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Lightning rod installation provides protection for Palace Museum's architecture
Updated: Oct 13, 2025
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A first for the Palace Museum: Installing lightning rods for heritage architecture
The ancient wooden-framed architecture of the Palace Museum once faced a major natural threat from lightning strikes. In 1957, the museum began installing lightning rods across its tall and expansive heritage structures, including the East Prosperity Gate (Donghua Men) and the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility (Cining Gong). Since then, the mythical beast figurines adorning the roof ridges have been fitted with discreet steel elements, thus affording solid protection to the wooden structures.
