Cultural heritage enthusiasts finally received a long-expected "surprise" on the eve of the Labor Day holiday.

The Palace Museum, or the Forbidden City, announced on Wednesday night that it will "gradually reopen in good order" starting Friday after having closed its doors for over three months due to COVID-19.

For the Palace Museum, an ID card is required to buy tickets in advance through online reservations, which can be made up to 10 days before a planned visit. And a 5,000-person daily cap has been set for the number of visitors (3,000 in the morning and 2,000 in the afternoon). The number used to be 80,000 before the outbreak.

It soon set people's long-locked passion on fire, particularly considering the fact that this year marks the 600th anniversary of the founding of the Forbidden City, China's former imperial palace.

According to the online booking system for the museum, tickets for Friday sold out within one and a half hours after the news emerged at 9:30 pm, and all 25,000 tickets throughout the five-day May Day holiday were snapped up within 12 hours.

Only part of the outdoor sections, including the axis, and courtyards and gardens in the western and eastern sides of the compound, will be unlocked for public visits starting Friday. All city walls and indoor galleries will still temporarily remain closed.

The Palace Museum authorities also announced that the capped number of visitors will be adjusted accordingly as the COVID-19 situation changes.

On Wednesday night, the National Museum of China also announced it will reopen starting Friday adopting policies similar to the palace.

The quota for daily visitors in the national museum will be 3,000, with online reservations available seven days in advance. All free entry tickets for Friday were fully booked by Thursday noon.

Both venues in the heart of Beijing with the two biggest museum collections in China—about 1.86 million and 1 million items respectively—were closed before the Spring Festival to contain the virus.

Visitors will have their body temperature checked prior to entering the museums, and need to wear masks throughout their visit. The "green" QR codes on the mobile phone signifying good health are also required.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Beijing Municipal Administration of Cultural Heritage announced it will gradually reopen city-level public museums in Beijing starting Friday as well.

According to the guidance of the municipal administration, each museum will create its own tailored measures to ensure safety, but some policies are universal. There are caps for daily visitors. Travel routes in the past 14 days and the health status of museum employees will be strictly checked, and a 1.5-meter social distance is required.

Despite the reopening, the originally planned exchange exhibitions touring to other provinces or overseas will still be on hold for some time, along with academic communication.

Though the National Cultural Heritage Administration gave the green light to reopen museums since early March in some parts of China where the virus has been gradually controlled, museums in Beijing had been on the top-tier alarm until now.