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The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the most magnificent hall in the world-famous Imperial Palace in downtown Beijing, was closed for renovation on Friday, with a scheduled reopening at the end of 2007.

The hall, decorated with thousands of dragons -- symbols of imperial power -- was considered the most important hall in the palace.

Meanwhile, the Hall of Complete Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, two other opulent halls, will stay open during the renovation, said Palace Museum officials.

Before the renovation, the area open to the public was only 250,000 square meters, 38 percent of the palace's ground space. But when it reopens, the area open to the public will increase by 12 percent to nearly 400,000 square meters, half of the palace's total area.

The project is part of larger efforts begun in 2001 to restore the imperial grandeur of the 585-year-old palace, the former residence of 24 emperors.

The repair center is trying to compensate for inconvenience caused to visitors.

The Imperial Palace is China's biggest tourist attraction, drawing 7 million visitors a year. The Hall of Supreme Harmony was the most important and lavish building in the palace. It was also the administrative heart of China where all the emperors royal business was conducted.

(Shanghai Daily January 7, 2006)