A docent shows visitors a dragon robe worn by Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

The Hong Kong Palace Museum will open to the public on July 2. Through the lens of China Daily’s photographers, we travel back in time to take a glimpse of what life was like inside the Forbidden City hundreds of years ago, and get a close-up look at the exquisite craftsmanship and elegant aesthetics of the precious treasures, on loan from the Palace Museum in Beijing.

A visitor admires a white glazed baby pillow from the Ding Kiln in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) during the media preview of the Hong Kong Palace Museum. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Three atriums connect the different floors of the museum vertically, referencing the horizontal spatial configuration along the central axis of the Forbidden City. (ZHOU HONG / CHINA DAILY)

An emperor’s seal with a coiling dragon and box from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) is displayed during the media preview. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

A visitor takes a photo of an ancient painting, part of the museum’s From Dawn to Dusk: Life in the Forbidden City exhibition. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Visitors admire chrysanthemum-shaped dishes from the Qing Dynasty. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

A sound installation named A Grandiose Fanfare by Gaybird, an artist based in Hong Kong. For this exhibition, the museum has invited six Hong Kong-based multimedia and interdisciplinary artists to create new works that interpret the art and culture of the Forbidden City from a fresh perspective. (ZHOU HONG / CHINA DAILY)

A visitors examines exhibits on display during the media preview at the Palace Museum. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Designed by Rocco Design Architects Associates Limited, the Hong Kong Palace Museum is a fresh and contemporary interpretation of traditional aesthetics, drawing inspiration from Chinese art and architecture, as well as Hong Kong’s urban environment. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

Imperial ritual vessels and a pair of elephant sculptures with vases from the Qing Dynasty are displayed in the museum. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

Imperial ritual vessels and a pair of elephant sculptures with vases from the Qing Dynasty are displayed in the museum. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)