The Palace Museum in Beijing will expand the online sale of tickets on a trial basis starting in July.

今年7月起，北京故宫博物院将试行扩大网络售票规模。

The trial run will last from July to October to test the feasibility of online ticket sales for same-day visits, but tourists can still buy tickets at the entrances, according to the museum.

故宫方面称，试运行阶段将从7月持续至10月，旨在测试网售当日门票的可行性，不过游客仍可在入口处购票。

After the trial period, the Palace Museum will decide whether to phase¹ out the sale of paper tickets and sell all tickets via the internet. This could possibly begin in the last 10 days of October.

试运行阶段结束后，故宫将决定是否淘汰纸质门票销售、门票全部通过网络销售，此措施或于10月下旬开始实施。

By the May Day holiday in 2018, the museum may offer tickets for different periods throughout a day, in a bid to avoid too many tourists at a time.

在2018年五一假期，故宫博物院将提供一天内分时段的门票，以避免同一时间内游客太过集中。

Currently², tourists can only book tickets online in advance, but they have to buy paper tickets at the entrances if they want to visit immediately.

目前，游客只能在网上提前预定门票，如果想要即时参观，他们就必须在入口处购买纸质门票。

The Palace Museum began selling tickets online in September 2011. Currently about 50% of its tickets are sold online, with up to 70% booked online during holidays.

故宫于2011年9月开始实施网络售票，目前故宫门票的网售率约为50%，节假日网上预订门票占比最高达7成。