Security tightened after vandalism at Palace Museum

Beijing (CNS) -- Beijing's Palace Museum, or Forbidden City, is tightening security and installing more surveillance cameras after a tourist broke a window and caused an antique clock to fall, according to the museum's director on Sunday.

Two surveillance videos showed a male tourist entering the Palace of Blessings to Mother Earth (Yi Kun Gong) at 11:10 a.m., then walking straight to a front window in the main hall and breaking the glass with his hand. He was apprehended immediately by a staff member who called security.

According the museum, the vandal was unapologetic, saying things like "If I don't break the glass, the glass will beat me" and "I should have found a place where there were fewer people."

The man was taken into custody by the municipal public security bureau after receiving medical treatment for his right hand.

The damaged antique is a gilded brass clock decorated with floral sculptures, fountains and a Westerner striking a bell. It was British-made in the 18th century and kept by the Qing Court, and has been evaluated as a second-level national treasure.

More high-definition cameras will be installed and more management officials will be mobilized to ensure that there are no blind spots in the complex, said Shan Jixiang, director of the museum.

An ongoing program to add a protective material to windows and doors in every palace and hall is also being stepped up, Shan added.