Copies of historic Palace Museum royal lanterns sold for 10.6 million yuan at charity auction

Photo taken on April 2, 2019 shows the accurate copies of a Heavenly Lantern (tian deng) (R) and a Longevity Lantern (wanshou deng) installed before the Qianqing Gong, or the Palace of Heavenly Purity, in the Palace Museum in Beijing, capital of China. A pair of historically accurate Heavenly Lanterns (tian deng) created by the Palace Museum sold for 10.6 million yuan (1.58 million U.S. dollars) at a charity auction Tuesday. At the same auction, a pair of Longevity Lanterns (wanshou deng) and five pairs of smaller royal lanterns were sold, according to a Palace Museum press release. The lanterns were accurate copies based on archives from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and used at the museum's special exhibition for Spring Festival this year. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)