many tourists. A visitor surnamed Wang from northeastern China said he would surely take photos, since it's a long journey from his hometown to Beijing. Meanwhile, a student surnamed Zhang had come to the museum specifically to shoot photos, acknowledging that taking great photos was the main purpose of her visit.

Some people believe that photographing the relics should be forbidden. Shan, however, views photos as a means of cultural transmission; he encourages visitors to take pictures in the museum as long as their behavior does not damage the relics. For that reason, flash photography is not permitted in the exhibition halls. Using a flash is not only harmful to the relics, it can also be a disturbance to other visitors. In addition, tripods and selfie sticks are banned, as the former occupy too much public space, and the latter can potentially injure visitors or damage the relics.